13 Star Flags - (1777-1795) (U.S.) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website 13 Star Flags - (1777-1795) (U.S.) Continental Congress's June 14, 1777 Flag Resolution image by Joe McMillan, 14 June 2000 Description of the flag During the Revolutionary War, numerous flags were used. After the Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776, the people realized they needed one flag to replace all the assortment of flags used previously. On 14 June 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the following resolution: "RESOLVED, that the flag of the 13 United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: That the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Because the resolution was not specific there were a number of variations of the 13 star flag. Although legend has it that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag from a design by George Washington, this has not been substantiated. The first documented U.S.

flag was the staggered star pattern shown above. A strong case for the designer of the first flag is Francis Hopkinson. A delegate from New Jersey to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He submitted a bill to Congress for "currency designs, design for the great seal of the U.S., a treasury seal, a design for the flag ..." image by Dave Martucci, 6 December 1997 This flag is a "typical" 13 star flag of the early period. Although there were countless variations, this one shows some of the common traits. Specifically, note that the stars point every which way. This was common prior to the last quarter of the 19th century. Dave Martucci, 6 December 1997 Jack image by Clay Moss, 24 February 2007 17 Stripe Flag On Bank Note image by Devereaux Cannon, 22 February 2000 I have an interest in early forms of the U.S. flag. Yesterday I came across one that is not an actual cloth flag, but is depicted in a vignette on an 1854 banknote of a Tennessee bank.

The flag in question has 13 stars, arranged in three rows of 5/3/5. It has a total of 17 stripes, 9 white and 8 red. Also of interest is the extreme length of the flag, which is proportioned approximately 3:1. Devereaux Cannon, 22 February 2000 9 Stripe Flag image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 10 August 2001 The closest thing I could find is a flag with 13 stars and 9 stripes in "The Stars and The Stripes" by Mastai [ m2o73 ]. The flag is in the Mastai Collection, and the book identifies it as a sea captain's flag from the time of the revolution. Devereaux D. Cannon, Jr., 19 February 2001 Some 13 Star Designs Some of the 13 star flags used are shown below. A link indicates a page about that particular flag in more detail.

Hulbert image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 10 August 2001 Hulbert Flag (1775-1776?) is said to have been made in 1775 by Captain John Hulbert. While this flag was found in a home once owned by Captain Hulbert, there is no reference to this flag in his otherwise rather detailed diaries. The dates are contested by recent scientific studies of the flag's cloth. Blas Delgado Ortiz, 28 July 2001 13 Blue Stars image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 13 Blue Stars & 12 Stripes Flag. The use of blue stars in this flag of the Revolutionary period suggests militia use. The omission of the thirteenth stripe probably indicates the loss of a state to the British during the conflict. The band at the bottom was added in 1880 during the presidential campaign of that year, when Winfield Scott English (a former Civil War general) and William Hayden English ran on the Democratic ticket.

Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Arthur Lee image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Design proposed by Arthur Lee, a Commissioner to France, September 20, 1778. Source: Sons of the Revolution of California website Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Alliance image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 This flag was flown on the Continental Frigate "The Alliance", October, 1779. John Paul Jones had taken refuge in the harbor of The Texel, Holland, after the engagement between the Richard and Serapis. Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Bauman's Yorktown Flag 1781 image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Maj. Sebastian Bauman, 2d (NY) Regiment of Artillery, depicted this flag on a map of the siege of Yorktown.

Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 1876 Centennial 13-star flag image by Clay Mass, 14 March 2007 Many 13-star flags sold on e-bay were produced for the nation's centennial, 1876. According to the owner, this version was made for the centennial celebrations around 1876. Clay Moss, 14 March 2007 Abel Buell 1783 image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 In 1783 Abel Buell published A New And Correct Map Of The United States Of North America, in which this image was reproduced. Abel Buell, 1742-1822, was an American silversmith, engraver, and type founder, born in Killingworth, Conn. He engraved a number of maps, including maps of the Florida coast and a large wall map of the United States, the first produced in America after the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

He experimented in type founding, cast the first font of native-made American type (1769), and later supplied type to Connecticut printers. He invented machinery for cutting and polishing precious stones, for coining money, and for a period produced copper coins for the state. He also established in 1795, at New Haven, one of the first cotton mills in the country (which soon failed), and was involved in many other projects. Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Fort Independence 1781 image by Dave Martucci, 16 January 2006 This version of the "Stars and Stripes" flag was said to have been the flag at Fort Independence, in Boston during 1781. Blas Delgado Ortiz, 28 July 2001 Cross Pattern image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 28 July 2001 This flag has the stars making a St. Andrew Cross in such a way that when the flag is hung as a banner, it looks like an hourglass.

Blas Delgado Ortiz, 28 July 2001 Vertical Star Pattern image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 28 July 2001 This flag was one of many different takes on the 'stars without a field' idea. The designer is unknown and its use is as well. The only record of it is from a French paper published in 1796. Blas Delgado Ortiz, 28 July 2001 Sprengel's Almanac Flag image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Matthias Sprengel's British Almanac depicted this flag in 1784. Source: Sons of the Revolution of California website Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 Trumbull Flag image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 29 August 2001 This design is one of the 'square' canton flags as recorded by the painter John Trumbull in his historic canvases, "The Surrender at Saratoga", 1778, and "The Surrender at Yorktown", 1781.

Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 This entry implies that John Trumbull recorded this flag as a contemporary witness but in reading 'The Fate of a Nation' by W M Cumming and H Rankin it mentions that the painting 'The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga New York 17 October 1777' was not planned until 1786, was designed in a small oil in 1816 and not completed until 1824. This webpage en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_General_Burgoyne however says that it was completed in 1821, but hung in 1824. Trumbull visited the site to plan the painting in 1791 ... so what was his source for the flag? A point for discussion as to whether he invented it, or took it from an example that he served under elsewhere? David Barry Lawrence, 16 October 2011 I can't directly answer the question, but can say the artist had served in 1777 under Horation Gates, the American general depicted in the scene.

