- Also called:
- Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, or Star-Spangled Banner
flag of the United States of America
What do the stars on the American flag represent?
What do the stripes on the American flag represent?
How many stars are on the American flag, and when and why are new stars added?
What is the meaning behind the flag’s nickname, the Stars and Stripes?
The flag of the United States of America has undergone many changes since its inception. From the first official flag in 1777 to the current version of the flag (which has been in place since 1960), changes to the American flag have mirrored the evolution of the country.
Early unofficial flags
After the American Revolution began in 1775, the first, unofficial national flag—known as the Continental Colors (or, sometimes, as the Grand Union Flag, the Cambridge Flag, the Somerville Flag, or the Union Flag)—was hoisted on a towering 76-foot (23-meter) liberty pole at Prospect Hill in Charlestown (now in Somerville), Massachusetts, on January 1, 1776; it was raised at the behest of Gen. George Washington, whose headquarters were nearby. The flag had 13 horizontal stripes (probably of red and white or of red, white, and blue) and, in the canton, the first version of the British Union Flag (Union Jack). As the flag of the Continental Army, it flew at forts and on naval vessels.
Another popular early flag, that of the 1765 Sons of Liberty, had only nine red and white stripes. Various versions of “Don’t Tread on Me” coiled-rattlesnake flags appeared on many 18th-century American colonial banners, including the Gadsden flag and several others flown by military units during the Revolutionary War. The version carried by the Minutemen of Culpeper County, Virginia, for example, included not only the rattlesnake and the “Don’t Tread on Me” motto but also Virginia patriot Patrick Henry’s famous words “Liberty or Death.”
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The first official national flag
The first official national flag of the United States, formally approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, was the Stars and Stripes. That first flag resolution read, in toto, “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.”
The layout of the stars was left undefined, and many patterns were used by flag makers. The designer of the flag—most likely Congressman Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Philadelphia—may have had a ring of stars in mind to symbolize the new constellation. Today that pattern is popularly known as the “Betsy Ross flag,” although the widely circulated story that she made the first Stars and Stripes and came up with the ring pattern is unsubstantiated. Rows of stars (4-5-4 or 3-2-3-2-3) were common, but many other variations also existed. The new Stars and Stripes formed part of the military colors carried on September 11, 1777, at the Battle of the Brandywine, perhaps its first such use.
Modifications
The Stars and Stripes changed on May 1, 1795, when the Flag Act of 1794 came into effect; it mandated that there be 15 stripes and 15 stars. This reflected the admission of two new states, Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792). One such version of this flag was the 1,260-square-foot (117-square-meter) “Star-Spangled Banner,” made by Mary Pickersgill. This is the flag that Francis Scott Key saw at Fort McHenry in September 1814, which inspired him to write the patriotic poem that later supplied the lyrics of the national anthem.
The Flag Act of 1818 was implemented after five more states had been admitted. In addition to increasing the number of stars to 20, the act reverted the number of stripes back to 13. It also stipulated that henceforth the number of stripes should remain 13, the number of stars should always match the number of states, and any new star should be added on the July 4 following a state’s admission. This has been the system ever since.
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In all, from 1777 to 1960 (after the admission of Hawaii in 1959), there were 27 versions of the flag—25 involving changes in the stars only. An executive order signed by Pres. William Howard Taft on October 29, 1912, standardized for the first time the proportions and relative sizes of the elements of the flag; in 1934 the exact shades of color were standardized. An executive order signed by Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 21, 1959, designated the arrangement of the 50 stars after Hawaii was admitted to the Union; it came into effect on July 4, 1960, and remains the latest version of the flag.
Meaning and symbolism
Each of the white stars represents one of the states in the United States of America, which is why there have been so many changes to the flag over time. The 13 red and white stripes represent the original 13 colonies that became the first states.
The original flag resolution and subsequent flag acts did not provide an official assignment of meaning or symbolism to the colors of the flag. However, Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, in describing the proposed Great Seal of the United States, suggested the following symbolism: “White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue…signifies vigilence [sic], perseverence [sic] & justice.”
As with many other national flags, the Stars and Stripes has long been a focus of patriotic sentiment. Since 1892, millions of children have recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag at the start of each school day, and the lyrics of the national anthem are also concerned with the flag. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that all flag desecration laws were unconstitutional, some veterans’ and patriotic groups pressured legislators to adopt laws or a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. Such legislation has been opposed on the grounds that it would infringe on the constitutionally guaranteed First Amendment freedom of expression.
The Confederate flags
During the American Civil War, the Confederate States of America began to use its first flag, the Stars and Bars, on March 5, 1861. Soon after, the first Confederate Battle Flag was also flown. The design of the Stars and Bars varied over the following two years. On May 1, 1863, the Confederacy adopted its first official national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. A modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865, about a month before the end of the war. (See also flag of the Confederate States of America)
In the latter part of the 20th century, many groups in the South challenged the practice of flying the Confederate Battle Flag on public buildings, including some state capitols. Proponents of the tradition argued that the flag recalled Southern heritage and wartime sacrifice, whereas opponents saw it as a symbol of racism and slavery, inappropriate for official display.
