History Of The American Flag Explained
It was on January 1, 1776 that the Continental army was
restructured and adjusted according to a Congressional
resolution which heralded American forces to the command of
George Washington. On that day, the American Continental Army
was blockading Boston which had been taken over by the British
army. It has been said that the first American flag was made in
May of 1776 by Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress who was
actually a friend of George Washington and acquainted with other
prominent and high-ranking Philadelphians.
Ross suggested that the five-pointed star be used instead of the
star with six points. This is because the five-pointed star can
be cut off easily with a few trims of the scissors. It is also
said that Betsy Ross was the one who made the flags for the
Pennsylvanian navy. However, the first unofficial flag of
America was called the Grand Union Flag, also known as the
Continental Colors. It was raised at the order and command of
General Washington close to his headquarters outside Boston
January 1, 1776. This first unofficial flag was composed of
thirteen alternating white and red horizontal stripes, with the
British Union Flag in the canton. However, the first official
American flag was accepted by the Continental Congress on June
14, 1777. This flag was also known as the Stars and Stripes for
it consisted of 13 stars which represented the first 13
colonies. However, there is no assurance of who actually
designed and made this flag. It is said that it was Francis
Hopkinson, a Continental Congress member, designed the flag.
However, between 1777 and 1960, the Congress implemented
procedures that varied its shape, design and structure of the
flag. And it was decided that there was a need for additional
starts to represent all the states of America. It was on January
3, 1959 that President Eisenhower issued an executive order
which states that the arrangement of the stars should be in six
horizontal rows of eight, each single point of every star
directed upward. In 1791 and 1792, after Kentucky and Vermont
were added to the Union, two stars and two stripes were added
during 1795.
This brought inspiration to lawyer Francis Scott Key to write
and compose a poem which later became the U.S. National Anthem.
It was in 1818 that five more states had been added and declared
and the Congress decided to pass legislation that fixes the
number of stars and stripes. The stars would have equal numbers
as the states. On July 4, 1960, the last new star was added
after Hawaii became a state, which gives a total number of fifty
stars. The American Flag has been the emblem of the nation's
power and harmony for more than 200 years. It serves as the
binding material that brings millions of citizens together in
attaining one goal.