Although the flag of the United States of America has evolved over time, the design, color, and unique characteristics of the American flag offer a history lesson rich with symbolism.
The American flag is known by several different names, including:
- Old Glory
- Stars and Stripes
- Star Spangled Banner (see photo below)
The only other flag, in addition to the national one, to be flown officially over the White House is the POW/MIA (Prisoners of War/Missing in Action) flag, which was first flown in 1982.
Evolution of the American Flag
The first official American flag design with stars and stripes was adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. This history gives added significance to National Flag Day, which is celebrated annually in the United States on June 14. This national flag from 1777 differed from the 1775 Grand Union Flag that fused the British Union Jack on the top left corner with alternating red and white stripes to the right and below. The Grand Union was also called the Continental Flag or Cambridge Flag (see picture below).
The 1777 flag of the United States still featured the thirteen red and white stripes but replaced the British Union Jack corner with thirteen white stars backed in blue. The thirteen stars and thirteen stripes originally both represented the thirteen colonies. The blue union corner represented a “new Constellation."
Examples of names of some early flags include:
- Betsy Ross flag (see photo below)
- Francis Hopkinson flag
- Cowpens flag
- Brandywine flag
The American flag has evolved over the years, with the number of stars increasing to represent 50 states in America while the stripes continue to represent the original thirteen colonies. The American flag has not always featured thirteen stripes. The flag had fifteen stripes and fifteen stars, commonly called the Star Spangled Banner, after May 1794 until April 4, 1818, at which time President James Monroe signed an order to limit the flag to thirteen stripes. Additional stars would only be officially added on the 4th of July following the addition of a new state to the Union.
Early American flags often differed in size and proportion. Some of these flags had six-pointed stars while others had 5-pointed stars with circular or linear arrangements as most of these earliest flags were probably made by individuals and not mass produced. On June 24, 1912, President William Howard Taft signed an Executive Order to standardize the American flag design that specified six horizontal rows of stars. Each horizontal row would contain eight stars. Shades of colors were also standardized.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an Executive Order on January 3, 1959 to arrange the stars in seven rows with seven stars in each row. On August 21, 1959, he signed an order allowing for staggered rows of stars with nine horizontal rows and eleven vertical rows, which would become the 27th national flag design since the 1777 design.
On July 4, 1960, the United States flag was officially changed to the 50 star and 13 stripe design after Hawaii became the fiftieth state. This design has been flown for nearly 50 years, and eleven U.S. Presidents have served under the 50 star design of the American flag:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- John F. Kennedy
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Richard M. Nixon
- Gerald R. Ford
- Jimmy Carter
- Ronald W. Reagan
- George Bush
- William J. Clinton
- George W. Bush
- Barack Obama
American Flag Red, White and Blue Symbolism
According to the Veterans Affairs online web article “The History of the American Flag,” the United States flag is made up of red, white, and blue that symbolize the following ideals.
The red represents:
- Valor
- Zeal
The white represents:
- Hope
- Purity
- Cleanliness of life
The blue represents:
- The color of heaven
- Loyalty
- Sincerity
- Justice
- Truth
According to the Veterans Affairs online web article “The American Flag,” President George Washington explained the symbolism of the U.S. flag in this manner: “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 liberty.”
American Flag Design and Symbolism
The United States flag has seen numerous changes since the birth of the nation, with the latest design being flown since 1960. The current American flag features fifty stars representing fifty states and thirteen stripes representing the original thirteen colonies. Symbolism of the flag’s colors has been mentioned by various American leaders, including George Washington, the first President of the United States.
Readers may also wish to read about proper display of the American flag.
Sources (in additional to those listed above):
Veterans Affairs web articles under "The American Flag: The POW/MIA Flag"
Flag of the United States of America February 10, 2005 web article "Evolution of the United States Flag"
Katrena Wells - Katrena Wells is a RN in NC with 17 1/2 years of experience in oncology, an educator since 1995, and has taught exercise classes since ...
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