On June 14, , the Continental Congress passed an act establishing an official flag for the new nation. Truman officially declared June 14 as Flag Day. The history of our flag is as fascinating as that of the American Republic itself. It has survived battles, inspired songs and evolved in response to the growth of the country it represents. The following is a collection of interesting facts and customs about the American flag and how it is to be displayed:.
Exclusive corporate sponsorship by:. Support Provided By: Learn More. The History of the American Flag. Iconography 50 stars the fifty states of the Union 13 stripes the original thirteen colonies. The values here are provided by the U. State Department and the U. Embassy in the U. Construction U. Executive Order specifies proportions for the flag, as recreated here. Previous iterations For years every flag was constructed by hand. The western part of Virginia was pro-Union and contained many abolitionists.
It split from the rest of the state, which had seceded. President Abraham Lincoln was unsure about dividing Virginia and admitting the western portion as a separate state. He agreed to its admission on the grounds that West Virginia's action was an act of secession in favor of the Constitution. West Virginia joined the Union on June 20, , and a new flag on July 4 included the 35th state.
The Civil War was engulfing the nation when Nevada was admitted as the 36th state on Oct. Nevada was pro-Union and President Abraham Lincoln saw Nevada's admission as a way to buttress support for the war. To speed up statehood, Nevada sent its entire state constitution to Washington, D. Grant , and Rutherford B. Hayes Nebraska was the first state to be admitted to the Union after the Civil War.
After the Civil War, rapid economic development accelerated by the growth of railroads helped speed Nebraska's admission to the Union on March 1, , becoming the nation's 37th state and the 37th star on the flag. Hayes , James A. Garfield , Chester A. Arthur , Grover Cleveland , and Benjamin Harrison Colorado, a territory that partially came with the Louisiana Purchase in , became the 38th state to join the Union on Aug.
Grant approved it. The star flag would fly for 13 years. A flurry of state admissions boosted the star total on the flag to 43 by July 4, , as statehood filled out the United States in the high plains and the far west.
Five states were admitted to the Union and five stars added to the flag: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington all in , and Idaho in Six states were admitted to the Union when President Benjamin Harrison was president, more than any other president. Wyoming was the last of the six, boosting the number of stars on the flag to Wyoming was admitted on July 10, , even though it was 5,people short of the 60,person requirement to become a state.
Utah became a state on Jan. However, the area that would become Utah had been part of the United States since the nation received the territory as part of a treaty that ended the Mexican-American War in 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. In , 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. 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. 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.
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.
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