What the American Flag Represents
A flag of a country symbolizes its people's history, beliefs, and values. Each flag conveys a specific message to other nations of the world. The American flag symbolizes freedom, liberty, peace, and civil rights. In this article, we will tell you what the American flag represents. Read on!
Stars on the American Flag
The number of stars on the American flag has changed over time. As each state joined the country, they would add another star to the flag. The final star was added to the flag in 1960 when Hawaii joined the United States of America.
Previously, the shape of the star was different. The flag had 6, 7, 8 pointed stars before the end of the 18th century. The 5-pointed star on the American flag became more commonplace later on. The purpose of the star shape was to further separate the U.S from Europe.
Some historians believe that Betsy Ross (who sew the first American Flag) came up with the 5-pointed star shape. It was an unprecedented decision to replace 8-pointed stars with 5-pointed stars on the American flag.
Stripes on the American Flag
The American flag has 13 stripes. Each stripe represents an original American colony. There are 7 red and 6 white stripes. Before 1916, the design of the stripes would change and there was no consistent rule whether the flag would have 6 or 7 red stripes.
No one knows the reason behind choosing 7 red stripes. However, some people may wonder if it had to do with keeping the flag edges clean since white color shows dirt more effectively than red color – although it is not a patriotic reason, we think this is a bit logical.
Colors of the American Flag
The colors of the American flag were chosen deliberately to symbolize a theme that the founding fathers of America felt was necessary to building the nation. Here is what each color of the American flag represents.
Red Color
Red stands for bravery, courage, valiance, and bloodshed. Bravery and courage because America separated from the British Empire, the people started over and fought for their freedom. Valiance because the founded father believed America would outlast the land that they came from. Bloodshed to honor the brave people who lost their lives for the freedom of the country.
Blue Color
Blue represents justice and perseverance. Justice is the basis of America and perseverance is all about standing strong against all opposition. The blue color also stands for peace and harmony.
White Color
White stands for purity, wholesomeness, and vigilance of the American people. It represents that American is free land for everyone. All those who live here have the right to practice their religions, social norms, and societal values.
White also symbolizes the duty of every American to protect the country and make informed decisions that unite people and make them stand firm before any opposition that tends to harm America.
Wrapping up, the American flag represents values of freedom, democracy, justice, liberty, and opportunity. The flag endorses the service that the American people have given for this country.
Author: George Morris
A true American that was born in Bend, Oregon with family roots that cover our great Nation. Proud to be an American and live in the land of the free and the home of the brave!