I have a wonderful book called, 'The Stars and the Stripes. The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present' by Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D'Otrange Mastai where I first learned:
"The first Flag Act of 1777 was passed by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, in response to a petition made by an American Indian nation on June 3 for an American Flag. "Three strings of wampum" were sent with the petition to cover the cost of the flag (as a result, June 14 is now celebrated as Flag Day in the United States.) It reads, in its entirety: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
"The first Flag Act of 1777 was passed by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, in response to a petition made by an American Indian nation on June 3 for an American Flag. "Three strings of wampum" were sent with the petition to cover the cost of the flag (as a result, June 14 is now celebrated as Flag Day in the United States.) It reads, in its entirety: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
The part a Wisconsin teacher played in this holiday can be found here.
While the children singing in the video clip below were not in his class, I think they've captured the spirit of the day quite well!
