American Flag – History
The history of the American flag dates back to the American Revolution, when the United States was fighting for independence from Great Britain. In 1775, the Continental Congress created a new army and appointed George Washington as its commander-in-chief. It also created a new flag for the army to use, which was known as the Continental Colors.
The Continental Colors consisted of 13 horizontal stripes of red and white, with a blue field in the upper left corner that featured the British Union Jack in the canton. However, as the Revolutionary War progressed, many colonists became increasingly anti-British and wanted a new flag that represented their newfound independence.
In June 1777, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, which stated that the flag of the United States would consist of 13 stripes of alternating red and white, and 13 white stars on a blue field. The stars represented the 13 colonies that had declared independence from Great Britain.
The design of the flag has changed over time, but the basic elements of the 13 stripes and 50 stars have remained the same. The number of stars on the flag increased as more states were added to the Union, with the last change taking place in 1960 when Hawaii became the 50th state.