Flag of United States
Thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white with red at the top and bottom. A blue canton at the upper hoist holds 50 white five-pointed stars in staggered rows.
What the flag means
The 50 stars are the states and the 13 stripes the original colonies. The colours had no official meaning when the flag was adopted in 1777. In 1782 Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, explained the same colours on the proposed Great Seal: white for purity and innocence, red for hardiness and valour, and blue for vigilance, perseverance and justice.
History
The Flag Resolution of 14 June 1777 called for 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars on blue. Two stars and two stripes were added in 1795. The Flag Act of 1818 went back to 13 stripes and added a star for each new state on the 4 July after its admission. Executive Order 10834, signed by President Eisenhower on 21 August 1959, set the 50-star design after Hawaii's admission.
The 50-star flag is the longest-used version. It passed the 47-year run of the 48-star flag on 4 July 2007.
Earlier flags of United States
- 1775–1777Grand Union flag: 13 red and white stripes with the Union Flag in the canton
- 1777–179513 stripes and 13 stars
- 1795–181815 stars and 15 stripes
- 1912–195948 stars, the longest-used design until the 50-star flag
Flags that look like this one
Red and white stripes with a blue canton. The United States has 13 stripes and 50 stars. Liberia has 11 stripes and one large star. Malaysia has 14 stripes and a yellow crescent and star.
Flags of United States's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of the United States
- National Archives (Federal Register): Executive Order 10834
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
