On June 14, 1877 Henry Ossian Flipper (1856 – 1940), born
into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1856, became the
first African American cadet to graduate from the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point, New York, earning a
commission as a second lieutenant in the United States
Army.

Flipper was also an author who wrote about scientific topics
and his life experiences.

A painting depicting Lt. Flipper near the Rio Grande River,
TX in 1880 while scouting with company A, 10th US Cavalry
Regiment.

On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized
the enlistment of expert riflemen to serve the United
Colonies for one year.

This launched the U.S. Army as America’s first national institution, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was published on July 4, 1776.

June 14, 1777: During the American Revolution, the
Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating
that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate
stripes red and white” and  that “the Union be thirteen
stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”       

       
The national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,
” was based on the “Grand Union” flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white
stripes. According to legend, Philadelphia seamstress Betsy
Ross designed the new canton for the Stars and Stripes, which
consisted of a circle of 13 stars and a blue background, at the
request of General George Washington. Historians have been
unable to conclusively prove or disprove this legend.

With the entrance of new states into the United States after independence, new stripes and stars were added to represent
new additions to the Union. In 1818, however, Congress enacted
a law stipulating that the 13 original stripes be restored and that
only stars be added to represent new states.

Elizabeth Griscom Ross
(January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836)