85R4953 BK-D By: Price H.R. No. 2574 R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, For more than two centuries, the American flag has symbolized the values, ideals, and spirit of our nation, and Americans celebrate Flag Day each year to mark the anniversary of the official adoption of the Stars and Stripes on June 14, 1777; and WHEREAS, The idea for an annual day of celebration of the American flag is believed to have originated in 1885, when a Wisconsin public school teacher arranged for his students to commemorate "Flag Birthday" on June 14; four years later, a kindergarten teacher in New York City took up the cause, and in 1894, Chicago hosted a general public school observance in parks around the city that drew the participation of more than 300,000 children; celebrations were held throughout the late 19th century by the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and WHEREAS, In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing Flag Day as a nationwide observance, calling on Americans to consider it "a day upon which we should direct our minds with a special desire of renewal to thoughts of the ideals and principles of which we have sought to make our great Government the embodiment"; with the holiday growing in popularity in communities around the country, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress in 1949 officially designating June 14 as National Flag Day; and WHEREAS, The flag that once united our fledgling democracy continues to be a beacon of hope and freedom for people around the world, and Flag Day serves as an occasion to celebrate the legacy of "Old Glory" and to reflect on the national heritage for which it stands; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate June 14, 2018, as Flag Day and encourage all Texans to display and pay respect to the American flag.