The opening paragraph to the Declaration of Independence written in 1776 states the desire of the people living here to be free from Britain. With this one paragraph, they started something huge. Everyone knows freedom did not come easily and reading about the beginning of the war, it's amazing the colonies managed to stay together and win. These men who wrote the Declaration and the men who fought the war were willing to lose everything they had for their freedom. Ordinary people decided one day they were tired of what was happening to them and did something about it. It's pretty amazing to realize what a group of people can do. If you are interested in reading the entire Declaration of Independence, click on the following link http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html.
When thinking about the Fourth of July, the Declaration of Independence is one of the first signs of freedom to come to mind. There are, however, many symbols that represent the United States and its quest to be independent. The document being highlighted this week is all about another such symbol of America. Entitled Our Flag, this item contains everything you need or want to know about this great symbol. It gives the history of not just our nation's flag, but other flags flown early in history. This item gives the dimensions of the flag, how to fold it, and how to care for it. There is an entire section on flag laws and regulations. This section tells us how the flag should be displayed. Generally, no flag is flown higher or at the same level as the Stars and Stripes unless it is a flag of another nation and then they are to be flown at the same level on different staffs. It tells us how and when to salute the flag. You can also find a picture of your state flag and a brief history of that flag.
If you have any questions regarding the flag or anything related to it, this is the document for you. It's located in the Y classification section of government documents. The complete sudoc. number is Y 1.1/3: 109-18. As always, this item is available for check out. Come by and take a look, you won't be disappointed.