香蕉视频APP

Written By: Rachel Putman

Every June 14, Americans celebrate Flag Day, honoring the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the nation's official flag. But where did the holiday come from, and how has the flag's meaning evolved over time?

To answer those questions, we asked historian Tom Wing, assistant professor of history at the University of 香蕉视频APP 鈥� Fort Smith and director of the Drennen-Scott Historic Site, to share the history behind one of America's most recognizable symbols.

 

 For people who may not know, what is Flag Day, and why do we observe it? 

Tom Wing: June 14, 1777, was the day the Continental Congress approved the design for a national flag. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing a national Flag Day for June 14, but a few states and municipalities had been celebrating the flag before that. In 1949, President Harry Truman signed legislation to designate the date as Flag Day and to call upon the president to issue a Flag Day proclamation each year.  

The reason we observe Flag Day, is to honor the oldest symbol of the United States, and to celebrate our heritage. An anecdotal story set in 1885 points to a Wisconsin school teacher named Bernard Cigrand, who had his students celebrate the flag鈥檚 birthday by writing essays on what the flag meant to them. Cigrand鈥檚 class project was expanded and shared with other teachers. Some call him the Father of Flag Day. 

While Flag Day carries legal designation, it is not a federal holiday and that is the point of it.  It is simply a time for Americans to consider the flag, the oldest symbol of our nation. It requires nothing but our attention and is not a day off work. 

Why do you think the American flag continues to hold such meaning for people more than 200 years after it was first adopted? 

As stated above, it is the oldest symbol of the United States. Even though it has changed over the years, it connects us all the way back to the Continental Congress, the Continental Army, and a time when the American experiment was just getting started, yet to be proven.  Deep meaning and respect for the flag is inherent in our military, it is a symbol of our Olympic teams, and is a beacon across the world for freedom, democracy, and the republican form of government.  It represents, and has represented over time, a place where life for it鈥檚 citizens can be better than many oppressive and restrictive countries. 

The American flag has changed many times over the years. How has its meaning evolved as the country has evolved? 

As the flag was approved and became the symbol of an idea and of a government and a nation that had to prove its legitimacy among the nations, one of the first new meanings was tied to the sacrifices of our men and women who fought for the legitimacy of the United States. Continuously, all the way to today, the sacrifice of these men and women in conflicts and defending the country at home and abroad as well as the principles we have already discussed makes the flag mean something much deeper than just a symbol of the nation. While the flag represents us all, it means many different things to the people. As our First Amendment reads, we are free to speak and express their own opinions of not only the flag, but anything, again, a right not present in other nations of the world. 

香蕉视频APP has lived under several different flags throughout its history. Can you walk us through some of those transitions and what they tell us about our state? 

香蕉视频APP saw the flags of Spain and France fly over it before the United States purchased the land in 1803. Before that, this the land was part of sovereign nations during prehistoric times and in historical times as well. The Quapaw, Caddo, and Osage nations controlled what is today 香蕉视频APP. During the removal period, the Cherokee and Choctaw nations briefly held land in what is today 香蕉视频APP. During the civil war, 香蕉视频APP was one of the 11 states who seceded from the union, and the confederate flag flew here as well. These flags trace the development of the nation and represent Native Americans who lost in the Great Experiment. They are part of our heritage today. These flags show how a state can leave under the conditions of a civil war and then be readmitted with all the privileges and rights and responsibilities after the conflict was concluded. 

 

What kinds of flags would people living on the 香蕉视频APP frontier have encountered in their daily lives? 

The main flag people on the frontier would have experienced would have been the national flag of the United States in Fort Smith particularly at the Fort on a large flagpole that resembles a ship's mast. The American flag would be recognizable at a great distance. This paraded a sense of security that this was American territory. Spain and later Mexico were somewhat interested in the land immediately west of 香蕉视频APP. Thomas Jefferson suggested relocating Native American tribes, which was carried out by Andrew Jackson's administration, so the federal government had other goals for the land. The flag was a representation of that. 

Were flags common objects in early 香蕉视频APP, or would seeing one have been a notable event? 

Early on, the flag would not be a common object, but something tied mostly to the military or some part of the government such as courthouses, even schools. However, the motifs, the stars and stripes that are used in the flag, were also used in bunting and decorations for holidays and commemorations. 

