Flag of the United States

The national flag of the United States, often called the American flag or the U.S. flag, has thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white. In the top-left corner, or canton, there is a blue rectangle with fifty small, white, five-pointed stars. The fifty stars stand for the 50 states of the United States, and the thirteen stripes remind us of the thirteen colonies that fought for independence from Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War.

The flag began as a way to mark U.S. ships and forts. Over time, its meaning grew. It became very important in 1861 when it was used to show opposition to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. During the American Civil War, the flag stood for the Union. After the Union won, the flag became a true national symbol. As the United States grew into a world power in the 20th century, the flag became one of the most recognized symbols everywhere.

People call the flag many names, such as "the Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory", "the Star-Spangled Banner", and "the Red, White and Blue". The Pledge of Allegiance and the holiday Flag Day honor the flag. Whenever a new state joins the United States, a star is added to the flag. The last change happened in 1960 when Hawaii became a state.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of the flag of the United States.

See also: List of flags of the United States

The current design of the U.S. flag is its 27th; the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777. The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4, 1959. The 50-star flag was ordered by then president Eisenhower on August 21, 1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the longest-used version of the U.S. flag and has been in use for over 65 years.

First flag

Further information: Continental Union Flag and Prospect Hill Flag Debate

The first official flag resembling the "Stars and Stripes" was the Continental Navy ensign (often referred to as the Continental Union Flag, Continental Colours, the first American flag, Cambridge Flag, and Grand Union Flag) was used from 1775 to 1777. It consisted of 13 red-and-white stripes, with the British Union Flag in the canton. It first appeared on December 3, 1775, when Continental Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones flew it aboard Captain Esek Hopkins' flagship Alfred on the Delaware River.

Prospect Hill was the location of George Washington's command post during the Siege of Boston during the American Revolution. On New Year's Day in 1776, Washington conducted a flag-raising ceremony to raise the morale of the men of the Continental Army. The standard account features the Continental Union Flag flying, although in 2006, Peter Ansoff advanced a theory that it was actually a British Union Flag instead. Others, such as Byron DeLear, have argued in favor of the traditional version of events. The Continental Union Flag remained the national flag until June 14, 1777. At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, there were no flags with any stars on them; the Continental Congress did not adopt flags with "stars, white in a blue field" for another year. It has historically been referred to as the first flag of the United States.

Colloquially referred to as the Cambridge Flag and Grand Union Flag; the terms domain did not come into use until the 19th century. Although it has been claimed the more recent moniker, Grand Union Flag, was first applied to the Continental Union Flag by G. Henry Preble in his Reconstruction era book Our Flag; the first substantiated use of the name came from Philadelphia resident T. Westcott in 1852 when replying to an inquiry made in Notes and Queries, a London periodical, as to the origin of the U.S. flag.

The flag very closely resembles the East India Company flag of the era. Sir Charles Fawcett argued in 1937 that the company flag inspired the design of the U.S. flag. Both flags could easily have been constructed by adding white stripes to a Red Ensign, one of the three maritime flags used throughout the British Empire at the time. However, the East India Company flag could have from nine to 13 stripes and was not allowed to be flown outside the Indian Ocean.

Benjamin Franklin once gave a speech endorsing the adoption of the East India Company flag by the United Colonies. He said to George Washington, "While the field of your flag must be new in the details of its design, it need not be entirely new in its elements. There is already in use a flag, I refer to the flag of the East India Company." This was a way of symbolizing American loyalty to the Crown as well as the colonies' aspirations to be self-governing, as was the East India Company.

The theory that the Continental Union Flag was a direct descendant of the East India Company flag has been criticized as lacking written evidence; on the other hand, the resemblance to the company flag is obvious, and some of the Founding Fathers of the United States were aware of the East India Company's activities and of their free administration of India under Company rule.

Flag Resolution of 1777

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment.

Both the stripes (barry) and the stars (mullets) have precedents in classical heraldry. Mullets were comparatively rare in early modern heraldry. However, an example of mullets representing territorial divisions predating the U.S. flag is the Valais 1618 coat of arms, where seven mullets stood for seven districts.

Another widely repeated theory is that the design was inspired by the coat of arms of George Washington's family, which includes three red stars over two horizontal red bars on a white field. Despite the similar visual elements, there is "little evidence" or "no evidence whatsoever" to support the claimed connection with the flag design. The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington, published by the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, calls it an "enduring myth" backed by "no discernible evidence". The story seems to have originated with the 1876 play Washington: A Drama in Five Acts, by the English poet Martin Farquhar Tupper, and was further popularized through repetition in the children's magazine St. Nicholas.

