Raising the flag, July 4, 1876 Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [reproduction number LC-USZC4-6287]

"This Star-Spangled Banner and all its successors have come to embody our country, what we think of as America. It may not be quite the same for every one of us who looks at it, but in the end we all pretty much come out where the framers did. We know that we have a country founded on the then revolutionary idea that all of us are created equal, and equally entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
—Pres. William Jefferson Clinton, speaking before the Star-Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History, July 13, 1998

The American flag is undoubtedly the most recognized patriotic symbol of the United States. While the design is a product of evolution, changing over time to reflect the country’s growth, the flag’s symbolism has remained the same: freedom.

History of the Flag

Flags of the American Revolution
Early flags of the colonies were representative of the struggles colonists faced in the wilds of their new homeland, featuring beavers, pine trees, and even rattlesnakes.

The Grand Union Flag
The first of many American Revolution flags to bear any resemblance to the modern-day 50-star Flag, the Grand Union featured 13 stripes meant to represent the Thirteen Colonies; the red cross of St. George of England; and the white cross of St. Andrew of Scotland. The Grand Union Flag, despite its British embellishments, was flying as our unofficial flag on July 4, 1776 – our first Independence Day.

Stars and Stripes
On June 14, 1777, in accordance with the First Flag Act, the First Continental Congress designed – and Betsy Ross sewed – the first Stars and Stripes. The Congress determined that “the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” For Americans past and present, the color red symbolizes courage; white, purity of ideals; and blue, strength and unity of the states.

The Star Spangled Banner
In 1795 – after Kentucky and Vermont joined the Union – Congress passed the Second Flag Act: "That the flag of the United States be fifteen stripes, alternate red and white and that the union be fifteen stars, white in a blue field."

In the summer of 1813, the U.S. government commissioned Mary Pickersgill, a professional Baltimore flag maker, to create a garrison flag for Fort McHenry. This immense flag – measuring 30 x 42 feet – was flying over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814.

After more than 25 hours of British bombing, Francis Scott Key peered out his window from a ship in Baltimore’s harbor to see the American flag flying over Fort McHenry. It was this joyous sight that prompted Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner.” Congress proclaimed the song the National Anthem in 1931.

With the continued growth of the Union, Congress realized that the flag would become too large if a stripe were added for every new state. It passed the Flag Act of 1818: "That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field. And be it further enacted, that on the admission of every state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect on the fourth of July next succeeding such admission."

In accordance with the Flag Act of 1818, the U.S. flag has consisted of different numbers of stars. These flags include the 15-star Flag, the 20-star Flag, the 35-star Flag, the 38-star Flag, the 48-star Flag, and finally, the 50-star Flag.

50-Star Flag
In 1960, with the addition of Alaska and Hawaii to the Union, President Eisenhower ordered a new design and arrangement of the stars in the Union. On July 4, 1960, the 50-star Flag was raised over the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Star Spangled Banner (First Verse)
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Flag Etiquette
Over the years, Americans have developed rules and customs concerning the use and display of the flag. One of the most important things every American should remember is to treat the flag with respect.

• The flag should be raised and lowered by hand and displayed only from sunrise to sunset. On special occasions, the flag may be displayed at night, but it should be illuminated.
  
• The flag may be displayed on all days, weather permitting, particularly on national and state holidays and on historic and special occasions.
  
• No flag may be flown above the American flag or to the right of it at the same height.
  
• The flag should never touch the ground or floor beneath it.
  
• The flag may be flown at half-staff by order of the president, usually to mourn the death of a public official.
  
• The flag may be flown upside down only to signal distress.
  
• The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always carried aloft and free.
  
• When the flag becomes old and tattered, it should be destroyed by burning. According to an approved custom, the Union (stars on blue field) is first cut from the flag; then the two pieces, which no longer form a flag, are burned.

Additional Web Resources

Flag Rules and Regulations
National Flag Day Foundation
The Flag of the United States of America
USA Flag Site

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