 

At the Drennen-Scott and Wilhauf Historic Sites, visitors can see a variety of historic flags. What are some of the most interesting or significant examples in the collection? 

The flags that fly at Drennan Scott and Wilhauf sites include the 25-star American flag, which commemorates 香蕉视频APP as the 25th state in 1836, an 香蕉视频APP State flag that flew over the state capital and was a gift of a local legislator. and, currently throughout 2026, the 香蕉视频APP America 250 flag that was made possible by the governor's office and 香蕉视频APP Department of Heritage. 

The most interesting flag story connected to the Drennan Scott and Wilhauf stories would be the Van Buren Avengers flag, which was sewn by the ladies of Van Buren and presented on the courthouse lawn in 1846 right before a company of about 100 soldiers from Van Buren were headed to Mexico. Leonard Wilhauf was elected to carry the flag by his fellow soldiers. This was a position of honor and leadership. He promised publicly and was quoted in the newspapers of the day that he would bring the flag back or that he would die underneath it. He brought the flag back in 1848 after two years of war, and it ended up, miraculously, in the Drennan Scott House to be preserved. In the 1930s, it was presented to the 香蕉视频APP History Commission in Little Rock by Caroline Mary Scott, John Drennan鈥檚 great-granddaughter. Today, the flag is cared for by 香蕉视频APP Department of Heritage through the Old State House Museum. Leonard Wilhauf started a bakery in Van Buren after the Mexican war and bought land from John Drennan to build his house and today rests in Fairview cemetery, which was also donated by John Drennan to the city of Van Buren 

 

What do you hope visitors feel when they encounter these historic flags and the stories behind them? 

My hope for visitors when they encounter historic flags and the stories behind them is that they'll form their own connections from their own experiences to the flags and or the stories. That's what interpretation is about. That's what we try and do in museums and historic sites. We try to offer opportunities for our visitors to connect to the story or the object via their own experiences, values, and perspectives. The other thing I would hope they would feel is that there are indeed other perspectives than their own, other points of view, other voices that need to be heard. It's not a bad thing. It鈥檚, in fact, very good to consider those who see things differently from ourselves. 

 

What can historic flags teach us that other artifacts or written records sometimes cannot? 

Flags, whether original objects or reproductions, are a tangible and visible representation of an earlier time. Well written records include great details they many times don't provoke the emotions that a flag from a particular era can cause. Spanning time and understanding the respect and honor that many have felt in the past for the flag is something many of us also feel today. It's a tangible connection. Yet, there are many in this country, and rightly so, for which the flag or other flags have different meanings. The wisdom of the founding fathers to include an amendment to our constitution that guarantees free speech and with it free thought an opinion, while something that is argued about on social media, is really an amazing thing when you think about it. People were jailed executed and their property taken for criticizing symbols of the government or the government itself in other nations. I think this is one of the great lessons that flags teach us. 

 

Preserving textiles is notoriously difficult. What does it take to preserve historic flags for future generations? 

Notoriously is a perfect word in the context of preservation. Sometimes the preservation of an object is simply too difficult or expensive to undertake. Flags are never created to last hundreds of years. The care taken to preserve original flags such as the Star Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired Francis Scott key to ride our national anthem that flew over Fort McHenry during a bombardment by the British Navy, is tremendous. It involves a vault. It involves a stable environment, a constant temperature and humidity. The storage area is pest free. And, probably one of the most important aspects of preservation would be protecting from UV rays, which can quickly fade the original color. The flag Leonard Wilhauf off carried to Mexico described earlier is protected in much the same way but not at the same expense by the state of 香蕉视频APP. It is indeed a great undertaking to preserve anything whether it's a historic house, archival materials such as letters, photographs, and flags. 

 

What is a flag fact that surprises people when they hear it for the first time?

As a park Ranger in Fort Smith before my career with UAFS, I would ask visitors daily how many stars were on the flag of the large flagpole on the parade ground next to the barracks and jail building. Invariably they would answer 50, and I would say, 鈥淣o, now you have to count them.鈥�  Jokingly, I would eventually reveal that the flag commemorates 1871 when the Army left Fort Smith to deal with military issues further West. In 1871, there were 37 states in the union and therefore 37 stars. On that same tour, we would venture out to the first fort site, where they would encounter another flag much easier to count because in 1817, there were only 15 states. That flag looks different because originally a star and a stripe was to be added for each new state, but by 1815, the stripes were getting too thin. So, it was decided that 13 stripes would commemorate the original 13 States and only a star would be added for each new one. In this way, a tour of Fort Smith turned into a flag lesson as well. 

