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Everybody loves the Fourth of July. In many communities it's a time for parades, fireworks, ball games, and picnics.
Real fun! But we ought not forget what the Fourth of July really is - the birthday of our country. That's when the Declaration ofIndependence was adopted in 1776.
Here's a trick question for you. How many stars were in the U.S. flag on the first Fourth of July? You're probably going to say 13, because there were 13 colonies in America then, but that's wrong.
In fact, there weren't any stars in the flag. The colonists were using what became known as the Grand Union Flag, which used the British union symbol and 13 red and white stripes. You can see a picture of it in your Boy Scout Handbook.
Stars representing the states first appeared in the U.S. flag 11 years
later. Since then stars have been added each time new states joined the
union.
Today we honor this emblem of our country with its 50 stars and 13 stripes
because it is a symbol of the nation's unity. We use flag ceremonies so
often that it's easy to forget what the flag means and what the Fourth
of July means in this country's history.
Now I'm going to ask our honor patrol to retire the colors. As they do
it, let's think about the brave men who signed the Declaration of Independence
and the love of country they passed on to us.
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