New Mexico (January 6, 1912)
Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue Facts about the United States Flag
Until the Executive Order of June 24, 1912, neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag was prescribed. 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 principal acts affecting the flag of the United States are the following:
- Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777, stated, “Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”
- Act of January 13, 1794, provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.
- Act of April 4, 1818, provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state.
- Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912, established proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward.
- Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959, provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically.
- Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959, provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically.
What Do the Colors Mean on the American Flag?
In every country, the colors chosen for the national flag have significant meanings. When you look at the American flag, you notice the red, white, and blue, but you might not know what these colors stand for and why they’re a part of the flag. So, what do the colors mean on the American flag? Let’s find out!
Red
The red in the American flag symbolizes courage and bravery and was the color of America’s first flag, the Grand Union. Red is also the color of blood, which was spilled daily by those fighting for our nation’s existence during the Revolutionary War. When you think about it this way, it makes sense that red represents our country’s military, who face danger in battle and have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
A large US flag is flown outside military facilities and is also ceremonially given to the families of fallen soldiers.
White
White in our flag represents purity and innocence. While the stars and stripes hold a separate meaning, the color represents the country’s innocence and its relative youth in the context of the world at large.
Blue represents justice, perseverance, and vigilance. Since justice is a pillar of our government, it makes sense that it was added to our flag intentionally. The specific shade of blue is known as “Old Glory Blue,” a dye made from the indigo plant.
The colors of the American flag hold multiple meanings. Many other symbols go into designing flags, such as our stars representing each state, or the stripes used to represent the original 13 colonies. The next time you see our beautiful flag flying, take a moment to think about all the symbolism that went into its creation.
The U.S. National Flag: A Standard of Design
Many of us associate July 4 th , Independence Day, with barbecues, picnics and fireworks. But it is also the day when we proudly display the National Flag of the United States. We honor this day by flying Old Glory’s stars and stripes, draping our buildings with American Flag bunting, and outfitting our celebrations in red, white and blue.
If you are looking for flag etiquette, check out the Law Library blog post Flag Day and the Flag Code, but did you know that there are standards and a Federal specification that provide exact requirements for the U. S. National Flag’s design, construction, and packaging?
The Federal specification DDD-F-416F provides the standards and technical guidance for the U.S. National flag’s design and construction- from its proportions to the proper fabrics and thread. Standards also specify three particular colors: Old Glory Red, White and Old Glory Blue, which can be found in The Standard Color Reference of America .
In fact, there is a whole host of standards that insure that Old Glory’s construction is consistent, of the finest quality and made to last – from using metallic grommets that follow the National Aerospace Standard (NASM) to standards for the textiles, fibers, stitches, and seams approved by the American Standard for Testing Material (ASTM) and other organizations. There is even a standard for the flag pole developed by the National Association of Architectural Metal Manufacturers-Guide Specifications for Design of Metal Flagpoles Manual (ANSI/NASM FP 100197)!
According to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), “Our national standard has undergone more design transitions than any other flag in the world.” So what is a standard? As defined by ISO/IEC Guide 2:2004 a standard is
a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context.
Basically, a standard is a voluntary practice of conformity that can be adopted in a variety of cases such as those involving commerce, manufacturing, and most importantly health and safety issues.
A standard ensures that norms and guidelines for products, services, and systems are practiced. Standards also help protect the safety of a community by providing rules and regulations such as the National Fire Protection Association’s Uniform Fire Code Handbook. And standards can also be adopted as mandatory codes for local, state, or federal governments (e.g. Building Codes). To learn more about the standards making process in the United States check out ANSI’s Overview of the U.S. Standardization System.
Some of the earliest standards can be traced to 7000 B.C.E when the Egyptians adopted a set practice related to the use of weights and measures. Today, we often take standards for granted, not even knowing that they exist, but they are always behind the scenes in our daily lives. Have you ever wondered why all of the U.S. plugs for electrical appliances fit into the electrical outlets of U.S. homes? The answer can be found in a standard. Standards make things convenient and allow devices to work together. Although the item might be considered antiquated by today’s consumer, the introduction of the Compact Disc (CD) is a great example of the success of a standard – manufacturers agreed to make the CD able to run on all CD players. I wish it could be that easy for e-books and their related devices- just think of the multiple types of players and types of files that are not compatible. Though there are organizations such as National Information Standards Organization (NISO) discussing them, e-book issues and possible standards are a complicated matter.
The Library of Congress, with over 500,000 standards, houses one of the largest standards collections in the country. Standards and specifications are located in the Technical Reports and Standards Unit. There are approximately 400 individual organizations or collective associations represented with the majority of the collection focusing on the main standards disseminating organizations, along with selections from foreign standards. It is important to note that the Library cannot make copies of standards because of copyright restrictions, but these standards are available for viewing onsite, and relevant portions can be reproduced by the user under the fair use provision.
During this holiday week you may find yourself gazing at the U.S. National Flag with a sense of pride and honor. I hope you will also think about all of the hard work and standards that went into making Old Glory look her best. I think Mary Pickersgill would be proud. Who is Mary Pickersgill? Well, she is the flag maker and seamstress who, in 1813, with the help of her family and servants, hand-sewn the flag that would inspire Francis Scott Key to write the Star-Spangled Banner in 1814. Today, this iconic flag is known as the Star-Spangled Banner flag.
If the history of the U.S. National flag, state flags or study of flags (also called vexillology) intrigues you… here is a selection of books you might find of interest:
The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict by Howard Michael Madaus and Whitney Smith (Santa Cruz, Ca, VZ Publications, c2006)
Flag: An American Biography by Marc Leepson (New York, Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin’s Press, 2005)
Old Glory: Unfurling History by Karal Ann Marling (Kent, Bunker Hill Pub. in association with the Library of Congress, 2004). The author spoke at the Library with picture editor Vincent Virga about her book. You can view the webcast here.
