Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag-- Part 5: 13 Stripes and Stars for New States

The rules for the design of the national flag were finalized after the War of 1812.

The design needed to be updated again again with the addition of five new states.  

On April 4, 1818, Congress passed the third Flag Act.  Instead of increasing the number of stripes from 15 to 20, the act reduced the number of stripes permanently to 13, honoring the original states.

Congress provided, however, that new stars would be added as new states joined the union.

With Hawaii's admission in 1959, the U.S. flag was modified one last time on July 4, 1960.  The 50th star.

Aren't you glad there aren't 50 stripes?  That would be a mighty strange looking flag.

--DaCoot

Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag-- Part 3: One of the First U.S. Flags Had the Union Jack of Britain in It

Raised during the American Revolution, the first American flag featured, strangely enough, the Union Jack of Great Britain.

The Continental Colors consisted of 13 horizontal stripes of red and white, to which a canton (the square in the upper left corner in case you're wondering) depicting the British flag.

During the Siege of Boston, General George Washington raised this flag on January 1, 1776.

Its design is a reminder that the Revolution's original goal was not independence from Britain but the restoration of the colonists' liberties under British law.

On June 14, 1777, almost a year after the Declaration of Independence, Congress replaced the British flag with 13 white stars on a blue field, representing the United States as "a new constellation" in the heavens, alongside older nations and empires.

--DaCoot

Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag-- Part 2: Vertical Stripes? Really?

The first time red and white stripes were used to represent America, there were nine of them-- and they were vertical.

On exhibit at the Old State House in Boston, this particular flag was created and flown at the Liberty Tree by the Sons of Liberty, an organization formed to oppose British taxation in the 1760s.

The nine vertical stripes may have symbolized the nine colonies which sent delegates to the Stamp Act Congress in New York in 1765.

The flag is currently undergoing authentication efforts by historians.

--Cooter

U.S. Flag Day Today. Here's Your Quiz.-- Part 3: Go Fly That Flag

Continuing with your quiz.

6.  Why and when was the U.S. flag first called "Old Glory?"

a)  It was the first flag flown from the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") when it was launched in 1797;

b)  It's a flag manufactured by the Old Glory Distilling Co. of Clarksville, Tennessee.

c)  Shipmaster  William Driver of Salem, MA., called his flag "Old Glory" as he first unfurled it in 1831;

d)  That's what Union troops called it as they marched off to war.

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7.  Which of these events actually occurred?

a)  Robert Peary posted the flag on the North Pole in 1909;

b)  Barry Bishop planted the flag atop Mt. Everest;

c)  Neil Armstrong planted the flag on the moon in July 1969;

d)  All of the above.

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8.  Where did Uncle Sam come from?

a)  He was an American Revolution caricature for Yankee Doodle, the name British  soldiers called American soldiers;

b)  During the War of 1812, meatpacker Sam Wilson of Troy, New York,  shipped meal rations   in barrels branded "U.S."  When they arrived, soldiers called them meals from "Uncle Sam.";

c)  It was the name U.S. soldiers gave to a common arillery piece;

d)  The World War I "We Want You" poster.

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ANSWERS

6.  c

7.  d

8.  b

--CootFlag

U.S. Flag Day Tomorrow. Here's a Quiz on It-- Part 2

3.  Which of the following features of the actual Star-Spangled Banner flag is NOT true:

a)  It had 15 stars on it;

b)  It had 15 stripes on it;

c)  The stars were in a circle;

d)  It's now preserved at the Smithsonian Institution.

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4.  The "Star-Spangled Banner" was written during which war?

a)  French and Indian War;

b)  American Revolution;

c)  War of 1812;

d)  Civil War.

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There is no contemporary account that says Betsy Ross actually made the first  U.S. flag.   What di we know for a fact about her role?

a)  She was a friend of Martha Washington;

b)  In 1870, Betsy Ross's daughter, Rachel Fletcher, publicized and testified as to Betsy's role;

c)  She designed the yellow "Don't Tread On Me" flag;

d)  She was elected to Congress

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Answers below

3.  c

4.  c

5.  b

--CootFlag

This Month in the American Revolution

From the American Battlefield Trust June 2022 calendar.

JUNE 2, 1774

**  The Quartering Act is amended.

JUNE 9, 1772

**  A British ship, the Gaspee, was patrolling against smugglers ran aground near Rhode Island and a local mob burns it.  The mob is then accused of treason.

