What Does The U.S. Flag Mean? | COLOSSAL QUESTIONS

Have you ever seen the

flag

of the United States and wondered

what

all those red, white, and blue stars and stripes

mean

? Let's find out in today's episode of Colossal Questions. On June 14, 1777, less than a year after signing the Declaration of Independence, the Flag Resolution was passed in the United States. It said that, I quote, "the

flag

of the United States will have 13 stripes, alternating red and white, that the union will be 13 stars, white on a blue field, which represents a new constellation." Hurrah! A flag was born. Since that first design with 13 stars, the American flag has been updated 26 different times.

The 13 alternate stripes have always been the same, but the size, shape, design, arrangement, and number of stars have slowly changed as more and more areas gained official status. Today, the flag looks the same as it did in 1960, the last time it was changed to add the stars 49 and 50 after Alaska and Hawaii became states. It has 13 horizontal stripes that alternate in color, seven red and six white. Those stripes are

mean

t to symbolize the original 13 colonies. The stars, of course, represent the 50 states that make up the country. There are nine rows, alternating between five and six stars. Even the color choices themselves are meant to be symbolic.

Red represents toughness and courage, white purity and innocence, and blue vigilance, perseverance and justice. Since the United States flag has stayed exactly the same for most of our lives, it might be hard to imagine it ever changing again, but it is possible. There are places like Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa that are US territories, but are not full states as of 2022. If any of them ever get the status full state, like Alaska and Hawaii before them, surely the flag would be updated to add additional stars for the new states. Speaking of states, since the 18th century, they have also slowly adopted their own flags, often styling them to reflect the state's land, people, and culture.

And it's definitely not limited to the state level. Cities, towns, communities, and schools often have their own flags to wave with pride. So this July 4th fly

what

represents you. And if you can't find that, make your own flag.