The Evolution of the American Flag (1776-2014) Since 1777 the American Flag, also known as “Old Glory”, has been a symbol of strength and unity for the United States of America. However, unofficial flags are in use on three of these nine insular areas: While the countries mentioned are recognized independent nations with UN seats, the U.S. maintains and exercises jurisdictional control over the countries in defense, security, and funding grants. It also had 3 bars, one bi… Did Betsy Ross really design the American Flag? Through the years the number of stars in the canton has increased with the addition of new states, and the meaning of the flag has expanded to unimaginable heights. Due to the evolution of the meaning of the flag, any show of patriotism is presumed to be born out of conservative ideas and not just a show of unity between citizens, as it should be. Download Worksheet With the addition of states, the U.S. flag increases the number of stars. As we stand between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, it is a good time to reflect on the fraught relationship between Christian churches and American civil religion. The place of the flag in church has always been controversial in American history. Flag of an unrestricted line (URL) Navy admiral (staff corps flag officers have white flags with the appropriate number of blue stars in an identical pattern as URL admiral's flags). Archived. 1775–1777 (the " Grand Union Flag ") 1777–1795. Evolution of the American flag. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The Katipunan Flag (1892-1897) The First KKK (Kataastaasan at Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng Mga Anak ng Bayan--The Highest and Most Honorable Society of the Sons of the Nation) Flag (1892) With the establishment of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio requested his wife, Gregoria de Jesus, and with the help of Benita Rodriguez to create a flag for the society. First confederate flag was dubbed as ‘Stars and Bars’ and was approved in 1861 by the confederates.Itcontained a bluesquare on top left corner with 8 stars forming a circle. Subject/Sub-Subject: Social Studies/U.S. Many agencies, departments, and offices of the U.S. federal government have their own flags, guidons, or standards. American Flags Of The Revolution by the Fraunces Tavern Museum; The 13 Stars and Stripes: A Survey of 18th Century Images by David Martucci; Flags of the American Revolution; Thirteen Star Flags: Keys to Identification by Grace Rogers Cooper; Historical Flags; Flags of Our Ancestors: Flags of the American Revolution Era This change has typically been the only change made with each revision of the flag since 1777, with the exception of changes in 1795 and 1818, which increased the number of stripes to 15 and then returned it to 13, respectively. An edition of The evolution of the American flag (1909) The evolution of the American flag by George Canby. As the exact pattern of stars was not specified prior to 1912, and the exact colors not specified prior to 1934, many of the historical U.S. national flags shown below are typical rather than official designs. Copyright © 2020 Online Stores, LLC All Rights Reserved. Through the years the number of stars in the canton has increased with the addition of new states, and the meaning of the flag has expanded to unimaginable heights. On April 24, 1778, Captain John Paul Jones, in command of the USS Ranger and flying this flag, became the first American officer to have the American flag recognized by a foreign power. This thread is archived. best. Written in English — 144 pages This edition doesn't have a description yet. There are also separate flags for embassies and boats. The current version is shown below; for previous versions, please see the section Historical progression of designs above. The U.S. team defeated the Soviet Union, 4-3. Since 1818, a star for each new state has been added to the flag on the Fourth of July immediately following each state's admission. 1-877-734-2458, Get the latest updates on new products and upcoming sales. Modern U.S. state flags date from the 1890s, when states wanted to have distinctive symbols at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Jul 6, 2014 - Long after the tray of RWB Jello shots have been downed and the Uncle Sam ‘staches have been Instagrammed, we need something more permanent to keep the spirit of our great nation going. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the Unit… US Made Flags in short supply due to COVID plant closures – more info here, Also known as the Grand Union flag, the Union flag, the Continental flag, the Somerville flag and the Great Union, Designed with a British Union Jack in the canton and 13 alternating red and white stripes, Considered to the be the first American flag, but it was never official, The Maritime Committee of Continental Congress considered it the official flag of the American naval forces, Designed with 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the 13 colonies (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island), Since Congress did not specify dimensions, proportions, shapes or star patterns, flags varied dramatically, Legend says that Betsy Ross designed and sewed the first American flag, but most historians disagree, The person who sewed the first flag is unknown, but the designer is thought to be Francis Hopkinson, The Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution of 1777 on June 14, 1777 making the Betsy Ross flag official, This date is now celebrated annually as Flag Day, The only president to serve under this flag was George Washington, Designed with 15 stars and 15 stripes to represent the 13 original states plus Kentucky and Vermont, Made by Mary Pickersgill and her daughter, In 1812 the flag was flown over Fort McHenry, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner poem, which was put to music to become America’s national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner is on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe all served under this flag, Also known as the Great Star Flag and the Flag of 1818, Congress passed the Flag Act of 1818, adding five new stars to the flag and reducing the number of stripes from 15 to 13, The five additional stars represented Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, This flag was designed by Navy Captain Samuel Reid, James Monroe was the only president to serve under this flag, One star was added with the admission of Illinois to the Union, James Monroe was the only president to service under this flag, Two stars were added to the flag for the admission of Alabama and Maine, When Alabama was admitted in 1819, the free and slave states were balanced, but with the addition of Maine, the Union held a majority of free states, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Missouri, The name "Old Glory" spawned from a 24-star flag flown by shipmaster Captain William Driver, The flag, which was given to him by his mother and friends, became famous by the time of the Civil War, Driver, who lived in Tennessee, was afraid the flag would be seized by Confederate forces, so he hid the flag between layers of his comforter, In 1860 ten more stars were added to the flag for the admission of new states, Today Old Glory is one of America's greatest treasures, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson served under the 24-star flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Arkansas, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Michigan, Sailing under a 26-star American flag, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes led the first American expedition to explore Antarctica, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler and James Polk served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Florida, James Polk was the only president to serve under this flag, The 28th star was added to the flag when the United States annexed Texas; an action that would spawn the Mexican-American War, This was the first war in which American troops carried the flag into battle, The United States defeated Mexico and gained land that would become New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California and most of western Colorado, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Iowa, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Wisconsin, James Polk, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of California, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Minnesota, James Buchanan was the only president to serve under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Oregon, The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, under this flag, James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Kansas, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, President Lincoln did not remove stars from the flag because he believed the Southern states were still part of the government, In protest some Northeners cut 11 stars out of their personal flags, Abraham Lincoln was the only president to serve under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of West Virginia, Virginia split into two separate states because parts supported the Confederacy and other parts supported the Union (the section that would become West Virginia supported the Union), This was the first time that a new state formed out of rebellion of the original state, The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, under this flag, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Nevada, 3 months before the flag became official, a 36-star flag was used to cushion President Lincoln's head the evening of his assassination at Ford's Theatre, Andrew Johnson was the only president to serve under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Nebraska, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Colorado, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison all served under this flag, Five stars were added to the flag for the admission of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington and Idaho, Benjamin Harrison was the only president to serve under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Wyoming, Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Utah, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt served under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Oklahoma, William H. Taft was the only president to serve under this flag, Two stars were added to the flag for the admission of New Mexico and Arizona, President Taft passed an Executive Order in 1912 establishing proportions for the flag and arranging the stars in six horizontal rows of eight, with each star pointing upward, This flag was in service for 47 years, lasting through two World Wars and making it the longest serving flag until July 4, 2007, when it will be succeeded by the 50-star American flag, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower served under this flag, One Star was added for the admission of Alaska, President Eisenhower passed an Executive Order in 1959 to have the stars arranged in 7 rows with 7 stars in each row, staggered horizontally and vertically, Dwight D. Eisenhower was the only president to serve under this flag, One star was added to the flag for the admission of Hawaii, 17-year-old Bob Heft predicted that Hawaii would gain statehood after Alaska, and designed a 50-star flag for his high school history class, After Hawaii had been added, President Eisenhower selected Heft's design to become the national emblem, As of July 4, 2007, the 50-star flag will be America's longest serving flag, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald W. Reagan, George Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush served under this flag. Is the official flag for all islands, atolls, and four rows of reinforced stitching on the fly.. Defined flag in 1775 been officially modified 26 times for various reasons written English... Is a source of American history, legend, unity and respect not. 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