I could not locate a definite answer as to the exact date he resigned, and so do not know if he was actually present at Saratoga, but it seems that at the very least he would have been an eyewitness to whatever flag Gates used at some point that year. Ned Smith, 17 October 2011 Later Use As A Boat Ensign The Revolutionary War era flags with stars arranged in rows 3-2-3-2-3 were used in the late 19th/early 20th centuries--this is the "boat flag" used by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard during that period. Ensigns flown on boats were too small for the 45, 46, or 48 stars to be clearly visible (or maybe they were just too hard to make with the technology of the time), so boats flew a 13-star ensign instead of the standard one.

Joe McMillan, 5 July 2000 20 Star Flag - (1818-1819) (U.S.) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website 20 Star Flag - (1818-1819) (U.S.) Description of the flag In 1818, five stars were added, bringing the total number of stars to 20. Congress proclaimed that one star for each new state would be added on the 4th of July following the state's admission to the union and there would be a return to thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies. Rick Wyatt, 5 April 1998 This flag flew from 4 July 1818 to 3 July, 1819. States 16 through 20 admitted to the Union were in sequential order, Tennessee 16, Ohio 17, Louisiana 18, Indiana 19, and Mississippi 20. There was actually a bit of a lull between the 15 and 20 star flags.

The US government couldn't exactly decide what to do with the flag each time a new state was added. It seemed impractical to add stars and stripes to the flag every time a new state was admitted to the Union. So, between 1796 when Tennessee was admitted, and 1817 when Mississippi joined, nothing was done. Finally in 1818, it was decided to go back to the original 13 stripe pattern and simply add stars to the canton each time a new state joined the Union. Had this decision been made in 1796, there would have been a 16 star flag, and then later a 17, 18, and 19 star flag, and each of them with the exception of the 19 star flag would have flown more than a year. The 16 star flag would have flown 8 years, from 1796 to 1803. The 17 star flag would have flown 9 years from 1803 to 1812.

The 18 star flag would have flown 5 years from 1812 to 1817, while the 19 star flag would have had a life span of 1 year, flying from 1817 to 1818. Clay Moss, 23 February 2007 Officially, the flag took effect on July 4, but I believe the government started flying the 20-star flag immediately after bill was passed, in April. There were unofficial flags between the 15 and 20-star flags. There was a proposal to arrange the stars in rows only at sea, and as a large star on land. This was never passed- only rows were official but a "Great Star" version was flown over the Capitol for a few months at least. Of course, "Great Star" versions continued to be used unofficially (at least) for the next century or so. Also, the first Navy regulations - rows, arrangement, 13-star boat flags, etc.- date from 1818, I believe.

Nathan Lamm, 24 February 2007 Jack image by Clay Moss, 23 February 2007 Variant star design image by Clay Moss, 23 December 2007 I'm persuaded that both this staggered row pattern and the regular pattern at the top of this page were probably frequent variants with the staggered pattern samples finding favor with the Navy. Clay Moss, 23 February 2007 William Driver The famous " Old Glory " of Capt. William Driver was a 20-star flag, made by his daughters and preserved by the captain after he retired to Nashville, Tennessee. He hid it from Confederate forces during the Civil War and it now reposes, faded badly, in a museum where no photographs are permitted. That flag has the conventional four rows of five stars each.

William Dunning, 31 March 1998 There is some disagreement among the sources about whether Captain Driver received 'Old Glory' in 1825 or 1831, but in either case, the flag would have been one of 24 stars, not 20, the 24 stars flag being official from 1822 until 1836. The original 'Old Glory has now been conserved, and accurate information on its details, including a photograph, is available from the Smithsonian Institution. It is no longer a 24 star flag, but was remade into a 34 star flag in 1860 or 1861. Nor was the flag made by his daughters, who weren't born yet in 1824 or in 1831. The various tales have it made by his mother and/or a sewing circle in his home town of Salem, Massachusetts. Deveraux Cannon, 21 August 2005 image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 28 July 2001 This flag flew over the Capitol dome for at least six months of 1818.

Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001 A 20 star 13 stripe flag with the stars in the "Great Star" pattern was raised in Washington D.C. on or shortly after 13 April 1818, less than two weeks after the adoption of the new flag law, which was adopted on 4 April 1818. However, in a strictly legal sense, the flag, under the terms of the law, was not official until 4 July 1818. Then, again, the prior flag flown there, which had 18 stars and 18 stripes, was not "official" under the 1795 flag law, even though used in an "official" capacity. The actual text of the Flag Act of 1818 is: Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 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 have twenty stars, white in a blue field. Sect. 2.

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 day of July next succeeding such admission. Approved, April 4, 1818. The Flag of The United States of America | District of Puerto Rico The Flag of The United States of America American Flag The Flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British crown and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include “the Stars and Stripes”, “Old Glory”, and “the Star-Spangled Banner”. Because of its symbolism, the starred blue canton is called the “union”.

This part of the national flag can stand alone as a maritime flag called the Union Jack which served as the United States jack on warships from 1777 until 2002. United States warships now display as a jack, the Culpepper Ensign, which is displayed here. The blue canton continues to be used as a jack, however, by various federally-owned vessels, including those of the Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. History of The Flag The flag has been changed 26 times since the new, 13-state union adopted it. The 48-star version went unchanged for 47 years, the longest time the flag went unmodified until July 4, 2007, when the current 50-star flag broke the record. First Flag At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, the United States had no official national flag. The Grand Union Flag, displayed here, has historically been referred to as the “First National Flag”.

