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How to Properly Fly the U.S. Flag for July 4th

26 June 2017

Flying the Flag for the birthday of our nation

Flying a U.S. flag at your house on major holidays might be something you've always wanted to do. With the birthday of our nation a few days from now it is a great time to start. Flags are for sale everywhere, including online and at the Rosie on the House E-store.

Install a Bracket to Hang the Flag

It's easy to install a bracket to hang a flag on a short pole somewhere at the front of your house. Position the bracket on the house where you want it and make the screw holes with a pencil. Then drill the holes using the right bit for a power drill depending on whether your home is masonry or covered with stucco.

Hanging the Flag On a Wall or in a Window

If you live in an apartment or condominium, you can still display a flag on a wall or in a window. Hang it so that the stripes are displayed vertically or horizontally. The blue field with the stars should be at the top on your left as you stand outside the house or building and view the flag.

Here are some other rules and suggestions found online in the U.S. Flag Code:

1 | It's best to display the U.S. flag only from sunrise to sunset outside. But it can be on view 24 hours a day if lighted properly at night.

2 | In rain or snow, a flag can still be flown if it's made of all-weather material. It might be good to take it down in monsoon season to prevent the flag from blowing out of its bracket.

3 | A soiled flag can be washed or dry-cleaned. But when it gets too tattered to display any more, it should be destroyed properly, preferable by burning. American Legion posts and other groups sometimes dispose of damaged flags in special ceremonies. In addition Stars for our Troops will take worn out American flags with embroidered stars. Those stars are then placed into individual packages with a thank you note and distributed to veterans, troops, first responders, etc.

4 | To fly the state flag of Arizona along with the U.S. flag, there is special etiquette as well.

The American flag should be larger than the other flags to be flown with it. But if other flags are the same size, the U.S. flag should be flown higher. If there is a group of flags on the same level, the U.S. flag should be flown to the right of all other flags.

No one is exactly sure who designed the first American flag, but in June 1777, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act.

It specified that the flag of the United States have 13 stripes, alternating red and white, and that the union of the states consist of 13 white stars on a blue background. That was back during the American Revolution when the 13 colonies were seeking independence from Great Britain.

After winning the war of independence, many differing versions of the flag were used and new stripes and stars were added whenever a new state joined the union. In 1912, the basic arrangement of the modern flag was established.

What about the Arizona state flag?

The design for the Arizona state flag was developed by Arizona National Guard Col. Charles Wilfred Harris and Sen. Carl Hayden of Arizona around the time that Arizona became a state in 1912.

The top half of the flag represents the 13 original colonies of the United States and the western setting sun. The copper star in the center of the flag is in honor of Arizona's copper production. The red and blue in the state flag come from the colors in the U.S. flag. The red and yellow rays of the sun represent the colors flown by Francisco Coronado when he was leading his troops through Arizona while searching for the seven cities of Cibola in 1540.

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Photo Credits:

iStock