The Stars and Stripes With GIVEAWAY!

 

Old Glory! I'm a relentless fan of the Stars and Stripes. I decorate my home inside and out in May (April if Easter is early) and it stays up until after Labor Day in September. My favorite red, white, and blue are the ones that have scriptures with them. They remind me how blessed I am to have been born in the United States.

But did you know our first flag wasn't the stars and stripes? The first unofficial flag that resembled Old Glory was called The Grand Old Union or the Continental Colours. The flag was first adopted on December 3, 1775 and was relinquished on June 14th, 1777. It had thirteen red and white stripes, but in its upper right corner it featured the Union Jack.

In 1777 Congress officially adopted the Stars and Stripes as the American flag with its thirteen red and white alternating stripes and its thirteen white stars on a blue background. 

It's easy to figure out how the flag got its name The Stars and Stripes, but how did it get its name Old Glory? In the 1830's, William Driver was a sea captain in Salem. His mother and some women in Salem gave him an American flag. Upon flying the flag on the mast of his ship, he began calling it Old Glory. He later moved it to his home where he continued to call it Old Glory. The name stuck. It does seem fitting.

So how about a little flag trivia. Let's see how you do on Old Glory. Here are seven questions all worth fifteen points each. 

1) Around where I live you can't go far without seeing homes and businesses and cities proudly flying the US Flag. But where do you suppose the flag farthest from the Unites States flies? 

This reminds me of my parent's old hardware store that was built in the 1800's.
It was a general store when built. The horse and flag sold me on the picture.

*I bet many of you are trying to think of a faraway embassy. But if that is the case, you'd be wrong. The answer to this question is the moon. We actually have 6 flags on the moon, starting with the first that Neil Armstrong put there along with the rest of the Apollo moon landings.

2) We are all aware that June 14th is National Flag Day. But do you know what two presidents are responsible for the US having a Flag Day and its date? 

*It was in 1916 that it was decided to have a Flag Day in remembrance of the Flag Resolution. The president responsible for that presidential proclamation was Woodrow Wilson. Thirty-three years later President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of every year to be Flag Day.

3) Here's a little easier one. Do you know what the colors of the flag represent? 

Such a wonderful prayer to remind us of how blessed we are to live in this country.

*The red in the flag represents hardiness and valor. The white symbolizes purity and innocents, and the blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and valor.

4) Where does the flag fly when its flown together with states and local flags? 

This is my favorite decoration. My critique partner, Kathy Maher
painted it for me with my life verse. It stays up year around.

*The Stars and Stripes is to be flown in the center of the other flags and at the highest point of the group of flags.

5) When more than one nation's flag is being flown, which flag is flown the highest? 

I must thought this was a fun picture to add to my collection.

*The answer to this is none. During peace time, international usage forbids one flag being flown over another.

6) How many versions of the American flag have there been? 

I loved Reagan and this quote of his is one we all need to never forget.

*The flag would change twenty-seven times before becoming the Old Glory we have today with its fifty stars.

7) Who designed the flag that flies around our country and world today? 

This is fun because its made from 2x4's and one 4x4. It was a must have.

*This is a hard one. It was designed by Robert G. Heft of Lancaster, Ohio in 1958. He was a seventeen-year-old high school student. So if you just get high school student, count it as yours!

So how did you do? Can you be a history teacher on Old Glory? Let me know in the comments below. To make it more fun, I'll randomly draw a winner from the comments for choice of one of my books in kindle format.

A broken heart, a controlling father, and an intrusive Scot leave Charlotte Jackson reeling. Accused of stealing an heirloom pin, she must choose between an unwanted marriage and the ruin of her family name. With the futures of her three younger sisters at stake, as well as her own reputation, Charlotte must navigate through injustice to find forgiveness and true happiness.

Eager to find the traitor that caused the death of his brother, Duncan Mackenzie comes to America and attempts to fit in with Charleston society. But when the headstrong Charlotte catches his eye, Duncan takes on a second mission—acquiring the lass's hand. After being spurned several times, he uses unconventional ways of winning her heart.

Debbie Lynne Costello is the author of Sword of Forgiveness, Amazon's #1 seller for Historical Christian Romance. She has enjoyed writing stories since she was eight years old. She raised her family and then embarked on her own career of writing the stories that had been begging to be told. She writes in the medieval/renaissance period as well as 19th century. She and her husband have four children and live in upstate South Carolina with their 4 dogs, 4 horses, miniature donkey, and 12 ducks. Life is good!