Although it has never had any official status, it was used throughout the American Revolutionary War by George Washington and formed the basis for the design of the first official United States flag. The origins of the flag’s design are unclear. It closely resembles the British East India Company (BEIC) flag of the same era, and an argument holds that the BEIC flag indeed inspired the design. The BEIC flag could have from 9 to 15 stripes, however, and was not allowed to be flown outside the Indian Ocean. Another theory holds that the red-and-white stripe and later, stars-and-stripes motif of the flag may have been based on the Washington family coat-of-arms, which consisted of a shield “argent, two bars gules, above, three mullets gules” (a white shield with two red bars below three red stars). This is the design of the flag of the District of Columbia. More likely it was based on a flag of the Sons of Liberty, one of which consisted of 13 red and white alternating horizontal stripes.

The Flag Resolution of 1777 On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: “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.” Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement for the stars. The so-called Betsy Ross Flag (with the thirteen stars arranged in a circle), although never an official flag, is the oldest version of any United States flag to appear on any physical relic: it is historically referenced in contemporary battlefield paintings by John Trumbull and Charles Willson Peale, which depict the circular star arrangement. Popular designs at the time were varied and most were individually crafted rather than mass-produced. Given the scant archaeological and written evidence, it is unknown which design was the most popular at that time. The origin of the stars and stripes design is uncertain. A popular story credits Betsy Ross for sewing the first flag from a pencil sketch by George Washington who personally commissioned her for the job.

No evidence for this theory exists, however, beyond Betsy’s descendants’ much later recollections of what she told her family. Another woman, Rebecca Young, has also been credited as having made the first flag by later generations of her family. Rebecca Young’s daughter was Mary Pickersgill, who made the Star Spangled Banner Flag. Another, more likely, popular theory is that the flag was designed by Congressman Francis Hopkinson. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime, when he sent a bill to Congress for his work. Initially, he asked for a “Quarter Cask of the Public Wine” as payment. The payment was not made, however, because it was determined he had already received a salary as a member of Congress, and he was not the only person to have contributed to the design. It should be noted that no one else contested his claim at the time. Later Flag Acts 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 “The Star-Spangled Banner,” now the National Anthem. On April 4, 1818, an act was passed by Congress at the suggestion of Captain Samuel C. Reid, United States Navy, 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 remain at thirteen to honor the original colonies. The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4 (Independence Day) following admission of one or more new states. Neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag was prescribed until President Taft’s Executive Order of June 24, 1912, which provided for the arrangements of the stars in horizontal rows. Consequently, flags dating before this period sometimes show unusual arrangements of the stars and odd proportions, these features being left to the discretion of the flag maker. In general, however, straight rows of stars and proportions similar to those later adopted officially were used.

Future of the Flag The United States Army Institute of Heraldry has plans for flags with up to 56 stars, using similar staggered star arrangements should additional states accede. Flag timeline Flag Timeline More flag resources Flag Timeline States and their dates of admission are shown in bold red. Starting in 1819, the updated flag becomes legal on the Fourth of July following the date of admission. 1775 American ships in New England waters flew a "Liberty Tree" flag in 1775. It shows a green pine tree on a white background, with the words, "An Appeal to Heaven." 1775 The Continental Navy used this flag, with the warning, "Don't Tread on Me," upon its inception. 1775 Forster flag. 1776 January 1 — The Grand Union flag (Continental Colors) is displayed on Prospect Hill. It has 13 alternate red and white stripes and the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner (the canton). 1776 May — Betsy Ross reports that she sewed the first American flag 1777 Another 13-star flag, in the 3-2-3-2-3 pattern.

1777? Cowpens Flag. According to some sources, this flag was first used in 1777. It was used by the Third Maryland Regiment. There was no official pattern for how the stars were to be arranged. The flag was carried at the Battle of Cowpens, which took place on January 17, 1781, in South Carolina. The actual flag from that battle hangs in the Maryland State House. 1777 Brandywine Flag. 1777 June 14 — Continental Congress adopts the following: 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.

Stars represent Delaware (December 7, 1787), Pennsylvania (December 12, 1787), New Jersey (December 18, 1787), Georgia (January 2, 1788), Connecticut (January 9, 1788), Massachusetts (February 6, 1788), Maryland (April 28, 1788), South Carolina (May 23, 1788), New Hampshire (June 21, 1788), Virginia (June 25, 1788), New York (July 26, 1788), North Carolina (November 21, 1789), and Rhode Island (May 29, 1790) 1779 John Paul Jones Flag, also called the Serapis Flag. 1781? The Guilford Flag. 1787 Captain Robert Gray carries the flag around the world on his sailing vessel (around the tip of South America, to China, and beyond). He discovered a great river and named it after his boat The Columbia.

His discovery was the basis of America's claim to the Oregon Territory. 1795 Flag with 15 stars and 15 stripes Vermont (March 4, 1791), Kentucky (June 1, 1792) 1803 Indian Peace Flag. 1814 September 14 — Francis Scott Key writes "The Star-Spangled Banner." It officially becomes the national anthem in 1931. 1814 Easton Flag.

1818 Flag with 20 stars and 13 stripes (it remains at 13 hereafter) Tennessee (June 1, 1796), Ohio (March 1, 1803), Louisiana (April 30, 1812), Indiana (December 11, 1816), Mississippi (December 10, 1817) 1819 Flag with 21 stars Illinois (December 3, 1818) 1820 Flag with 23 stars Alabama (December 14, 1819), Maine (March 15, 1820) first flag on Pikes Peak c. 1820-30 Bennington Flag. According to some accounts, this flag was flown at the Battle of Bennington. It is sometimes called the Fillmore Flag. The story goes that Nathaniel Fillmore took this flag home from the battlefield, and the flag was passed down through generations of Fillmores, including Millard, and today it can be seen at Vermont's Bennington Museum.

