Flag of the United States
 |
23x15px National flag and ensign. Flag ratio: 10:19 |
|
23x15px So-called First Navy Jack. Once credited by historians as having been used as naval jack, ca.1775–1776, but recent investigations have proven this false. Designated as the US Jack 2002-present. |
The
flag of the United States consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of
red (top and bottom) alternating with
white, with a
blue rectangle in the
canton bearing 50 small, white,
five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the
50 states and the 13 stripes represent the
13 original colonies. The United States flag is commonly called "
the Stars and Stripes" or "
Old Glory," with the latter nickname coined by Captain
William Driver, a 19th century shipmaster.
Because of its symbolism, the starred blue canton of the U.S. national flag is called the "union." This part of the national flag also serves as a flag in its own right: the Union Jack used as a
maritime flag. The Union Jack served as the
naval jack for U.S. warships until 2002, when it was replaced by the
First Navy Jack as part of the
War on Terrorism. However, the Union Jack continues to be used as a jack by U.S. vessels outside the Navy, including those of the
U.S. Coast Guard and
NOAA. (The more famous "
Union Jack" is, of course, the British version).
In
blazons (a
vexillological description using
flag terminology), the U.S. flag is described as "a banner Gules, six bars Argent; the canton Azure charged with 50 mullets Argent". This translates to
a red flag with six white horizontal stripes; the top left quarter is blue with 50 white stars.
One of the most widely used symbols of the United States is its flag. The national flag is exceptionally widely used within the United States, and is frequently displayed, not only on public buildings, but on private residences, as well as iconically in forms such as decals for car windows, and clothing ornaments such as badges and lapel pins.
Many citizens understand the flag to represent thefreedoms and rights guaranteed in the
U.S. Constitution and its
Bill of Rights and perhaps most of all to be a symbol of individual and personal liberty as set forth in the U.S.
Declaration of Independence. Through the
Pledge of Allegiance and other political uses the flag has also come to be associated with American
nationalism,
patriotism, and even
militarism. The flag is a complex and contentious symbol, around which emotions run high.
In terms of the symbolism of the design itself, a book about the flag published by the Congress in 1977 states:"The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun."
is credited for saying:"We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty."
Many people also take the red and white to stand for the blood of those who gave their lives for freedom, and the presumed purity of the freedom ideal, respectively.
Specification
|
Diagram of the flag's design |
The basic design of the flag is specified by sections 1 and 2 of Title 4,
United States Code (4 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2 (2004)). Executive Order 10834 which may be found as a note to section 1, specifies the proportions of the flag and the arrangement of the stars in the union. [
1]. The specification gives the following values:
* Hoist (width) of flag: A = 1.0
* Fly (length) of flag: B = 1.9
* Hoist (width) of Union: C = 0.5385 (7/13, spanning seven stripes)
* Fly (length) of Union: D = 0.76 (1.9 × 2/5, two fifths of the flag length)
* E = F = 0.0538 (C/10, One tenth the width of the Union)
* G = H = 0.0633 (D/12, One twelfth the length of the Union)
* Diameter of star: K = 0.0616
* Width of stripe: L = 0.0769 (1/13)
Due to rounding errors, the above numbers are inconsistent, in that G and H do not fill up the width of the union, and E and F do not fill the height.
Flag ratios
Note that the flag ratio (B in the diagram) is not absolutely fixed by law. Although the diagram in Executive Order 10834 gives a ratio of 1.9, earlier in the order is a list of flag sizes authorized for executive agencies. This list permits eleven specific flag sizes (specified by height and width) for such agencies: 20.00 x 38.00; 10.00 x 19.00; 8.95 x 17.00; 7.00 x 11.00; 5.00 x 9.50; 4.33 x 5.50; 3.50 x 6.65; 3.00 x 4.00; 3.00 x 5.70; 2.37 x 4.50; and 1.32 x 2.50. Eight of these sizes conform to the 1.9 ratio, within a small rounding error (less than 0.01). However three of the authorized sizes vary significantly: 1.57 (for 7.00 x 11.00), 1.27 (for 4.33 x 5.50) and 1.33 (for 3.00 x 4.00).
Colors
According to
Flags of the World, the colors are specified by the
General Services Administration "Federal Specification, Flag, National, United States of America and Flag, Union Jack," DDD-F-416E, dated
November 27,
1981. It gives the colors by reference to "
Standard Color Cards of America" maintained by the
Color Association of the United States, Inc., as:
| Old Glory Blue | Old Glory Red | White |
|---|
| Cable No. | 70075 | 70180 | 70001 |
| Approximation to Pantone | 281 | 193 | Safe |
According to the book, "Our Flag" published in 1989 by the House of Representatives, "The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777."
