DEC Celebrates Flag Day - The History of the U.S. National Flag

The U.S. National Flag has a storied past. Many of us most likely remember learning about how it came to be as children, pouring over our history books. But like many events and artifacts from American history we learned about in school, the United States Flag has garnered plenty of legends and myths along the way.  In celebration of Flag Day, we want to share some of the facts about the Red, White and Blue. According to the first Flag Resolution of the United States (1777), it was “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.” With no additional parameters regarding its design, the Flag was replicated in a variety of ways by a variety of designers. Recognized by the Continental Congress, Congressman Francis Hopkinson’s design is credited as the first official American Flag. Hopkinson’s design would not be changed until 1794, when Vermont and Kentucky were ratified as states. Many believe that the colors of the Flag themselves were chosen to represent specific qualities — white for purity and innocence, red for hardiness and valor and blue for perseverance and justice. However, these meanings were never stated or assigned within the first Flag Resolution. The Flag was changed again in 1818 with the addition of five more states to the nation, at which time it was decided that the continual addition of stripes to the Flag wasn’t feasible. Instead, Congress passed the second Flag Resolution, which stated the Flag should only have 13 stripes, with additional states represented by adding a star to the field of blue at its top left corner. Today, our Flag includes 50 stars representing the 50 states of America. This design has not changed since 1960.