The first official U.S. flag flown during battle was on August 3, 1777, at Fort Schuyler (Fort Stanwix) during the Siege of Fort Stanwix. Massachusetts reinforcements brought news of the adoption by Congress of the official flag to Fort Schuyler. Soldiers cut up their shirts to make the white stripes; scarlet material to form the red was secured from red flannel petticoats of officers' wives, while material for the blue union was secured from Capt. Abraham Swartwout's blue cloth coat. A voucher is extant that Congress paid Capt. Swartwout of Dutchess County for his coat for the flag.

The 1777 resolution was probably meant to define a naval ensign. In the late 18th century, the notion of a national flag did not yet exist or was only nascent. The flag resolution appears between other resolutions from the Marine Committee. On May 10, 1779, Secretary of the Board of War Richard Peters expressed concern that "it is not yet settled what is the Standard of the United States." However, the term "Standard" referred to a national standard for the Army of the United States. Each regiment was to carry the national standard in addition to its regimental standard. The national standard was not a reference to the national or naval flag.

Two examples of flags with unusual stars and stripes that were created after the 1777 resolution. Top: The Bennington flag. Bottom: The Serapis flag.

The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement, number of points, nor orientation for the stars and the arrangement or whether the flag had to have seven red stripes and six white ones or vice versa. The appearance was up to the maker of the flag. Some flag makers arranged the stars into one big star, in a circle or in rows and some replaced a state's star with its initial. One arrangement features 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, with the stars arranged pointing outwards from the circle (as opposed to up), the Betsy Ross flag. Experts have dated the earliest known example of this flag to be 1792 in a painting by John Trumbull.

Despite the 1777 resolution, the early years of American independence featured many different, hand-crafted flags. As late as 1779, Captain John Manley believed that the United States "had no national colors" so each ship flew whatever flag pleased the captain.

Some of the early flags included blue stripes as well as red and white. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, in an October 3, 1778, letter to Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, described the American flag as consisting of "13 stripes, alternately red, white, and blue, a small square in the upper angle, next to the flagstaff, is a blue field, with 13 white stars, denoting a new Constellation." John Paul Jones used a variety of 13-star flags on his U.S. Navy ships including the well-documented 1779 flags of the Serapis and the Alliance. The Serapis flag had three rows of eight-pointed stars with red, white, and blue stripes. However, the flag for the Alliance had five rows of eight-pointed stars with 13 red and white stripes, and the white stripes were on the outer edges. Both flags were documented by the Dutch government in October 1779, making them two of the earliest known flags of 13 stars.

Designer of the first stars and stripes

Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a naval flag designer and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, designed a flag in 1777 while he was the chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department, sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777. The Navy Board was under the Continental Marine Committee. Not only did Hopkinson claim that he designed the U.S. flag, but he also claimed that he designed a flag for the U.S. Navy. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own life when he sent a letter and several bills to Congress for his work. These claims are documented in the Journals of the Continental Congress and George Hasting's biography of Hopkinson. Hopkinson initially wrote a letter to Congress, via the Continental Board of Admiralty, on May 25, 1780. In this letter, he asked for a "Quarter Cask of the Public Wine" as payment for designing the U.S. flag, the seal for the Admiralty Board, the seal for the Treasury Board, Continental currency, the Great Seal of the United States, and other devices. However, in three subsequent bills to Congress, Hopkinson asked to be paid in cash, but he did not list his U.S. flag design. Instead, he asked to be paid for designing the "great Naval Flag of the United States" in the first bill; the "Naval Flag of the United States" in the second bill; and "the Naval Flag of the States" in the third, along with the other items. The flag references were generic terms for the naval ensign that Hopkinson had designed: a flag of seven red stripes and six white ones. The predominance of red stripes made the naval flag more visible against the sky on a ship at sea. By contrast, Hopkinson's flag for the United States had seven white stripes and six red ones – in reality, six red stripes laid on a white background. Hopkinson's sketches have not been found, but we can make these conclusions because Hopkinson incorporated different stripe arrangements in the Admiralty (naval) Seal that he designed in the Spring of 1780 and the Great Seal of the United States that he proposed at the same time. His Admiralty Seal had seven red stripes; whereas his second U.S. Seal proposal had seven white ones. Remnants of Hopkinson's U.S. flag of seven white stripes can be found in the Great Seal of the United States and the President's seal. The stripe arrangement would have been consistent with other flags of the period that had seven stripes below the canton, or blue area with stars. For example, two of the earliest known examples of Stars and Stripes flags were painted by a Dutch artist who witnessed the arrival of Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones' squadron in Texel, The Netherlands, in 1779. The two flags have seven stripes below the canton.