Tradition however has given the following meanings to the colors: WHITE: purity and innocence RED: hardiness and valour BLUE: vigilance, perseverance and justice
Union
One legend states the union of the current 50-star flag was designed by
Robert G. Heft in 1958 while living with his grandparents in
Ohio. He was 17 years old at the time and did the flag design as a class project. His mother was a seamstress, but refused to do any of the work for him. He originally received a "B-" for the project. After discussing the grade with his teacher, it was agreed (somewhat jokingly) that if the flag was accepted by Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft's flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after
Alaska and before
Hawaii was admitted into the union in 1959. According to Heft, his teacher did keep to their agreement and changed his grade to an "A" for the project.
At the time, credit was given by the Executive Department to the US Army Bureau of Heraldry for the design.
The reality is that when Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for Statehood, more than 1,500 designs were spontaneously submitted to President Dwight D. Eisenhower by Americans. Although some of them were 49 star versions, the vast majority were 50 star proposals. At least three, and probably more, of these designs were identical to the present design of the 50 star flag. These designs are in the Eisenhower Presidential Archives in Abilene, Kansas. Only a small fraction of them have ever been published.
Dave Martucci
Decoration
Traditionally, the flag may be decorated with
golden fringe surrounding the perimeter of the flag itself as long as it does not deface the flag proper. Ceremonial displays of the flag, such as those in
parades or on indoor posts, often utilize fringe to enhance the beauty of the flag. The first recorded use of fringe on a flag dates from 1835, and the
Army used it officially in 1895. No specific law governs the legality of fringe, but a 1925 opinion of the
attorney general approves the use of fringe. The United States
Institute of Heraldry also confirms that there are no implications of symbolism in the use of fringe.
There are certain guidelines for the use, display, and disposal of the United States flag as outlined in the
United States Flag Code of the federal government. These are US Federal law, but there is no penalty for failure to comply with them and they are not widely enforced — indeed, punitive enforcement would conflict with the
First Amendment right to
freedom of speech, as the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled when the subject has come up in the past. (The
flag desecration amendment that has been proposed from time to time would override Supreme Court rulings on the matter, if it were passed.)
This etiquette is as applied within U.S. jurisdiction. In other countries and places, local etiquette applies.
Standards of respect
* The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the
ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. This tradition comes from the
1908 Summer Olympics in
London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to
King Edward VII: the American team captain
Martin Sheridan refused, famously proclaiming that
"this flag dips to no earthly king."[London Olympics 1908 & 1948]* The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. [
2]
* The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speaker's desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general (exception for coffins). Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
* The flag should never be drawn back or bunched up in any way.
* The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
* The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed, or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
* The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and members of patriotic organizations. (Note that on military uniforms, where the flag is put on the sleeve of the uniform, the flag patch is displayed with the stars facing forward, in the direction the wearer is facing. This is done to give the impression of the flag flowing in the wind while being carried forward across the battlefield. This is known as the "Reverse Field Flag".)
* The flag should never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind.
* The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
* The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle, railroad train, or boat.
* When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
* The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
* When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of the United States, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning. (Note: Most
American Legion Posts regularly conduct a dignified flag burning ceremony, often on
Flag Day,
June 14.)
Contrary to a commonly believed
urban legend, the flag code does not state that a flag that touches the ground should be burned. Instead, the flag should be moved so it is not touching the ground.
Displaying the flag outdoors
* When the flag is displayed from a staff projecting from a window, balcony, or a building, the union should be at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at
half-staff. When it is displayed from the same flagpole with another flag, the flag of the United States must always be at the top except that the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for Navy personnel when conducted by a Naval chaplain on a ship at sea.
* When the flag is displayed over a street, it should be hung vertically, with the union to the north or east. If the flag is suspended over a sidewalk, the flag's union should be farthest from the building.
* When flown with flags of states, communities or societies on separate flag poles which are of the same height and in a straight line, the flag of the United States is always placed in the position of honorâ€"to its own right. The other flags may be the same size but none may be larger.
* No other flag ever should be placed above it. The flag of the United States is always the first flag raised and the last to be lowered.
* When flown with the national banner of other countries, each flag must be displayed from a separate pole of the same height. Each flag should be the same size. They should be raised and lowered simultaneously. The flag of one nation may not be displayed above that of another nation.