Most experts doubt this story and date the flag to about 1820-30. 1822 Flag with 24 stars Missouri (August 10, 1821) 1836 Flag with 25 stars Arkansas (June 15, 1836) 1837 Flag with 26 stars Michigan (Jan 26, 1837) 1837 Flag with 38 stars Colorado (August 1, 1876) 1877 38 Star Flag. 1889 Flag with 39 stars that never was! Flag manufacturers believed that the two Dakotas would be admitted as one state and so manufactured this flag, some of which still exist. It was never an official flag.

1890 Flag with 43 stars North Dakota (November 2, 1889), South Dakota (November 2, 1889), Montana (November 8, 1889), Washington (November 11, 1889), Idaho (July 3, 1890) 1891 Flag with 44 stars Wyoming (July 10, 1890) 1892 "Pledge of Allegiance" first published in a magazine called "The Youth's Companion," written by Francis Bellamy. 1896 Flag with 45 stars Utah (January 4, 1896) 1897 Adoption of State Flag Desecration Statutes — By the late 1800's an organized flag protection movement was born in reaction to perceived commercial and political misuse of the flag. After supporters failed to obtain federal legislation, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota became the first States to adopt flag desecration statutes. By 1932, all of the States had adopted flag desecration laws.

In general, these State laws outlawed: (i) placing any kind of marking on the flag, whether for commercial, political, or other purposes; (ii) using the flag in any form of advertising; and (iii) publicly mutilating, trampling, defacing, defiling, defying or casting contempt, either by words or by act, upon the flag. Under the model flag desecration law, the term "flag" was defined to include any flag, standard, ensign, or color, or any representation of such made of any substance whatsoever and of any size that evidently purported to be said flag or a picture or representation thereof, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and stripes in any number, or by which the person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag of the U.S. 1907 Halter v. Nebraska (205 U.S. 34) — The Supreme Court holds that although the flag was a federal creation, the States' had the authority to promulgate flag desecration laws under their general police power to safeguard public safety and welfare.

Halter involved a conviction of two businessmen selling "Stars and Stripes" brand beer with representations of the U.S. flag affixed to the labels. The defendants did not raise any First Amendment claim. 1908 Flag with 46 stars Oklahoma (November 16, 1907) 1909 Robert Peary places the flag his wife sewed atop the North Pole. He left fragments of it as he traveled north. Ref 1912 June 24, President Taft signs Executive Order which establishes proportions of the flag and specifies arrangement and orientation of the stars. 1912 Flag with 48 stars New Mexico (January 6, 1912), Arizona (February 14, 1912) 1931 Stromberg v. California (283 U.S. 359) — The Supreme Court finds that a State statute prohibiting the display of a "red flag" as a sign of opposition to organized government unconstitutionally infringed on the defendant's First Amendment rights. Stromberg represents the Court's first declaration that "symbolic speech" is protected by the First Amendment.

1942 Federal Flag Code (36 U.S.C. 171 et seq.) — On June 22, 1942, President Roosevelt approves the Federal Flag Code, providing for uniform guidelines for the display and respect shown to the flag. The Flag Code does not prescribe any penalties for non-compliance nor does it include any enforcement provisions, rather it functions simply as a guide for voluntary civilian compliance. 1943 West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (319 U.S. 624) — The Supreme Court holds that public school children could not be compelled to salute the U.S. flag. In a now famous passage, Justice Jackson highlighted the importance of freedom of expression under the First Amendment: Freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order. If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion.

1945 The flag that flew over Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, is flown over the White House on August 14, when the Japanese accepted surrender terms. 1949 August 3 — Truman signs bill requesting the President call for Flag Day (June 14) observance each year by proclamation. 1954 By act of Congress, the words "Under God" are inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance 1959 Flag with 49 stars Alaska (January 3, 1959) 1960 Flag with 50 stars Hawaii (August 21, 1959) 1962 In the case Engel v. Vitale, the court decides that government-directed prayer in public schools is unconstitutional, a violation of the Establishment Clause. This case is relevant to the flag in that it set a precedent for debate over use of the phrase "under God" which was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. 1963 Flag placed on top of Mount Everest by Barry Bishop. 1968 Adoption of Federal Flag Desecration Law (18 U.S.C.

700 et seq.) — Congress approves the first federal flag desecration law in the wake of a highly publicized Central Park flag burning incident in protest of the Vietnam War. The federal law made it illegal to "knowingly" cast "contempt" upon "any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling upon it." The law defined flag in an expansive manner similar to most States. 1969 July 20 — The American flag is placed on the moon by Neil Armstrong. 1969 Street v. New York (394 U.S. 576) — The Supreme Court holds that New York could not convict a person based on his verbal remarks disparaging the flag. Street was arrested after he learned of the shooting of civil rights leader James Meredith and reacted by burning his own flag and exclaiming to a small crowd that if the government could allow Meredith to be killed, "we don't need no damn flag." The Court avoided deciding whether flag burning was protected by the First Amendment, and instead overturned the conviction based on Street's oral remarks. In Street, the Court found there was not a sufficient governmental interest to warrant regulating verbal criticism of the flag.

