A Quick History of the US Flag

In school, we all study the history of the United States, but the US Flag can become subsumed by battles, important historic figures and other events. The history of our flag is important though, and has many twists and turns as the Congress and US government sought to find a way to create a proud symbol for our country with strength and aesthetic beauty. Now the American Flag, or the Stars and Stripes or Old Glory, stands proud across the United States of America, made up of 13 horizontal red and white stripes and a union of blue, proudly bearing 50 white stars placed in symmetry. The 50 stars represent the 50 states of our Union while the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies. The most recent flag was introduced and adopted in 1960, on the July 4th following Hawaii's adoption into the United States. The reason for this is that every flag change must take place on July 4th and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania according to the code set forth by the lawmakers of the past. The US Flag has undergone 26 of these changes since it was first adopted in 1777 by the US Congress. But how did it begin? It is known that before the revolutionary war colonists flew many flags and dozens of iterations were known to have red and white stripes. These were combined with the British flag's Union Jack. Essentially you can picture the US flag with the Union Jack in place of the Blue Union with white stars on our flag. This flag was known as the Grand Union flag and was flown frequently by George Washington in battle. The next well known version of the American Flag, at least those flags used in battle, was the Bennington Flag. This flag maintains the theme of 13 red and white alternating stripes but the Union, which is blue, incorporates 13 stars and the number “76” indicating 1776 when the US declared independence from Britain. The Bennington Flag was supposedly used in the battle of Bennington in August of 1777. It holds the title of the first US flag used to lead our army into battle. The official US flag was not introduced until Jun 14th, 1777, when the congress adopted the Flag Resolution which stated, “Resolved; that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” June 14th was then known as Flag Day, which remains today. This flag was close to that of our own, with only white stars on the field of Blue representing the Union. Most depictions and recreations show the stars in a circular pattern. This flag is widely referred to as the Betsy Ross flag. As more states were brought into the Union, by necessity, the US Flag's design needed to change and grow. In fact, for a short time the Congress was just adding stars and stripes, but this had the potential of getting out of hand and interrupting the aesthetic design of the US Flag. Interestingly, it was the 15 stripe and 15 star flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. The design was finally shifted back to the original 13 stripes, to represent the colonies, with additions made only to the Union of the flag. The Union adopted a more organized structure as well, with the stars being carefully places in horizontal lines. The US flag is a proud symbol of our country and should be respected because of its long history and the meaning behind it. Our country was built on a proud foundation of people seeking freedom from oppression and a method of fair self government. The flag and its symbolism reflect that history which is why our flag should be flown high and proud!

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