[The flag of the United Nations is flown in a position of superior prominence or honor at the headquarters of the United Nations. The Flag Code specifically notes this custom and states that the Code should not be construed to render this custom illegal.]* The flag should be raised briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously.
* Ordinarily it should be displayed only between sunrise and sunset, although the Flag Code permits nighttime display "when a patriotic effect is desired." Similarly, the flag should be displayed only when the weather is fair, except when an all weather flag is displayed. (By Presidential proclamation and law, the flag is displayed continuously at certain honored locations like the United States Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington and Lexington Green.)
* It should be illuminated if displayed at night.
* The flag of the United States of America is saluted as it is hoisted and lowered. The salute is held until the flag is unsnapped from the halyard or through the last note of music, whichever is the longest.
Displaying the flag indoors
* When on display, the flag is accorded the place of honor, always positioned to its own right. Place it to the right of the speaker or staging area or sanctuary. Other flags should be to the left.
* The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of states, localities, or societies are grouped for display.
* When one flag is used with the flag of the United States of America and the staffs are crossed, the flag of the United States is placed on its own right with its staff in front of the other flag.
* When displaying the flag against a wall, vertically or horizontally, the flag's union (stars) should be at the top, to the flag's own right, and to the observer's left.
Parading and saluting the flag
* When carried in a procession, the flag should be to the right of the marchers.
* When other flags are carried, the flag of the United States may be centered in front of the others or carried to their right. When the flag passes in a procession, or when it is hoisted or lowered, all should face the flag and salute.
* To salute, all persons come to attention.
** Those in uniform give the appropriate formal salute.
** Citizens not in uniform salute by placing their right hand over the heart and men with head cover should remove it and hold it to left shoulder, hand over the heart.
** Members of organizations in formation salute upon command of the person in charge.
Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem
* The
Pledge of Allegiance should be rendered by standing at attention, facing the flag, and saluting.
* When the
national anthem is played or sung, citizens should stand at attention and salute at the first note and hold the salute through the last note. The salute is directed to the flag, if displayed, otherwise to the music.
The flag in mourning
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The flag, as draped over President John F. Kennedy's coffin at his state funeral. |
* To place the flag at half-staff (or half-mast, on ships), hoist it to the peak for an instant and lower it to a position half way between the top and bottom of the staff.
* The flag is to be raised again to the peak for a moment before it is lowered.
* On
Memorial Day, the flag is displayed at half-staff until noon and at full staff from noon to sunset.
* The flag is to be flown at half-staff in mourning for designated, principal government leaders.
* The U.S. flag is otherwise flown at half-staff (or half-mast, on ships) when directed by the
President of the United States or a state governor.
* When used to cover a casket or coffin, the flag should be placed with the union at the head and over the left shoulder. It should not be lowered into the grave.
Folding the flag
Flags, when not in use, should be folded into a triangle shape. The final triangle shape result is said to invoke the image of the
three-point hats popular during the
American Revolutionary War. Former
American territories, e.g. the
Philippines, also use this method to fold their
flags.
 |
Folding the U.S. Flag |
# To properly fold the flag, begin by holding it waist-high with another person so that its surface is parallel to the ground.# Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely.# Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside.# Make a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open top edge of the flag. Starting the fold from the left side over to the right# Turn the outer end point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a second triangle.# The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in this manner.# When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars should be visible.
The flag is customarily flown year-round from most public buildings, and it is far from unusual to find private houses flying full-size flags.Some private use is year-round, but becomes widespread on civic holidays like
Memorial Day,
Veteran's Day,
Presidents' Day,
Flag Day, and on
Independence Day. On Memorial Day it is common to place small flags by war memorials and next to the graves of U.S. war dead.
Places of continuous display
[[Image:moonflag.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Astronaut {{Alan Shepard}} raises the {{United States Flag}} on the surface of the {{moon}} during the {{Apollo 14}} mission.]]
According to Presidential proclamation, Congressional order, and custom, the American flag is displayed continuously at the following locations:
*
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine,
Baltimore, Maryland, 15-star/15-stripe flag (Presidential Proclamation No. 2795,
July 2,
1948).
*
Flag House Square, Albemarle and Pratt Streets, Baltimore, Maryland, 15-star/15-stripe flag (Public Law 83-319, approved
March 26,
1954).
*
United States Marine Corps War Memorial (
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima),
Arlington, Virginia (Presidential Proclamation No. 3418,
June 12,
1961).
*
Lexington, Massachusetts Town Green (Public Law 89-335, approved
November 8,
1965).
* The
White House,
Washington, DC (Presidential Proclamation No.4000,
September 4,
1970).
