Liberty University Department of History

Do you know the history behind Flag Day?

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution that read: "Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation."

The red represented hardiness and valor, the white represented purity and innocence, the blue represented diligence, perseverance, and justice, and together they flew to unite this new nation fighting for freedom.

Since then, the flag has changed 27 times, its constellation of stars growing alongside its country. Today, 249 years later, we celebrate Flag Day in honor of our Stars and Stripes, what they stand for and those who have fought under this flag.

Images:
Percy Moran. "The Birth of Old Glory." 1917. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Flag Day at the Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 1913. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Many of you may be familiar with this bright yellow flag, but did you know the Gadsden Flag dates to the American Revolution? It was designed in 1775 by Christopher Gadsden of Charleston, South Carolina. It features a yellow background with a coiling timber rattlesnake on green grass with the words "Don't Tread On Me" underneath it. The rattlesnake was a symbol of unity of the thirteen colonies at the beginning of the Revolutionary War and was also used as a political symbol in the colonial era. The flag itself was used as a physical symbol of the Revolution's ideals. The flag was also used by Commodore Esek Hopkins and was used on the mainmast of his flagship USS Alfred. Hopkins was later made Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy and adopted the Gadsden flag as his personal flag, and it was also used early in the war by the Continental Marines. The flag today is often associated with far-right libertarianism, but it still stands out in American history because of its symbolism of fighting tyranny and the ideals of the American founding.

Courtesy of Schuyler Ogden, History PhD, Liberty University

As we approach this country’s 250th birthday, we can reflect on the numerous events that have made our nation what it is today. We commemorate these kinds of events by separating certain days and places in remembrance. For example, in December 2023, Bedford was recognized as Virginia’s only World War II Heritage City, a distinction that honors the extraordinary sacrifices of this small community. During the war, men from Bedford served in every branch of the military and fought in many of its most significant battles. On D-Day, soldiers from the 116th Regiment, 29th Division — remembered as the Bedford Boys — stormed Omaha Beach, where the town suffered one of the highest per capita losses of any community in the United States. Twenty men from Bedford were killed on that day, and a total of 110 lost their lives over the 20course of the war.

Today, Bedford is one of just thirty-eight World War II Heritage Cities in the nation and continues to preserve its history through sites such as Centertown Plaza, Liberty Station, and the County Courthouse. It is also home to the National D-Day Memorial, one of the most striking and meaningful memorials on the East Coast, ensuring that the legacy of sacrifice and service endures for generations to come.

Do you know the history behind Memorial Day?

The location of the first Memorial Day is contested. In the years following the Civil War, there were similar yet independent movements across America to lay flowers on Confederate and Union graves alike.

Wherever these ceremonies were held, they were all united by a single number: 600,000. That number is the low estimate of U.S. Civil War deaths. That number was 2% of the U.S. population at the time, which today would number nearly 7 million.

That number caused a yearning to remember the fallen ever since. Towns across America continued to observe the holiday on May 30 through the 20th century, and, in 1971, it became a federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May.

Photos:
Memorial Day, May 30th, New York: Federal Art Project, 1936 or 1937. From the Library of Congress.

Honor the brave, Memorial Day, May 30, 1917. From the Library of Congress.

Memorial Day exercises in the new memorial amphitheater, Arlington National Cemetery, Va., 1928. From the Library of Congress.

Celebration of the fifth Decoration Day at Arlington Cemetery, May 30, 1873. From the Library of Congress.

Have a good summer!

The arrival of spring recalls famous warm-weather events of the past such as the Great Migration of 1843. May 22 marks the anniversary of the first major wagon train to leave Missouri and head for Oregon. This wagon train consisted of at least 100 wagons, and likely over 700 people. Around five months later, the majority of this group reached Willamette Valley, the first major group to prove that wagons could travel to the West Coast.
The major wagon train proved that the Oregon Trail could support mass movements of immigrants. The group travelled over 2,000 miles to Oregon, where another small group continued south, towards California. In more modern times, many people associate the Oregon Trail with the Oregon Trail video game which debuted in late 1971. Both the game and the historical trail have long been associated with perseverance, rigor, and adventure. The opening of the Oregon Trail and other trails like it have carried thousands of Americans westward, in search of land and fresh beginnings. The westward migration of the 1800s changed the landscape of America forever, bringing settlers from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean and expanding the country significantly.

So proud of our GRADS!

Congratulations to our History Department Student Worker graduates!

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26

We are so proud of y'all! Congrats!