With its bold colors of red, white and blue, the American flag is arguably the most powerful symbol of the U.S.
A symbol often seen at a variety of places — from schoolhouse flag poles to football stadiums to battlefields and everything in between — the flag is something many folks enjoy displaying with pride.
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill into law that provided guidelines on how Americans can respectfully fly Old Glory.
The guidelines for displaying and handling the U.S. flag is set by the Federal Flag Code, or Public Law 94-344.
According to the Federal Flag Code, the flag is “universally representative of the principles of the justice, liberty and democracy enjoyed by the people of the United States.”
THE HISTORY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON’S WEATHERVANE
The flag itself is a symbol of the country, with the red and white stripes representing the 13 original colonies and the 50 white stars emblazoned on a blue field representing the 50 states. The latter is referred to as the “union”.
Given the charged nature of its constituent parts, the flag has become federally protected. In fact, the Federal Flag Code states, “No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America.”
The Federal Flag Code has a number of rules for how, when and where to display the flag with dignity. Here are some of those rules:
How to display the flag:
When to display the flag:
When to display flags at half-staff:
Where to display the flag:
Practices to avoid with the flag:
How to retire a flag:
Despite these rules being an official federal law, the law does not explicitly state ways to enforce the rules. Because of this, it’s up to individual Americans to learn about and practice the rules voluntarily.
However, states may have their own flag codes and may enact penalties for mishandling of the flag.
One of the most controversial practices of handling the flag is flag burning (outside the purpose of retiring the flag).
In 1989, Congress passed the Flag Protection Act, which fined and/or imprisoned people who knowingly desecrated the flag for up to one year. But in 1990, the law was struck down by the Supreme Court, which stated that the law violated the free speech protections provided by the First Amendment.
HOW THE AMERICAN BISON BECAME A NATIONAL ICON
Aside from protocols on how to handle the flag, the Federal Flag Code also includes other rules, such as the standard design of the flag, how to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and how the flag should be placed over a casket.
Much like the country, the U.S. flag has undergone a number of changes since its adoption as the nation’s official flag on June 14, 1777.
What began with 13 stars grew to 50, as more stars were added to reflect the changes and growth of the nation we know today — and with the Federal Flag Code, the flag can be flown with the respect deserving of the country it represents.