When Hopkinson was chairman of the Navy Board, his position was like that of today's Secretary of the Navy. The payment was not made, most likely, because other people had contributed to designing the Great Seal of the United States, and because it was determined he already received a salary as a member of Congress. This contradicts the legend of the Betsy Ross flag, which suggests that she sewed the first Stars and Stripes flag at the request of the government in the Spring of 1776.

On May 10, 1779, a letter from the War Board to George Washington stated that there was still no design established for a national standard, on which to base regimental standards, but also referenced flag requirements given to the board by General von Steuben. On September 3, Richard Peters submitted to Washington "Drafts of a Standard" and asked for his "Ideas of the Plan of the Standard", adding that the War Board preferred a design they viewed as "a variant for the Marine Flag". Washington agreed that he preferred "the standard, with the Union and Emblems in the center." The drafts are lost to history but are likely to be similar to the first Jack of the United States.

The origin of the stars and stripes design has been muddled by a story disseminated by the descendants of Betsy Ross. The apocryphal story credits Betsy Ross for sewing one of the first flags from a pencil sketch handed to her by George Washington. No such evidence exists either in George Washington's diaries or the Continental Congress's records. Indeed, nearly a century passed before Ross's grandson, William Canby, first publicly suggested the story in 1870. By her family's own admission, Ross ran an upholstery business, and she had never made a flag as of the supposed visit in June 1776. Furthermore, her grandson admitted that his own search through the Journals of Congress and other official records failed to find corroborating evidence for his grandmother's story.

George Henry Preble states in his 1882 text that no combined stars and stripes flag was in common use prior to June 1777, and that no one knows who designed the 1777 flag. Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich argues that there was no "first flag" worth arguing over. Researchers accept that the United States flag evolved, and did not have one design. Marla Miller writes, "The flag, like the Revolution it represents, was the work of many hands."

The family of Rebecca Young claimed that she sewed the first flag. Young's daughter was Mary Pickersgill, who made the Star-Spangled Banner Flag. She was assisted by Grace Wisher, a 13-year-old African American girl.

Later flag acts

See also: Flag Acts

15-star, 15-stripe Star-Spangled Banner Flag

This 48-star flag was in use from 1912 to 1959, the second longest-used U.S. flag. The current U.S. flag is the longest-used flag, having surpassed the 1912 version in 2007.

In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the Union). For a time, the flag was not changed when subsequent states were admitted, probably because it was thought that this would cause too much clutter. It was the 15-star, 15-stripe flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "Defence of Fort M'Henry", later known as "The Star-Spangled Banner", which is now the American national anthem. The flag is currently on display in the exhibition "The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem" at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in a two-story display chamber that protects the flag while it is on view.

On April 4, 1818, a plan was passed by Congress at the suggestion of U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C. Reid in which the flag was changed to have 20 stars, with a new star to be added when each new state was admitted, but the number of stripes would be reduced to 13 so as to honor the original colonies. The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4 (Independence Day) following the admission of one or more new states.

In 1912, the 48-star flag was adopted. This was the first time that a flag act specified an official arrangement of the stars in the canton, namely six rows of eight stars each, where each star would point upward. The U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, however, had already been using standardized designs. Throughout the 19th century, different star patterns, both rectangular and circular, had been abundant in civilian use.^{[citation needed]}

In 1960, the current 50-star flag was adopted, incorporating the most recent change, from 49 stars to 50, when the present design was chosen, after Hawaii gained statehood in August 1959. Before that, the admission of Alaska in January 1959 had prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag.

49- and 50-star unions

When Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for statehood in the 1950s, more than 3,000 designs from the public were submitted to President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration for consideration. Although some were 49-star versions, the vast majority were 50-star proposals. The earliest submission of a 50-star flag design was submitted in 1953, with most submissions arriving after the admission of Alaska in 1958 (the designs were diverse in media, from simple pencil sketches to professionally constructed flags). For the case of states admitted in 1912, a joint Army-Navy board submitted recommendations to the President on designs of a new flag, who eventually made the final choice; in that instance the War Department admitted to having received some 150 designs in 1912 from the public for consideration.