JUNE 14, 1777

**  Flag Resolution.  Congress declared "That the flag of the thirteen  United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field."  (And the reason you should display the flag this date.)

JUNE 15, 1775

**  George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

JUNE 17, 1775

**  The Battle of Bunker Hill, Massachusetts.

JUNE 28, 1776

**  The Battle of Sullivan's Island, South Carolina.

--CootFlag

Eleven Fascinating Numbers About Apollo 11-- Part 2: 48

30--  When the Eagle, Apollo 11's lunar module landed, it had less than 30 seconds of fuel left.  Any less than that and the mission would have been aborted.

21:13--  Number of hours and minutes Armstrong and Aldrin spent altogether on the Moon.

151--  The number of minutes spend walking on the surface.

73--  In addition to the lunar module, American flag and a plaque, a one and a half-inch silicon disc was left with goodwill messages from 73 countries.

48--  Pounds of Moon rocks brought back.

21--  For fear of lunar bacteria, the three had to spend  21 days in quarantine.

1,096,348--  How far Apollo 11 traveled from liftoff to landing.  That's 224 round trips between New York and Los Angeles.

Figures In My Eyes.  --Cooter

On July 4... --Part 2: A Real Bad Day for the Confederacy, A Starry Day for the Flag

1845--  Author Henry David Thoreau began his two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts.

1863--  Union troops under Gen. Ulysses Grant defeated Confederate forces at Vicksburg, Mississippi, ending a 14-month siege in the Civil War.  Occurring one day after the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg.

1917--  In a ceremony in Paris, France honoring the French hero of the American  Revolution, U.S. Lt. Colonel Charles Stanton declared, "Lafayette, we are here!"

1946--  The Philippines became an independent republic after 48 years of U.S. rule.

1959--  America's 49-star flag was unveiled honoring Alaska's statehood.

1960--  America's 50-star flag was unveiled honoring Hawaii's statehood.

--CootDec

U.S. Flag Adopted Today, 241 Years Ago

The Second Continental Congress adopted the U.S. flag this date in 1777.  That would be 241 years ago.

Are your flags up?

Long May It Wave.  --DaCoot

More U.S. Flags Than Ever in DeKalb Schools As Tensions Mount in 1917

From the March 8, 2017, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"Mrs. James Dresser, patriotic instructor in the Women's Relief Corps has an interesting report to make.  She has visited the schools of DeKalb and some outside the city and has found more flags displayed than ever before."

As tensions between the United States and Germany ramp up.

he Women's Relief Corps was an auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans formed after the Civil War.

--DaCoot

U.S. Flags Still Up Today and Tomorrow

I have six United States flags up here at the house in Spring Grove, Illinois.  Sad to see that so few people flew flags yesterday.  Kind of was a flag thing to do.

And, I will have them up today and tomorrow.

Never Forgetting.

GAR Veterans Do a Flag-Raising in 1917

From the July 5, 2017, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago

Even though 1917 was 52 years after the Civil War ended, former Union soldiers participated in a patriotic flag-raising in Waterman, Illinois, for World War I.

"Yesterday was an important one in the history of Waterman when several thousand people gathered there for the flag raising ceremony which has been previously announced.

"The members of the Grand Army of the Republic had the ceremony in charge and four of the old soldiers held the large banner, while one pulled it to the top of the staff.  As the flag was being raised to the top of the staff, Company A fired 21 rounds in salute while the bugler blew the colors."

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was an organization made up of former members of the the Union Army, Navy and Marines from the Civil War.

And now, these old men were about to witness another American War.

--Cooter

Yesterday Was Flag Day-- Part 6: 50-Star Flag Is The Longest Official One

Eventually, after more and more states entered the Union, the stars on the flag got to 48 and stayed that way for about 47 years, the longest time it had stayed at a certain number up to that time.

On July 4, 1960 the U.S. flag hit 50 stars after Hawaii and Alaska were added.  Today we have had the 50-star flag for 57 years.  This it makes it the longest official flag to date.

The colors of the flag also have meaning.  The red stands for hardiness.  The white stands for purity and innocence, while the blue stands for vigilance, perseverance and justice.

--DaCoot

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Yesterday Was Flag Day-- Part 5: Addition of Stars

Stars and stripes were added to the U.S. flag each July 4th following the state's entry into the Union.  But once there were twenty states (20 stars and 20 stripes), designers got the notion to flag wasn't going to look good.

