The History of America's Flag
The American flag was born on June 14, 1777, when Congress passed the original Flag Act which read, “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores how the current design came to be, and why the story of our flag still matters today. Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14 to be Flag Day, citizens have proudly displayed the Stars and Stripes.
Images courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery, Library of Congress, Smithsonian, National Archives, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Wikipedia.
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One of the most beautiful flags from our nation’s founding era is the famous “Betsy Ross” flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen stars in a field of blue. Called by many the first national flag of the United States, it was created by Betsy Ross in the city of Philadelphia in 1776.