For the 49- and 50-state flags, on July 14, 1953 President Eisenhower declared his preferred method to select a flag design: by a joint committee with six members, three representatives from the Armed forces and one each from the Interior Department, State Department and Commission on Fine Arts. (In late 1958, the White House issued a press release stating that the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury, along with the Chairman of the Commission on Fine Arts were appointed to informally propose the new flag designs to the President; this committee was responsible for formally submitted designs for the 50-star flag to the President on August 17, 1959.) On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10798 establishing the design of the 49-star flag, and on August 21, 1959, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10834 establishing the design of the (current) 50-star flag. At the time, credit was given by the executive department to the United States Army Institute of Heraldry for the design. The 49- and 50-star flags were each flown for the first time at Fort McHenry on Independence Day, in 1959 and 1960 respectively.

There is a popular account of Ohio teenager and later mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, Robert G. Heft, as the original designer of the 50-star flag, however no official account of this is known to exist; like other informal submissions to the government, his submission closely resembled the design of the eventual 50-star American flag, and by the time Heft submitted his design, the final design probably had already been chosen. Biographer Alec Nevala-Lee investigated Heft's story, concluding that main details behind the story seem entirely fabricated.

On July 4, 2007, the 50-star flag became the longest-used version of the flag, surpassing the 48-star flag that was used from 1912 to 1959.

"Flower Flag" arrives in Asia

The U.S. flag was brought to the city of Canton (Guǎngzhōu) in China in 1784 by the merchant ship Empress of China, which carried a cargo of ginseng. There it gained the designation "Flower Flag" (Chinese: 花旗; pinyin: huāqí; Cantonese Yale: fākeì). According to a pseudonymous account first published in the Boston Courier and later retold by author and U.S. naval officer George H. Preble:

When the thirteen stripes and stars first appeared at Canton, much curiosity was excited among the people. News was circulated that a strange ship had arrived from the further end of the world, bearing a flag "as beautiful as a flower". Every body went to see the kwa kee chuen [花旗船; Fākeìsyùhn], or "flower flagship". This name at once established itself in the language, and America is now called the kwa kee kwoh [花旗國; Fākeìgwok], the "flower flag country"—and an American, kwa kee kwoh yin [花旗國人; Fākeìgwokyàhn]—"flower flag countryman"—a more complimentary designation than that of "red headed barbarian"—the name first bestowed upon the Dutch.

In the above quote, the Chinese words are written phonetically based on spoken Cantonese. The names given were common usage in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Chinese now refer to the United States as Měiguó from Mandarin (simplified Chinese: 美国; traditional Chinese: 美國). Měi is short for Měilìjiān (simplified Chinese: 美利坚; traditional Chinese: 美利堅, phono-semantic matching of "American") and "guó" means "country", so this name is unrelated to the flag. However, the "flower flag" terminology persists in some places today: for example, American ginseng is called flower flag ginseng (simplified Chinese: 花旗参; traditional Chinese: 花旗參) in Chinese, and Citibank, which opened a branch in China in 1902, is known as Flower Flag Bank (花旗银行).

Similarly, Vietnamese also uses the borrowed term from Chinese with Sino-Vietnamese reading for the United States, as Hoa Kỳ from 花旗 ("Flower Flag"). Even though the United States is also called nước Mỹ (or simpler Mỹ) colloquially in Vietnamese before the name Měiguó was popular among Chinese, Hoa Kỳ is always recognized as the formal name for the United States with the Vietnamese state officially designates it as Hợp chúng quốc Hoa Kỳ (chữ Hán: 合眾國花旗, lit. 'United states of the Flower Flag'). By that, in Vietnam, the U.S. is also nicknamed xứ Cờ Hoa ("land of Flower Flag") based on the Hoa Kỳ designation.

Additionally, the seal of Shanghai Municipal Council in Shanghai International Settlement from 1869 included the U.S. flag as part of the top left-hand shield near the flag of the UK, as the U.S. participated in the creation of this enclave in the Chinese city of Shanghai. It is also included in the badge of the Gulangyu Municipal Police in the International Settlement of Gulangyu, Amoy.

President Richard Nixon presented a U.S. flag and Moon rocks to Mao Zedong during his visit to China in 1972. They are now on display at the National Museum of China.^{[citation needed]}

The U.S. flag took its first trip around the world in 1787–1790 on board the Columbia. William Driver, who coined the phrase "Old Glory", took the U.S. flag around the world in 1831–32. The flag attracted the notice of the Japanese when an oversized version was carried to Yokohama by the steamer Great Republic as part of a round-the-world journey in 1871.