1972 Smith v. Goguen (415 U.S. 94) — The Supreme Court holds that Massachusetts could not prosecute a person for wearing a small cloth replica of the flag on the seat of his pants based on a State law making it a crime to publicly treat the flag of the United States with "contempt." The Massachusetts statute was held to be unconstitutionally "void for vagueness." 1974 Spence v. Washington (418 U.S. 405) — The Supreme Court holds that the State of Washington could not convict a person for attaching removable tape in the form of a peace sign to a flag. The defendant had attached the tape to his flag and draped it outside of his window in protest of the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State killings. The Court again found under the First Amendment there was not a sufficient governmental interest to justify regulating this form of symbolic speech. Although not a flag burning case, this represented the first time the Court had clearly stated that protest involving the physical use of the flag should be seen as a form of protected expression under the First Amendment.

1970-1980 Revision of State Flag Desecration Statutes — During this period legislatures in some 20 States narrow the scope of their flag desecration laws in an effort to conform to perceived Constitutional restrictions under the Street, Smith, and Spence cases and to more generally parallel the federal law (i.e., focusing more specifically on mutilation and other forms of physical desecration, rather than verbal abuse or commercial or political misuse). 1989 Texas v. Johnson (491 U.S. 397) — The Supreme Court upholds the Texas Court of Criminal appeals finding that Texas law — making it a crime to "desecrate" or otherwise "mistreat" the flag in a way the "actor knows will seriously offend one or more persons" — was unconstitutional as applied. This was the first time the Supreme Court had directly considered the applicability of the First Amendment to flag burning.

Gregory Johnson, a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, was arrested during a demonstration outside of the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas after he set fire to a flag while protestors chanted "America, the red, white, and blue, we spit on you." In a 5-4 decision authored by Justice Brennan, the Court first found that burning the flag was a form of symbolic speech subject to protection under the First Amendment. The Court also determined that under United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968), since the State law was related to the suppression of freedom of expression, the conviction could only be upheld if Texas could demonstrate a "compelling" interest in its law. The Court next found that Texas' asserted interest in "protecting the peace" was not implicated under the facts of the case. Finally, while the Court acknowledged that Texas had a legitimate interest in preserving the flag as a "symbol of national unity," this interest was not sufficiently compelling to justify a "content based" legal restriction (i.e., the law was not based on protecting the physical integrity of the flag in all circumstances, but was designed to protect it from symbolic protest likely to cause offense to others).

1989 Revision of Federal Flag Desecration Statute — Pursuant to the Flag Protection Act of 1989, Congress amends the 1968 federal flag desecration statute in an effort to make it "content neutral" and conform to the Constitutional requirements of Johnson. As a result, the 1989 Act sought to prohibit flag desecration under all circumstances by deleting the statutory requirement that the conduct cast contempt upon the flag and narrowing the definition of the term "flag" so that its meaning was not based on the observation of third parties. 1990 United States v. Eichman (496 U.S. 310) — Passage of the Flag Protection Act results in a number of flag burning incidents protesting the new law. The Supreme Court overturned several flag burning convictions brought under the Flag Protection Act of 1989. The Court holds that notwithstanding Congress' effort to adopt a more content neutral law, the federal law continued to be principally aimed at limiting symbolic speech.

1990 Rejection of Constitutional Amendment — Following the Eichman decision, Congress considers and rejects a Constitutional Amendment specifying that "the Congress and the States have the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." The amendment failed to muster the necessary two-thirds Congressional majorities, as it was supported by only a 254 — 177 margin in the House (290 votes were necessary) and a 58 — 42 margin in the Senate (67 votes were necessary). 1995 December 12 — The Flag Desecration Constitutional Amendment is narrowly defeated in the Senate. The Amendment to the Constitution would make burning the flag a punishable crime. 2001 September 11 — The Flag from the World Trade towers survives and becomes a symbol of sacrifice in service, loss, and determination. 2002 June 26 — The 9th U.S.

Circuit Court of Appeals in California declares that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because "under God" (inserted into the Pledge in 1954) was a violation of the Establishment Clause, that expression not create the reasonable impression that the government is sponsoring, endorsing, or inhibiting religion generally, or favoring or disfavoring a particular religion. This ruling was reconfirmed in February 2003, and applies only to the 9th Circuit (the following districts: Alaska, Arizona, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Eastern and Western Washington, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands). (See 2010) 2004 June 14 — The Supreme Court declines to hear a case challenging "One nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. "While the court did not address the merits of the case, it is clear that the Pledge of Allegiance and the words 'under God' can continue to be recited by students across America," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice.

2005 January 25 — Constitutional amendment, sponsored by Rep. Duke Cunningham, introduced. It reads simply, "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." June 22 — The Constitutional amendment (see above) is approved by the House (vote of 286-130). It requires Senate approval. Then it must receive approval from 38 states within seven years. 2006 June 28 — The Senate is one vote short of passing the Constitutional amendment (see above). 2006 July 19 — H.R.42 is passed, preventing condominiums or residential real estate management associations from forbidding the flying of the US flag. Read full law 2010 The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California declares that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge is constitutional.

The majority decision states, “The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded.” It states later, "Coercion to engage in a patriotic activity, like the Pledge of Allegiance, does not run afoul of the Establishment Clause." (See 2002) Read decision [pdf] ???? United States Flag - Golden Dragon Karate Studio Golden Dragon Karate Studio National Anthem Flags are an important part of countries around the world. They have been potent emblems of national pride, political parties, and revolutionary movements. Canadians debated for several decades whether the nation should have a distinctive flag, and, if so, what its design should be. The debate subsided somewhat after the present national flag was adopted in 1965. A similar discussion took place in South Africa in the 1920s. In South Vietnam in the early 1960s, the refusal of President Ngo Dinh Diem to allow the display of Buddhist flags was a political decision that contributed to his overthrow and assassination.

