A Complete Look at the Interesting History of the American Flag

From public buildings to front porches, you don’t have to look hard to find an American flag hanging. With its thirteen red and white stripes and 50 white stars against a sea of blue, the American flag is one of the most recognizable flags — even to non-Americans.

That said, most people know very little about the history of the American flag. By looking back at how it has changed and evolved, however, we can take progressive steps towards a better future.

Read on to learn about the American flag came to be what it is today.

Revolutionary Origins

With the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the 13 colonies began thinking about what their future nation-state would look like. While much of that involved creating laws and drawing up territorial boundaries, it also required the creation of a flag.

Although it’s hard to know for sure, many modern historians credit New Jersey Congressman Francis Hopkinson with designing the original flag.

The color scheme was identical to the modern flag — red and white stripes with white stars over a sea of blue. However, there were only 13 stars positioned in a circle. These, along with the stripes, represented each of the former British colonies.

Twenty-Star Flag

As the 19th century began, the newly formed United States began adding more and more states to the Union. Vermont and Kentucky became the 14th and 15th states in the 1790s, with Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi following soon after.

In 1818 under the presidency of James Monroe, Congress passed the Flag Act. That same year, it unveiled a twenty-star flag to represent the new states. However, they chose not to add stripes, as doing so would’ve been impractical.

While the twenty-star flag set the standard for flags to come, it would also turn out to be one of the many flags that only lasted for a year.

Thirty-Star U.S. Flag

In 1848 under the presidency of James Polk, three decades after the unveiling of the twenty-star flag, Wisconsin became the 30th state to join the Union. The flag featured five rows of six stars, with an identical color pattern to the flags of the past and future.

In addition to Wisconsin, the new stars on the flag also represented Iowa, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Maine, and Illinois.

Unlike some of the other new states, many people in Wisconsin were less than enthused to join the Union. The state had voted to remain out of the country four times in the past. Most residents were concerned about the potential of higher taxes.

Thirty-Five Star Flag

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was president, and the nation was embroiled in the Civil War. Even though the country was at war with itself, new states continued to join the Union.

West Virginia, a pro-Union part of Virginia, voted to secede from the rest of the state, becoming the thirty-fifth star added to the flag in the process.

Before West Virginia became a new state, the five previous states that joined the Union were Kansas, Oregon, Minnesota, California, and Wisconsin. The thirty-five star version of the flag lasted for two years until Nevada joined the country in 1864.

The government rolled out a new flag the following year, in 1865.

Forty-Five Star Flag

The forty-five star flag existed from 1896 to 1908. It flew while president Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt led the nation.

Utah was the forty-fifth state to join the United States. However, it had been a part of the country since the Mexican-American War, which concluded decades earlier.

After the war ended, Mormons moved to the region. Because they practiced polygamy, the federal government barred them from entering the Union until their state constitution renounced the act.

Before 1896, other states that had joined the country included Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Colorado, Nebraska, and Nevada.

Fifty-Star Flag

The modern version of the flag came into being in 1960 under President Eisenhower. As it has flown for more than 61 years, it has flown longer than any other past flags.

Hawaii became the 50th state, joining the country in 1959. Before that, Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma had entered the nation.

The fifty-star flag is even the flag that American astronauts planted on the moon. Given its historical importance, many people are hesitant to change it!

Possible Flags of the Future

While many Americans might not know it, there’s talk about bringing one or two additional states into the Union.

Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. are two U.S. territories that have voted to become states. However, while the majority of residents in both regions support statehood, the federal government has yet to approve their requests.

If they eventually join the country, the flag will need to have two additional stars added to represent them. When that happens, you’ll need to invest in new, updated flags. You might also want to invest in a Flagpole Farm flag pole to show off the country’s new banner!

The Importance of Knowing the History of the American Flag

Whether or not you consider yourself a patriotic American, learning more about the flag is always a good idea. By understanding how it came to be, you also develop a better understanding of the nation as a whole.

Use this guide to help you do just that — understand the history of the American flag and the events that shaped it into what it is today. In doing so, we can work towards building an even better country.

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