Civil War and the flag

Prior to the Civil War, the American flag was rarely seen outside of military forts, government buildings and ships. This changed following the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861. The flag flying over the fort was allowed to leave with the Union troops as they surrendered. It was taken across Northern cities, which spurred a wave of "Flagmania". The Stars and Stripes, which had had no real place in the public conscious, suddenly became a part of the national identity. The flag became a symbol of the Union, and the sale of flags exploded at this time. Historian Adam Goodheart wrote:

For the first time American flags were mass-produced rather than individually stitched and even so, manufacturers could not keep up with demand. As the long winter of 1861 turned into spring, that old flag meant something new. The abstraction of the Union cause was transfigured into a physical thing: strips of cloth that millions of people would fight for, and many thousands die for.

In the Civil War, the flag was allowed to be carried into battle, reversing the 1847 regulation which prohibited this. (During the American Revolutionary War and War of 1812 the army was not officially sanctioned to carry the United States flag into battle. It was not until 1834 that the artillery was allowed to carry the American flag; the army would be granted to do the same in 1841. However, in 1847, in the middle of the war with Mexico, the flag was limited to camp use and not allowed to be brought into battle.) Some wanted to remove the stars of the states which had seceded but Abraham Lincoln was opposed, believing it would give legitimacy to the Confederate states.

Historical progression of designs

Main article: History of the flags of the United States

See also: List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union

In the following table depicting the 28 various designs of the United States flag, the star patterns for the flags are merely the usual patterns, often associated with the United States Navy. Canton designs, prior to the proclamation of the 48-star flag, had no official arrangement of the stars.

Symbolism

The flag of the United States is the nation's most well-known symbol. In the United States, flags are often seen on public buildings, homes, car windows, and clothing. Because the United States became a very important country in the 20th century, its flag is one of the most recognized symbols in the world and stands for the United States.

The flag is a symbol of Americanism and is shown on many special occasions. Big flags are sometimes used by stores to attract customers. People have deep respect for the flag, and it has been compared to something very important to believe in. Even though some tried to stop it, damaging the flag is allowed as a way of free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Experts have pointed out that this shows how the United States values freedom, even the freedom to disagree or protest using the flag.

Color symbolism

When the flag was officially chosen in 1777, the colors red, white, and blue did not have an official meaning. But in 1782, Charles Thomson, who was in charge of the government at the time, explained the meaning of these colors when he showed a design for the U.S. seal:

The colours of the pales are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the colour of the Chief signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.

These ideas have been widely accepted, though others have shared their own thoughts as well:

• Henry Ward Beecher spoke about the Fort Sumter Flag in 1865, saying,

  The stars that light up the dark night, and the bright red bands that make the morning beautiful, are together on its fabric. As long as the sun shines or the stars glow, may it wave over a nation that is neither ruled by others nor rules others.

• In 1986, President Ronald Reagan shared his view, saying,

  The colors of our flag stand for the qualities we Americans value in our spirits. Red for bravery and willingness to give; white for pure goals and high ideals; and blue for watchfulness and fairness.

• A meaning linked to George Washington claims that

  We took the stars from the sky, the red from our original country, separating it with white stripes, showing that we have separated from that country, and the white stripes will pass to future generations, standing for our freedom.

Design

The current design of the U.S. flag is described by law. It has thirteen red and white stripes and a blue rectangle in the top left corner with fifty white stars. The stripes represent the thirteen original colonies, and the stars stand for the fifty states.

The colors red, white, and blue come from the flag of the United Kingdom. While there is no official rule about the exact shades, some government groups use specific colors for making flags. These colors include "Old Glory Red," "Old Glory Blue," and "White." The flag can sometimes have a golden fringe around the edges for special displays, like in parades.

Display and use

The American flag is commonly seen all year at public buildings and many private homes. It is especially displayed on important days such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Presidents' Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. On Memorial Day, small flags are often placed at war memorials and the graves of veterans. The flag is also often flown at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day to honor those who died in U.S. wars.

The United States Flag Code gives guidelines on how the flag should be used and shown. The flag should never touch the ground and should be lit if shown at night. If the flag becomes worn, it should be repaired or replaced. Old flags are often retired in special ceremonies. The flag should never be used as clothing or for decoration on items meant to be thrown away. Though these rules are laws, they are not strictly enforced, and people are generally free to choose how they display the flag.