The potential for expressing deep-felt emotions in a condensed, but obvious form, and with great public visibility, has made flags an important medium of political communication in the 20th century. Surprisingly, the origin of the United States national flag, the Stars and Stripes (also known as the Star-Spangled Banner, the Red, White, and Blue, and Old Glory), is somewhat obscure. The flag was officially adopted on June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress resolved 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." Its immediate predecessor, the Continental Colors, consisted of 13 horizontal red and white stripes that symbolized the 13 colonies represented in the Continental Congress, with the British Union Jack as a canton to indicate that the rebels were demanding the historic rights granted to British citizens. How and why stars were chosen to replace the Union Jack in the new flag is not known. Stars were uncommon in flags in that era, although the Stars and Stripes has since made them popular.

At the time of the national centennial in 1876, Americans liked the popular story about the young seamstress Betsy Ross, who supposedly sewed the first flag for George Washington. However, according to historical records, although she did make flags, there is no evidence that indicates she was involved in making or designing the first Stars and Stripes. Francis Hopkinson a popular patriot, a lawyer, a Congressman from New Jersey, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, poet, artist, and distinguished civil servant was almost certainly the person who designed the first Stars and Stripes. In 1795, The principal acts affecting the flag of the United States are the following: Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777. The resolution 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." Act of January 13, 1794. The act provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795. Act of April 4, 1818.

The act provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state. A new star was to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state. Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912. The order established proportions for the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each with a single point of each star to be upward. Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959. The order provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically. Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959. The order provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically. The Stars and Stripes has been through 27 versions, the most recent on July 4, 1960 when Hawaii was admitted to statehood. The current flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, 7 red alternating with 6 white, with a blue canton containing 50 five-pointed white stars.

A number of legal battles have been waged over the so-called desecration of the flag. For example, members of the Jehovah's Witness religious sect refuse on principle to salute the flag, and they have been prosecuted for it. Political protesters, such as those opposed to the Vietnam War in the 1960s, have tried to dramatize their cause by burning the flag or otherwise defacing it. In the late 1980s, the issue found its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that a protester who had burned the flag at the 1988 Republican National Convention was merely expressing free speech. The Court later ruled that a congressional law protecting the flag from desecration was unconstitutional. Congress is still debating a constitutional amendment to make it illegal to desecrate the flag. Meaning of Colors, Stripes, and Stars Sentimental writers and orators sometimes ascribe meanings to the colors in the flag, but this practice is erroneous, as are statements on this subject attributed to George Washington and other founders of the country. The colors red, white, and blue were clearly derived from British sources; many English flags had red and white stripes.

The book Our Flag published in 1989 by the House of Representatives states: "On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. Even colors have specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for the Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated: 'The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; white signifies purity and innocence, red, hardiness and valor, and blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice.'" Each of the fifty white stars indicates a state in the present United States.

The thirteen horizontal red and white stripes symbolize the thirteen colonies represented in the Continental Congress in 1777. A book about the flag published in 1977 by the House of Representatives states: "The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun." The placing of gold fringe on the flag is optional. No act of Congress or executive order prohibits the practice. Gold fringe is generally used as a "honorable enrichment" on ceremonial indoor flags that are used for special services. Fringe is used on indoor flags that are used for special services and is believed to have been first used in a military setting. According to the book So Proudly We Hail, The History of the United States Flag, Smithsonian Institute Press (1981), by Furlong and McCandless: "The fringe does not appear to be regarded as an integral part of the flag, and its presence cannot be said to constitute an unauthorized addition to the design prescribed by statute. An external fringe is to be distinguished from letters, words, or emblematic designs printed or superimposed upon the body of the flag itself.

Under law, such additions might be open to objection as unauthorized; but the same is not necessarily true of the fringe." Flag TimeLine THE HISTORY OF THE STARS AND STRIPES U.S. Flag History THE HISTORY OF THE STARS AND STRIPES The Stars and Stripes originated as a result of a resolution adopted by the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress at Philadelphia on June 14, 1777. The resolution read: "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 resolution gave no instruction as to how many points the stars should have, nor how the stars should be arranged on the blue union. Consequently, some flags had stars scattered on the blue field without any specific design, some arranged the stars in rows, and some in a circle. The first Navy Stars and Stripes had the stars arranged in staggered formation in alternate rows of threes and twos on a blue field. Other Stars and Stripes flags had stars arranged in alternate rows of four, five and four. Some stars had six points while others had eight.

Strong evidence indicates that Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was responsible for the stars in the U.S. flag. At the time that the flag resolution was adopted, Hopkinson was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department. Hopkinson also helped design other devices for the Government including the Great Seal of the United States. For his services, Hopkinson submitted a letter to the Continental Admiralty Board asking "whether a Quarter Cask of the public Wine will not be a proper & reasonable Reward for these Labours of Fancy and a suitable Encouragement to future Exertions of a like Nature." His request was turned down since the Congress regarded him as a public servant. AN EARLY STARS AND STRIPES During the Revolutionary War, several patriots made flags for our new Nation. Among them were Cornelia Bridges, Elizabeth (Betsy) Ross, and Rebecca Young, all of Pennsylvania, and John Shaw of Annapolis, Maryland. Although Betsy Ross, the best known of these persons, made flags for 50 years, there is no proof that she made the first Stars and Stripes. It is known that she made flags for the Pennsylvania State Navy in 1777.

The flag popularly known as the "Betsy Ross flag," which arranged the stars in a circle, did not appear until the early 1790's. The claims of Betsy Ross were first brought to the attention of the public in 1870 by one of her grandsons, William J. Canby. In a paper he read before the meeting of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Canby stated: "It is not tradition, it is report from the lips of the principal participator in the transaction, directly told not to one or two, but a dozen or more living witnesses, of which I myself am one, though but a little boy when I heard it. . . . Colonel Ross with Robert Morris and General Washington, called on Mrs. Ross and told her they were a committee of Congress, and wanted her to make a flag from the drawing, a rough one, which, upon her suggestions, was redrawn by General Washington in pencil in her back parlor. This was prior to the Declaration of Independence.

