The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice. Charles Thompson, Secretary of Continental Congress.
What Do the Colors of the American Flag Mean?
Since 1777, the American Flag has been widely recognized for its red, white, and blue pattern, which is decorated with stars and stripes. This unique flag has gone by many names, including “Old Glory,” “the Stars and Stripes,” and “the Star-Spangled Banner.”
The flag signifies an entire country, so a lot of consideration went into the flag design that we know today. Colors and patterns were selected very carefully to create a meaningful symbol for the United States.
What Do the American Flag Colors Mean?
It’s thought that the American Flag’s colors were inspired by Great Britain’s flag, also known as the Union Jack of England. Even if this is the case, the individual colors of the American Flag each have their own meaning and significance.
The American Flag uses the colors red, white, and blue, similar to the colors of American political parties.
Red Meaning
Red stands for “hardiness and valor.” It represents courage and sacrifice. Some also claim that it’s related to the bloodshed of the heroes who fought to protect the freedom of America.
White Meaning
White on the flag means “purity and innocence.” America is described as “pure” because they are independent of other countries and stay true to their beliefs and ideals.
Blue Meaning
Blue means “vigilance and perseverance.” It’s used to remind citizens to stay watchful and strong.
The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.
Charles Thompson, Secretary of Continental Congress.
By name, the official colors used on the flag are “Old Glory Blue,” “Old Glory Red,” and “White.” These colors are for cloth standards, so the exact colors might appear differently on digital and print formats.
What Do the Stars and Stripes Mean?
Not only do the colors of the American Flag hold deeper meanings, but so do the patterns on the flag. The current flag has 50 white stars on a blue background and 13 stripes, alternating between red and white.
Stars Meaning
Each star on the flag represents a state of the union. The first version of the American Flag only had 13 stars, but ever since July 4th, 1960, it has proudly displayed 50 stars after Hawaii became the 50th state.
Stars were used for the states because they’re symbols of the heavens and the divine goal.
Stripes Meaning
The American Flag has seven red stripes and six white stripes, which are all horizontal. These stripes represent the original 13 states, also known as the British Colonies.
These 13 states are represented in the stripes, based on when they became part of the union:
- Delaware – December 7th, 1787
- Pennsylvania – December 12th, 1787
- New Jersey – December 18th, 1787
- Georgia – January 2nd, 1788
- Connecticut – January 9th, 1788
- Massachusetts – February 6th, 1788
- Maryland – April 28th, 1788
- South Carolina – May 23rd, 1788
- New Hampshire – June 21st, 1788
- Virginia – June 25th, 1788
- New York – July 26th, 1788
- North Carolina – November 21st, 1789
- Rhode Island – May 29th, 1790
The colonies are shown as stripes to symbolize rays of light coming from the sun.
We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty.
George Washington
The Continental Colors and Rattlesnake Flags
After the American Revolution began, a significant event took place on January 1, 1776, when the first unofficial national flag, known as the Continental Colors or the Grand Union Flag, was raised on a towering liberty pole at Prospect Hill in Charlestown (now in Somerville), Massachusetts.
This flag, with its 13 horizontal stripes, potentially in red and white or red, white, and blue, featured the British Union Flag in the canton. It served as the flag of the Continental Army and was flown at forts and on naval vessels.
During the Revolutionary War, various versions of rattlesnake flags, featuring the motto “Don’t Tread on Me,” appeared on many American colonial banners. The Gadsden flag, as well as the flag carried by the Minutemen of Culpeper County, Virginia, with the addition of Patrick Henry’s famous words “Liberty or Death,” were notable examples.
The Stars and Stripes
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress officially approved the first national flag, known as the Stars and Stripes.
The Flag Resolution stated that it would consist of thirteen alternating red and white stripes, representing the thirteen colonies, and a union with thirteen white stars on a blue field, symbolizing a new constellation.
Although the designer is uncertain, Congressman Francis Hopkinson from Philadelphia is often attributed with creating the pattern of stars arranged in a ring.
The Stars and Stripes made its significant appearance on September 11, 1777, at the Battle of the Brandywine, where it was carried as part of the military colors.
This battle marked one of the earliest documented instances of the flag’s use in a military context, solidifying its role as a symbol of the United States.
Evolution of the Stars and Stripes
The Stars and Stripes underwent modifications and clarifications over time. On May 1, 1795, Congress enacted the second Flag Resolution, mandating the addition of new stars and stripes to the flag upon the admission of new states.
The first two states added were Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792). Notably, the “Star-Spangled Banner,” a large flag created by Mary Pickersgill, inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that later became the national anthem.
In 1818, Congress passed the third and final Flag Resolution, setting the standard that the flag should have thirteen stripes representing the original colonies, the number of stars should match the number of states, and any new star should be added on July 4 following a state’s admission.
This system remains in place to this day. From 1777 to 1960, with the admission of Hawaii in 1959, there were 27 versions of the flag, primarily involving changes in the arrangement of the stars. In 1912, an executive order by President William Howard Taft standardized the proportions and colors of the flag.
