Where Did the American Flag Come From and Why it is Seen So Much?

The American flag has been around for over two hundred years. The first flag to be used by Washington was on New year’s Day, 1776 when he ordered the Grand Union flag to be hoisted above his place on Prospect Hill during the siege over the British Army in Boston. It had thirteen alternating red and white stripes with the British Union Jack in the upper left hand corner. This was the start of many US flags to be hoisted as the american flag shirts. Soon after that in May, Betsy Ross claimed to have sewn the first US flag.

The new nation wanted a different flag to be flown than the one Washington had flown so they came up with a different design. that had thirteen alternating red and white stripes with thirteen white stars on a blue background in the corner. This was to represent a new constellation. The amount of stars changed from this time in 1777 all the way up to 1960 when they would add on a star for each new state. The way the different stars were formed as it continued to change was a bit different, obviously each time. The colors in the American Flag have always been red, white and blue. Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor. White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and blue symbolizes Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.

Today our flag has thirteen stripes representing the original thirteen colonies with seven red stripes and six white. It has 50 stars representing all of our states on the blue background in the upper left hand corner.

The American Flag can be seen in just about every person’s home or belongings in this country. Many people fly a traditional sized flag outside their homes while even more probably own a smaller version of one on a stick. Many of these smaller flags are used at parades and various holidays in our nation. Such holidays where US flags are flown or used are on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Flag Day. The most popular holiday where images of the United States flag is seen is on the 4th of July. The flag is on anything and everything you can think of. many people have it on their clothing like sweaters, shirts, hats and even swim suits. Home accessories even have the flag on them like chairs, flower pots, frames, towels and blankets. Most people wear something with a flag or just the red, white and blue colors on these holidays, especially on the 4th of July.

Many people that throw parties on the 4th of July or participate in a parade shop for their red, white and blue and flag motif supplies. You can find everything under the sun that represents the American flag at specialty stores or online sites. Many Americans feel great pride for their country and enjoy expressing that pride by having an American flag and other items that remind them of the great country they live in.