Madam President, today I commemorate the 233rd Flag Day in the United States. On June 14, 1777, nearly a year after our Nation declared its independence, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of our national flag. The 13 stripes that alternate red and white and the white stars on a field of blue have proudly stood as a beacon of liberty and justice around the world ever since. Flag Day--the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777--was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until 1949 that President Truman signed an act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day and the corresponding week as National Flag Week. My home State of Maryland plays an integral role in the rich history of our flag. The flag was the source of inspiration for Francis Scott Key's ``Star Spangled Banner'' which became our national anthem. That most famous of American flags flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. It bravely withstood the torrent of British buckshot and still hangs today in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Each year the National Flag Day Foundation of Baltimore, MD, sponsors a moving ceremony at the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine which brings our community together in celebration and remembrance of our glorious past.…
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