After the American Revolution began, the first unofficial national flag—known as the Continental Colours (or, incorrectly, as the Grand Union Flag or the Cambridge Flag)—was hoisted at Prospect Hill in Charlestown (now in Somerville, Mass.) on Jan. 1, 1776; it was raised, it appears, at the behest of Gen. George Washington, whose headquarters were nearby. The flag had 13 horizontal stripes (probably of red and white or of red, white, and blue) and, in the canton, the first version of the British Union Flag (Union Jack). It was used at forts and on naval vessels. Another popular early flag, that of the Sons of Liberty, had the 13 stripes only. The various 18th-century “Don’t Tread on Me” flags had only local significance, but in the 20th century such designs were popularized by political protesters.
The first official national flag, formally approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, was the Stars and Stripes. The blue canton was to contain 13 stars, but the layout of the stars was left undefined, and several patterns are known. The designer of the flag, Congressman Francis Hopkinson, may have had a ring of stars in mind to symbolize (in the words of the flag law) “a new constellation.” Today that pattern is popularly known as the “Betsy Ross flag,” although the claims of her descendants that she made the first Stars and Stripes and that she used the ring pattern are unsubstantiated. Rows of stars (4-5-4 or 3-2-3-2-3) were common, but other variations also existed. The new Stars and Stripes formed part of the military colours carried on Sept. 11, 1777, at the Battle of the Brandywine, perhaps its first such use.
The Stars and Stripes changed on May 1, 1795, when two more stars and two more stripes were added to reflect the admission to the union of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792). (One such flag was the 1,260-square-foot [117-square-metre] “Star-Spangled Banner,” made by Mary Pickersgill, that Francis Scott Key saw at Fort McHenry in September 1814, inspiring his patriotic poem.) In 1818, after five more states had been admitted, Congress enacted legislation pertaining to a new flag, requiring that henceforth the number of stripes should remain 13, the number of stars should always match the number of states, and any new star should be added on the July 4 following a state’s admission. This has been the system ever since. In all, from 1777 to 1960 (after the admission of Hawaii in 1959) there were 27 versions of the flag—25 involving changes in the stars only. An executive order of Oct. 29, 1912, standardized the proportions and relative sizes of the elements of the flag; in 1934 the exact shades of colour were standardized.
There is no official assignment of meaning or symbolism to the colours of the flag. However, Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, in describing the proposed Great Seal, suggested the following symbolism: “White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue…signifies vigilence, perseverence [sic] & justice.” As with many other national flags, the Stars and Stripes has long been a focus of patriotic sentiment. Millions of children have traditionally recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag at the start of each school day, and the lyrics of the national anthem are also concerned with the flag. Some veterans’ groups have pressured legislators to adopt laws or a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration, but such legislation has been opposed on the grounds that it would infringe on the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.
During the American Civil War, the Confederate States of America began to use its first flag, the Stars and Bars, on March 5, 1861. Soon after, the first Confederate Battle Flag was also flown. The design of the Stars and Bars varied over the following two years. On May 1, 1863, the Confederacy adopted its first official national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. A modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865, about a month before the end of the war. In the latter part of the 20th century, many groups in the South challenged the practice of flying the Confederate Battle Flag on public buildings, including some state capitols. Proponents of the tradition argued that the flag recalled Southern heritage and wartime sacrifice, whereas opponents saw it as a symbol of racism and slavery, inappropriate for official display.