George Washington, acceptance of American Flag, June 14, 1777

We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty." – George Washington, acceptance of American Flag, June 14, 1777; "Celebrating America’s Freedoms: The United States Flag," U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, p. 1

Sand art by Sand artist Orlando Adinolfi