Since President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14 Flag Day in May 1916, the United States has honored the adoption of the stars and stripes in a number of ways, including carrying the flag in parades, displaying it outside homes and holding other patriotic events. Before 1916, a number of states and cities had started to observe the day.

It’s Flag Day, a day that honors the adoption of the United States flag on June 14, 1777. The original resolution declared the flag would have 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue field with 13 white stars, representing a new constellation — a powerful symbol of unity and independence that continues to fly proudly today.

Celebrated each year on June 14, Flag Day commemorates the 1777 approval of a national flag design by the Continental Congress.