 

Why do you think people throughout history have been so drawn to flags and other symbols? 

I think that throughout history, flags and other symbols of things that we're unifying made for inclusion in a particular group or identified as a nation. There's usually a sense of pride in that. Heraldry, which predates flags, meant that in Europe family groups had a coat of arms with certain colors that distinguished them from other families. I think it's about identification, belonging, and recognition. 

 

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, does the flag take on any new significance for you? 

Of course, the flag takes on a somewhat new significance. My role in the flag raising at the Fort Smith National Cemetery made the America 250 and the significance of the flag extra special for me. Having worked for the Federal Government as a National Park Service park ranger before my time as a professor, part of my duties every day was to raise the flags in the morning and take them down at night. I fondly remember taking the Belle Point, first Fort Smith flag down on New Years Eve, 1999, as we entered a new century. I also had the privilege of working with many veterans over the years, and their respect for the flag has been an inspiration to me. Lastly, a few years ago, I spoke at an Immigration and Naturalization service, welcoming new citizens to the benefits of the United States. Watching families and friends from 40 different countries that day officially become Americans was deeply moving for me. They all waved the flag. So, to have this symbol, that dates to 1777, a year after independence with us still today, 250 years later, for better or worse is worth our attention and respect. I think so anyway. 

What does the upcoming semiquincentennial invite Americans to reflect on about our nation's history? 

Two-hundred and fifty years is essentially half the time the Roman Empire lasted. As a somewhat classically trained historian, the comparison is worth noting. I think the celebration calls us to consider the 250 years of our past. We have monuments, museums, historic sites that tell us the story and help us connect to the history. While it is a celebration in many ways, it is also a time to consider the hard things in our past as well.   

What we consider in those 250 years is an experiment, something never tried before in history. It was a government founded by the people, not a king, a dictator, a warlord, or a war council. It was founded on principles, not profit, not territorial gain, and not for a place in the global economy, though those things are part of the story. When we consider the founding of this nation and what we are about, it is a fundamentally different beginning than any other nation in history. The 250th marks not only the beginning, but also mostly the primary and adolescent years of the nation. We had to defend our rights to exist twice against the largest empire in the world at that time, which was Great Britain. We expanded our territory across the continent. In the process, Native Americans lost sovereignty land and suffered horribly. In those 250 years, the nation was divided. The union was challenged, and from that point, it saw the end of slavery.

To survive a civil war is another important aspect the 250th calls to us. Some historians have said the civil war, while a great tragedy, the loss of life and destruction of property probably made the nation stronger and more prepared to deal with World War I in World War II, which would come after. One historian said before the Civil War, it was the United States, plural. They were individual states and saw themselves as a collection. After the Civil War, it was the United States, singular, one nation, indivisible for better or for worse, right or wrong, with all the good and the bad that comes with that. 

The last thing I think the 250th causes us to consider is the future. What will the next 250 years look like? Will we make it another 250 years? We certainly are divided today, but there really wasn鈥檛 a time when we weren't divided and in our history. It has been much worse than it is right now, though that may be hard to believe. The preamble to the constitution does not promise a perfect union. It makes the case that it is our responsibility to strive for a more perfect union, to get better, to improve the legacy of the first 250 years. 

 

How did your own interest in flags and 香蕉视频APP history begin? 

My own interest in flags in 香蕉视频APP history began at a very early age. The Civil War and 香蕉视频APP鈥� role in that, have always been a topic I have read about and always wanted to learn more. I have a book in my collection that I was given by my aunt when I was in the third grade on the Civil War. My father bought me a cast iron cannon at Pea Ridge National Military Park when I was about the same age, and it's sitting next to this computer I'm using now. For me, it started very early. I had no idea that I would make a living, raise a family, and spend a teaching about preserving aspects of not only the Civil War but a lot of 香蕉视频APP history. I'm very thankful for the opportunity UAFS has given me to do that work.