1981 18¢ Flag Over Seacoast
Issue Date: April 24, 1981
City: Portland, ME
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Engraved
Across the globe, national flags represent each country’s ideals. The flag that is most recognizable as a symbol of freedom and strong will is the American flag.
“My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters. My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all. My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.” This quote from Ruth Apperson Rous’ “I am the Flag” delivers the sense of pride that is equated with the American flag. It is the embodiment of liberty and of all the freedoms that Americans are granted – freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home.
These freedoms, plus liberty, justice, and humanity are the basis of why America was founded. The colors of the flag are not arbitrary; they stand for all that Americans stand for and are a celebrated reminder of the humble and challenging beginnings of our nation. The stars, representing a new constellation – the young, new nation of America – are an enduring symbol of America’s dedication to its people. Under this banner, everyone shall be treated equal and America will never fade.
America The Beautiful
On July 22, 1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful.
In 1893, 33-year-old college professor Katharine Lee Bates traveled to Colorado to teach a short summer English course. Along the way, she stopped at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where the alabaster “White City” moved her. And as she rode the train through America’s heartland she was awestruck by the expansive wheat fields.
As Bates later recalled, “One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.”
When Bates approached Colorado Springs, she noticed how the granite of Pikes Peak gave the mountains a purple hue. As she stood on the summit of the mountain, a poem came to mind. She returned to her room at the Antlers Hotel and immediately wrote it down. She initially titled the poem, “Pikes Peak.”
Two years later, the poem appeared in the church periodical, The Congregationalist, for the Fourth of July. As the poem gained popularity, it was set to different pieces of music. Perhaps the most popular was Samuel A. Ward’s Materna. The poem and song were first combined in 1910 and titled, America the Beautiful.
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