The American flag with fifty stars will have its fiftieth birthday on July 4, 2010, just a few weeks after National Flag Day. Nicknamed Old Glory or the Stars and Stripes, the flag is considered a living symbol by many in the nation with guidelines for proper display. Look at what the thirteen stripes and fifty stars represent and find links to other informative flag education articles.
What Do the Stripes on the American Flag Represent?
The original thirteen colonies are represented by the alternating red and white stripes of the U.S. flag, including:
- Delaware
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- Georgia
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- South Carolina
- New Hampshire
- Virginia
- New York
- North Carolina
- Rhode Island
Vermont and Kentucky were briefly represented by two additional stripes that appeared on the 15-star flag from May 1, 1795 to April 13, 1818. This is the only flag to feature more than thirteen stripes and was heralded in Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner.
What Do the Stars Represent on the U.S. Flag?
Each of the fifty stars represents a state in the United States of America. Although early stars were added at various times of the year, later stars would be added only on July 4 following the addition of a state to the Union. With time and newer laws, the official national flag had a more standardized shape, size, color, and placement. Readers may wish to learn more by reading an article about the timeline and design history of America’s flag.
Stars on the American flag represent each state:
The first thirteen stars represent the original thirteen colonies on the 13-star flag as mentioned above. The following states are represented by each additional star, and the flag design was changed according to the total number of states at the time. Most flags had only one star added at a time, but a few updates included as many as five stars that were added the same year:
- Vermont
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Ohio
- Louisiana
- Indiana
- Mississippi
- Illinois
- Alabama
- Maine
- Missouri
- Arkansas
- Michigan
- Florida
- Texas
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- California
- Minnesota
- Oregon
- Kansas
- West Virginia
- Nevada
- Nebraska
- Colorado
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Washington
- Idaho
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Oklahoma
- New Mexico
- Arizona
- Alaska
- Hawaii
On July 4, 1960, the American flag was officially changed to the 13-stripe and 50-star design when Hawaii became the fiftieth state. This particular design has flown for 50 years. Eleven U.S. Presidents have served under this 50-star 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
America’s Flag Turns 50 on 4th of July 2010
Many in America, including President Barack Obama, have only known one U.S. flag design since the 50-star version has been around for half a century. With its thirteen alternating red and white stripes representing the original thirteen colonies and fifty white stars representing the United States of America, the flag has become standardized over the years with a rich history in national symbolism that has been flown proudly all over the nation, traveled to the moon in 1969, and has been draped over the coffins of many who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country. On July 4, 2010, the United States will celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence but will also remember the 50 year anniversary of the 50-star national flag.
Readers may also wish to view an article about how and why the American flag is flown at half-staff.
Source:
U.S. Flag online article "Historic & Current Flags of America"
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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