Chuck Edwards is a history buff who loves American history in particular. See his favorite American flag clipart at Clipart for free.
History of the American Flag
"The American Flag" is the commonly used name for the officially sanctioned flag of the Untied States of America. The flag is designed with thirteen stripes alternating between red and white colors. The top left corner displays a dark blue rectangle that is filled with 50 white stars. Those white stars alternate between rows of 5 stars and rows of 6. There are nine rows of stars. No matter where you go around the world, the striking design of the US flag is recognized by everyone and reminds people of American values and lifestyle.
The thirteen red and white lines on the flag are representative of the original thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British and became the first 13 states of the USA The current fifty states of the USA are represented in the fifty white stars on the flag. Because of the power of these symbols, the flag is often nicknamed "The Stars and Stripes". It is also called the Star-Spangled Banner, now the name of the American national anthem which references the flag. But today the expression "Star Spangled Banner" refers more to the national anthem than to the flag it references.
The current design of the American flag that features fifty stars was designed in 1959 around the time that Alaska and Hawaii were being admitted into the union as full states. It was designed by high school student Robert G. Heft as a school project. This was the 26th time the US flag was redesigned to reflect new national realities.
There was originally no official US flag when the Declaration of Independence was given on July fourth, 1776. In the Revolutionary War the Grand Union flag was used as the de facto flag, and the first official US flag adopted in 1777 was based on the Grand Union flag. The first official flag looked similar to the current flag, except that there were only 13 stars, arranged in a circle within the navy blue rectangle..
Today the American flag is a symbol of American values, American democracy, and America's influence around the world. It is revered by most Americans, and hated by America's enemies. But there is nothing vague about its design. We know the American flag when we see it, and we are reminded of American history and nationhood.
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