I fix the date to be during Washington's visit to Congress from New York in June, 1776 when he came to confer upon the affairs of the Army, the flag being no doubt, one of these affairs." THE GRAND UNION FLAG The first flag of the colonists to have any resemblance to the present Stars and Stripes was the Grand Union Flag, sometimes referred to as the Congress Colors, the First Navy Ensign, and the Cambridge Flag. Its design consisted of 13 stripes, alternately red and white, representing the Thirteen Colonies, with a blue field in the upper left-hand corner bearing the red cross of St. George of England with the white cross of St. Andrew of Scotland. As the flag of the revolution it was used on many occasions. It was first flown by the ships of the Colonial Fleet on the Delaware River. On December 3, 1775, it was raised aboard Captain Esek Hopkin's flagship Alfred by John Paul Jones, then a Navy lieutenant. Later the flag was raised on the liberty pole at Prospect Hill, which was near George Washington's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

It was our unofficial national flag on July 4, 1776, Independence Day; and it remained the unofficial national flag and ensign of the Navy until June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress authorized the Stars and Stripes. Interestingly, the Grand Union Flag also was the standard of the British East India Company. It was only by degrees that the Union Flag of Great Britain was discarded. The final breach between the Colonies and Great Britain brought about the removal of the British Union from the canton of our striped flag and the substitution of stars on a blue field. FIFTEEN STARS AND STRIPES When two new States were admitted to the Union (Kentucky and Vermont), a resolution was adopted in January of 1794, expanding the flag to 15 stars and 15 stripes. This flag was the official flag of our country from 1795 to 1818, and was prominent in many historic events.

It inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the bombardment of Fort McHenry; it was the first flag to be flown over a fortress of the Old World when American Marine and Naval forces raised it above the pirate stronghold in Tripoli on April 27, 1805; it was the ensign of American forces in the Battle of Lake Erie in September of 1813; and it was flown by General Jackson in New Orleans in January of 1815. However, realizing that the flag would become unwieldy with a stripe for each new State, Capt. Samuel C. Reid, USN, suggested to Congress that the stripes remain 13 in number to represent the Thirteen Colonies, and that a star be added to the blue field for each new State coming into the Union. Accordingly, on April 4, 1818, President Monroe accepted a bill requiring that the flag of the United States have a union of 20 stars, white on a blue field, and that upon admission of each new State into the Union one star be added to the union of the flag on the fourth of July following its date of admission.

The 13 alternating red and white stripes would remain unchanged. This act succeeded in prescribing the basic design of the flag, while assuring that the growth of the Nation would be properly symbolized. Eventually, the growth of the country resulted in a flag with 48 stars upon the admission of Arizona and New Mexico in 1912. Alaska added a 49th in 1959, and Hawaii a 50th star in 1960. With the 50-star flag came a new design and arrangement of the stars in the union, a requirement met by President Eisenhower in Executive Order No. 10834, issued August 21, 1959. To conform with this, a national banner with 50 stars became the official flag of the United States. The flag was raised for the first time at 12:01 a.m. on July 4, 1960, at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland. Traditionally a symbol of liberty, the American flag has carried the message of freedom to many parts of the world.

Sometimes the same flag that was flying at a crucial moment in our history has been flown again in another place to symbolize continuity in our struggles for the cause of liberty. One of the most memorable is the flag that flew over the Capitol in Washington on December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. This same flag was raised again on December 8 when war was declared on Japan, and three days later at the time of the declaration of war against Germany and Italy. President Roosevelt called it the "flag of liberation" and carried it with him to the Casablanca Conference and on other historic occasions. It flew from the mast of the U.S.S. Missouri during the formal Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. Another historic flag is the one that flew over Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It also was present at the United Nations Charter meeting in San Francisco, California, and was used at the Big Three Conference at Potsdam, Germany. This same flag flew over the White House on August 14, 1945, when the Japanese accepted surrender terms.

Following the War of 1812, a great wave of nationalistic spirit spread throughout the country; the infant Republic had successfully defied the might of an empire. As this spirit spread, the Stars and Stripes became a symbol of sovereignty. The homage paid that banner is best expressed by what the gifted men of later generations wrote concerning it. The writer Henry Ward Beecher said: "A thoughtful mind when it sees a nation's flag, sees not the flag, but the nation itself. And whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag, the government, the principles, the truths, the history that belongs to the nation that sets it forth. The American flag has been a symbol of Liberty and men rejoiced in it. "The stars upon it were like the bright morning stars of God, and the stripes upon it were beams of morning light. As at early dawn the stars shine forth even while it grows light, and then as the sun advances that light breaks into banks and streaming lines of color, the glowing red and intense white striving together, and ribbing the horizon with bars effulgent, so, on the American flag, stars and beams of many-colored light shine out together . . .

." In a 1917 Flag Day message, President Wilson said: "This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation. The choices are ours. It floats in majestic silence above the hosts that execute those choices, whether in peace or in war. And yet, though silent, it speaks to us-speaks to us of the past, of the men and women who went before us, and of the records they wrote upon it. "We celebrate the day of its birth; and from its birth until now it has witnessed a great history, has floated on high the symbol of great events, of a great plan of life worked out by a great people.... "Woe be to the man or group of men that seeks to stand in our way in this day of high resolution when every principle we hold dearest is to be vindicated and made secure for the salvation of the nation. We are ready to plead at the bar of history, and our flag shall wear a new luster.

