Respecting Americana
Interiors and exteriors celebrate Independence Day
During a recent interview at the home of folk art collectors Becky and Wyatt Collins, the holiday art display for the 4th of July created a festive atmosphere characterizing the holiday.
Driving around the Teche Area flags are flying and patriotic bunting express support for American values — a cornerstone for natural born citizens and those who have pledged alligence to the flag of the United States of America.
The website USFlag.org had this to say about the colors associated with symbol of American freedom.
“Sentimental writers and orators sometimes ascribe meanings to the colors in the flag. The practice is erroneous, as are statements on this subject attributed to George Washington and other founders of the country.
The book “Our Flag” published in 1989 by the House of Representatives says, “On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers’ beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. Even colors have specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, said, “The colors of the pales are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.”
Also from a book about the flag published in 1977 by the House of Representatives, “The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun.”
DAR and the Boy Scouts
Under Title 4, Chapter 1, § 8, paragraph K of the US Code, often referred to as the Flag Code, it states, “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”
If you have a flag that is ready to be retired, properly fold the flag and bring it to the Iberia Parish Libraries for disposal in boxes donated by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. They will deliver the flags to area Boy Scouts of America for a flag burning ceremony.