When placed on vehicles, the flag should be positioned so that the blue field faces the front, making it look like it is moving forward. The flag has been used on many U.S. spacecraft and appears in museums, where special care is taken to display it properly. Flags are displayed year-round at important locations such as the White House, the Washington Monument, and war memorials. The flag is also shown on special days like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, as well as on birthdays of states and other proclaimed days.

The flag is flown at half-staff as a sign of respect, usually from sunrise to noon, on certain days such as Memorial Day and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, or for 30 days after the death of a president.

Folding for storage

When the flag is not being used, it is often folded into a neat triangle. To do this, two people hold the flag so it lies flat. They fold the bottom half over the top, then fold it again so the blue part is on the outside. Next, they make a rectangle and then start making triangles by folding one corner over the other. This process continues until the whole flag is a small triangle, with only the blue stars showing. While there is no official meaning for each fold, some groups have special words they say while folding the flag.

Use in funerals

The flag of the United States is sometimes used in special ceremonies for people who have served their country, like in military funerals or for important leaders. During these ceremonies, the flag is placed on the coffin as a sign of respect. When the coffin is lowered, the flag is folded carefully and given to the family as a thoughtful gift.

Surviving historical flags

This section lists flags that have survived from important moments in history.

Revolutionary War

• Forster Flag (1775) – This flag was carried by soldiers from Manchester during the battles of Lexington and Concord. It is the oldest known flag showing the 13 colonies. It might have been a British flag with its design changed.
• Westmoreland Flag (1775?) – Used by soldiers from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is in very good shape, suggesting it may not have been used in many battles.
• Brandywine flag (1777) – This flag was used at the Battle of Brandywine, one of the earliest battles after the first flag rules were made.
• Dansey Flag (1777) – Captured by a British soldier during a fight in Delaware, this flag was kept as a trophy in England before being returned to the United States.
• First Pennsylvania Rifles Flag (1776?) – This flag belonged to a group of soldiers formed in 1775. They fought in many important battles during the war.
• Third New York Regiment Flag (1779) – Given to soldiers from New York, this flag later inspired the state’s current flag design.

War of 1812

• Star Spangled Banner Flag (1814) – This huge flag flew over Fort McHenry during a British attack. It inspired the song that became the United States’ national anthem.

Antebellum Period

• Fillmore Flag – A flag similar to ones from the Battle of Bennington, kept in a museum. It was made sometime in the early 1800s.
• Old Glory Flag – The first flag called “Old Glory.” A sea captain named William Driver received it from his mother and took it on his voyages.
• Matthew Perry Expedition Flag (1853) – This flag was the first American flag to fly in Japan, raised in 1853 during a trip to open trade relations.

Civil War

• Fort Sumter Flag (1861) – This flag was raised above Fort Sumter in South Carolina when the fort was attacked, marking the start of the Civil War. It was taken down when the fort surrendered but raised again after the war ended.
• Abraham Lincoln Assassination Flag (1865) – This flag was placed near President Abraham Lincoln after he was fatally injured.

Reconstruction

• Little Big Horn Guidon – This flag was carried by soldiers during the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. All the soldiers in that battle were killed.

World War II

• Iwo Jima Flag (1945) – This flag was raised on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. A famous photograph of this moment became an iconic image of the war.

Cold War

• Freedom 7 Flag (1961) – This flag traveled on the Freedom 7 spacecraft, becoming the first American flag to go into space.

Modern day

• 9/11 Flag (2001) – This flag was found near the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 attacks. It was raised on a broken pole and became a symbol of hope and recovery. The real flag was found many years later and is now kept in a museum.

Related flags

Main article: List of flags of the United States

The U.S. flag has inspired many other flags for different places and groups. Some other countries with flags that look similar include Chile, Cuba, Greece, Togo, and Uruguay. Many flags of U.S. states and territories also use stars, stripes, and the colors red, white, and blue.

The Confederate States of America used flags that looked like the American flag, but these often caused confusion in battles. The flag of Bikini Atoll reminds people of when the United States tested a big bomb there in 1954. The flag of Liberia looks very similar to the U.S. flag and has 11 stripes to honor the people who started the country. Other flags inspired by the U.S. flag include those of Malaysia, the Philippines, El Salvador, and Brittany.

Unicode

The flag of the United States can be shown as an emoji using special symbols in Unicode. The sequence U+1F1FA 🇺 and U+1F1F8 🇸 creates the "🇺🇸" flag symbol. Some platforms also use a different sequence, U+1F1FA 🇺 and U+1F1F2 🇲, to show the flag for the United States Minor Outlying Islands, which looks like 🇺🇲.