Once more we shall make good with our lives and fortunes the great faith to which we were born, and a new glory shall shine in the face of our people." Get better quality flags for less by buying direct from AmericanFlags.com. We sell only American-made US flags that are labeled as such. Most items in-stock and ready to ship same day. Transactions are safe and secure at AmericanFlags.com AmericanFlags.com has superior customer feedback ratings! All of our flags are on sale right now! Stay Updated / Sign-up for special discount offers/half-staff notifications U.S. Flags Are PROUDLY Made In America AMERICANFLAGS.COM Flag Day 2015: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com Get Heavy's Top 5 News Stories Every Day We will never share your email address. Flag Day 2015: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Published 8:42 am EST, June 13, 2015 Updated 8:47 am EST, June 13, 2015 Comment By S.J. Prince 620 Share Tweet Share Email Follow A giant American flag waves in the wind.

(Tom Pennington/Getty Images) June 14, 2015 is Flag Day, dedicated to celebrating the adoption of the American flag by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. It has been celebrated annually on June 14 since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the holiday. Over 30 years later, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress in 1949. However, it is still not recognized as an official Federal Holiday and must be recognized by the President every year. Read on to find out more about the history of the American flag and Flag Day: Click here to read more 1. The American Flag Has Been Officially Changed 26-Times Since 1777 The Continental Colors flag was America’s first official flag. It was first hoisted on the U.S.S. Alfred, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 2, 1775, by John Paul Jones . / Imgur After the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, the Continental Congress did not legally adopt the earliest version of the modern American flag.

They were still using the first American flag, known as both the “the Continental Colors” or the “the Grand Union Flag.” The first American flag consisted of the British “King’s Colors” flag, or “Great Union Flag”, of 1606 wedged into the left-hand corner alongside the still present thirteen red-and-white stripes. Notice that the Great Union Flag is also not the United Kingdom’s modern flag because it lacks St Patrick’s Cross. Ireland was not integrated into the U.K. until 1801. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which established the earliest incarnation of our modern American flag with stars and stripes. According to the Journals of the Continental: 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. 2. Betsy Ross Didn’t Design It General George Washington and members of Congress consulting with Betsy Ross at 239 Arch Street in Philadelphia, where the first American flag is reputed to have been made.

(Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images) Betsy Ross, born Elizabeth Phoebe Griscom, is widely credited with making the first modern American flag in 1776. Folklore states it occurred after General George Washington visited her home at 239 Arch Street in Philadelphia. Ross was the wife of John Ross, a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Militia. John was killed in the early stages of the war. What is known is that Betsy Ross worked in upholstery and helped war efforts by making tents and blankets. The story of Ross and her presenting the American flag to Washington after he gave her a sketch of what he wanted didn’t become part of “history” until 1876 at Centennial celebrations of the American Revolution. Around that year Ross’s grandson, William J. Canby, wrote a research paper for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania claiming that his grandmother had made the first American flag. He wrote: According to a well sustained tradition in the family of Elizabeth Claypoole (the Elizabeth Ross) this lady is the one to whom belongs the honor of having made with her own hands the first flag.

Three of her daughters are still living who confirm this statement, not from their own knowledge, for the flag was made before they were born, but from the recollection of their mother’s often repeated narration and from hearing it told by others who were cognizant of the facts during their childhood; and there is also yet living a niece of Mrs Claypoole’s, Mrs Margaret Boggs (now in her 95th year) who resides with a niece in Germantown, Philadelphia, and still has full possession of all her faculties, who remembers well the incidents of the transaction as she heard it told, in her intimate intercourse with the family many times. 3. Francis Hopkinson Designed It Francis Hopkinson / The Literary History of Philadelphia by Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer (Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Co., 1906.) The real designer of the American flag was Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey. Hopkinson was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board’s Middle Department and also designed a flag for them around 1777, too.

Hopkinson was the only person to make the claim of inventing the American flag in his lifetime until the Betsy Ross apocrypha surfaced a hundred years later. Substantiating Hopkinson’s claims are preserved bills he sent to Congress for his work. According to the United States Flag Organization: Apparently acting on a request from Congress, Hopkinson sent a detailed bill on June 6th, and it was sent to the auditor general, James Milligan. He sent it to the commissioners of the Chamber of Accounts, who replied six days later on June 12th that they were of the opinion that the charges were reasonable and ought to be paid. 4. They Added Stars ( JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) The original American flag had thirteen stripes and thirteen stars. However, the idea to add stars every time a new state entered the union wasn’t the original. It first occurred in 1795 with the entry of Vermont and Kentucky into the Republic, but the idea didn’t strike Congress until April 4, 1818. According to a PDF by a Joint Congressional Committee on the American flag , U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C.

Reid suggested to Congress to add stars every time a new state entered the union. The last time a star was added to the American flag was in 1960 when Hawaii joined the union. 5. Will There Be a 51st State? A view of Isla Verde Beach September 23, 2006 in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Al Bello/Getty Images) The most viable option for a 51st state is Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was was ceded to the United States in 1898 following a Spanish defeat in the Spanish-American war. It was granted a Commonwealth status and Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship in 1917. Various movements to grant Puerto Rico statehood have taken place over the years, the most recent of which took place in 2012. A White House report on Puerto Rico’s status writes: If efforts on the Island do not provide a clear result in the short term, the President should support, and Congress should enact, self-executing legislation that specifies in advance for the people of Puerto Rico a set of acceptable status options, including the Statehood, that the United States is politically committed to fulfilling.

This legislation should commit the United States to honor the choice of the people of Puerto Rico (provided it is one of the status options specified in the legislation) and should specify the means by which such a choice would be made.

Question: The United States Congress adopted the flag of the United States on April 4, 1818, which consisted of 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state. How many stars did the first official flag have?
Answer: 20