The Flag Act of 1818 returned the flag to its original 13 stripes, but allowed the stars in the union to increase for each new state.  Those thirteen stripes represent the original 13.  The arrangement of stars changes as their number increased.

Under president James Madison, the United States welcomed Illinois into the Union on December 3, 1818, and about seven months later, the flag had a new star update.

--Cooter

Today Is Flag Day-- Part 4: Got My Flags Flying

This morning, i went outside and put up several United States flags.

I already have one flying by the garage door, but I also put up one on the back deck and the mailbox.

I have a small yard flag flying and flag pennants on the porch columns.

I also have my pride and joy U.S. flag, the Bennington 76 hanging from the roof of the porch.  I bought this flag back in 1976, our nation's bicentennial, so it doesn't stay up for long each year because of its age.  It is 41 years old.

Flying My Flags.  --DaFlagger

Today Is Flag Day-- Part 3: That "Star-Spangled Banner"

The flag made by Betsy Ross depicted 13 red and white horizontal stripes in alternating colors, and a blue field with 13 stars arranged in a circle.  Other flags were created at the time with stars in a staggered pattern other than her circle.

The original 13 star flag remained the official flag of the United States until the addition of two more states, Vermont and Kentucky.  A fifteen star flag made its appearance in 1785, but this flag not only had 15 stars, but also the addition of two more stripes.  This new flag was the one that flew at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet was aboard a British ship (where he had gone to negotiate the release of a friend) when the fort was bombarded.  This was the inspiration to pen the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner."

It started as a poem, but music was added and it has been the National Anthem ever since, though not officially for many years.   Currently the Fort McHenry flag is at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

--CootFlag

Tomorrow Is Flag Day-- Part 2: 13 Stripes and 13 Stars

The flag went from having 13 stars, representing the 13 colonies  to the 50 stars for the states we have today.  Most of the states are located between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but today it also stretches across the Pacific to Hawaii and northward to Alaska.

Hawaii is the 50th and last state to join the Union.  It was a state when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941.  back then, the U.S. flag had 48 stars as Alaska was also not a state.

The Flag Resolution passed by the Second Continental Congress on June 4, 1777, said:  "Resolved, that the flag of the 13 United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

Legend has it that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, designed and sewed the first flag.  Some sources say she was a friend of the Washington family.

--RedWhiteBlueDaCoot

Tomorrow Is Flag Day-- Part 1: Has Remained the Same Since 1960

From the June 7, 2017, Hi-Liter "A salute to the flag" by Sandra Machaj.

In 1949, President harry Truman declared June 14 as Flag Day.  United States flags should be flown from public buildings as well as private homes that day.

Sadly, many Americans don't fly their flags on June 14.

Most of the time, I do, unless it slips my mind.  And, I don't just fly one, I fly several for the day.

Most Americans, especially those born after 1960, consider the American flag to be a never-changing design as it hasn't changed since then, but such is not true of its over 200 year history.

The flag we have today is not the same flag as originally authorized by the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

Continued.  --Cooter

Let It Fly: Flag Day Always On June 14th

From the June 1-7, 2014, American Profile Magazine.

OK, we have a while to wait for it, but something top think about in nine months.  Probably the least commemorated and overlooked "special" day in the U.S..  Even I sometimes, well, quite often, forget about it.  But, with all this hoopla over the 200th anniversary of the flag's official song, the "Star-Spangled Banner" this is a good time to go with it.

I forget to put my U.S. flags up.

"No gifts are exchanged.  The post office stays open.  And few, if any get the day off work."

Flag Day is the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 (when the Continental Congress sanctioned a flag for the brand new United States).  President Woodrow Wilson officially established it as a day of observance.  It was sporadically observed until 1949 when President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day when everyone is encouraged to proudly display the colors.

So, Remember Next June 14th.  --Cooter

"Star-Spangled Banner" Lore

From the June 1-7, 2014, American Profile Magazine "Old Glory" by Vicki Cox.

***  According to usflag.org., few historians really believe that Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross made the first U.S. flag.

***  America's current 50-star flag was designed in Lancaster, Ohio, in 1958 by 17-year-old Robert Heft for a high school class project.

***  Prior to a 1912 Executive Order, flag makers were free to shake up the arrangement of the stars and vary the proportions of the stripes.

--Cooter