* Fifty U.S. Flags are displayed continuously at the
Washington Monument, Washington, DC. (Presidential Proclamation No. 4064,
July 6,
1971, effective
July 4,
1971).
* By order of
Richard Nixon at
United States Customs Service Ports of Entry that are continuously open (Presidential Proclamation No. 4131,
May 5,
1972).
* By Congressional decree, a Civil War era flag (for the year 1863) flies above Pennsylvania Hall (Old Dorm) at
Gettysburg College. This building, occupied by both sides at various points of the
Battle of Gettysburg, served as a lookout and battlefield hospital.
* Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in
Valley Forge National Historic Park,
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (Public Law 94-53, approved
July 4,
1975).
* Mount Slover limestone quarry (
Colton Liberty Flag), in
Colton, California (Act of Congress). First raised
July 4,
1917.[
3]
* Washington Camp Ground, part of the former
Middlebrook encampment,
Bridgewater, New Jersey, Thirteen Star Flag, by Act of Congress.
* By custom, at the home, birthplace, and grave of
Francis Scott Key, all in
Maryland.
* By custom, at the
Worcester, Massachusetts war memorial.
* By custom, at the
plazain
Taos, New Mexico, since 1861.
* By custom, at the
United States Capitol since 1918.
* By custom, at
Mount Moriah Cemetery in
Deadwood, South Dakota.
* In addition, the American flag is presumed to be in continual display on the surface of the Earth's
Moon, having been placed there by the astronauts of
Apollo 11,
Apollo 12,
Apollo 14,
Apollo 15,
Apollo 16, and
Apollo 17. It is possible that Apollo 11's flag was knocked down by the force of return to lunar orbit.
|
The Washington family coat of arms. This design is thought by some to be the source of the red-and-white stripe motif of the United States flag, but that is unlikely. |
The flag has gone through 26 changes since the new union of 13 states first adopted it. The 48-star version holds the record, 47 years, for the longest time the flag has gone unchanged. The current 50-star version will tie the record if it is still in use on
July 4,
2007.
At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,
July 4,
1776, one commonly flown flag was the
Continental Colors. This flag may have been initially flown by order of George Washington and it is thought it was first raised by Washington's troops at
Prospect Hill on
New Year's Day in 1776, although there is good reason to believe the flag was actually the King's Colors. This flag formed the basis of the Stars and Stripes, consisting of 13 red and white stripes (although sometimes red-white-blue stripes were used) with the original British
Union Jack in the canton. The Grand Union Flag is similar to the
East India Company flag of the same era, although the East India Company flag could have from 9 to 13 stripes, and was not allowed to be flown outside the Indian Ocean.
|
23x15px Continental Colors, sometimes erroneously called the Grand Union Flag. |
The red-and-white stripe — and later, stars-and-stripes — motif of the flag may have been based on the Washington family
coat-of-arms, which consisted of a shield
"argent, two
bars gules, above, three
mullets gules" (a white shield with two red bars below three red stars). Since 1937, the District of Columbia has used
a flag based on this design. However, it is much more likely that it is based on the flag of the
Sons of Liberty, which used a 13 red and white stripe combination
On
June 14,
1777, the
Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. A false tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June of 1777 by the
Continental Army at the
Middlebrook encampment.
The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement for the stars. The pictured flag shows the thirteen stars arranged in a circle, the so-called
Betsy Ross flag. However, though this is the most famous "first flag", this was the least popular design at that time; the preference was to arrange the stars in rows of 3, 2, 3, 2, and 3, as seen in the table below, or more commonly in rows of 4-5-4.
In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the union). For a time the flag was not changed when subsequent states were admitted, probably because it was thought that this would cause too much clutter. It was the 15-star, 15-stripe flag that inspired
Francis Scott Key to write "
The Star-Spangled Banner," now the
national anthem.
Finally in 1818, a plan was passed by Congress at the suggestion of U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C. Reid
in which the flag was changed to have 20 stars, and a new star would be added when each new state was admitted, but the number of stripes would remain at thirteen to honor the
original colonies.
|
23x15px 15-star, 15-stripe "Star-Spangled Banner" flag |
When the flag design changes, the change always takes place on
July 4, as a consequence of the
Flag Act of
April 4,
1818.
July 4,
Independence Day in the United States, commemorates the founding of the
nation. The most recent change, from forty-nine stars to fifty, occurred in 1960 when the present design was chosen, after
Hawaii gained statehood in August 1959. Before that, the admission of
Alaska in January 1959 prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag.
|
23x15px 48-star flag, in longest use (1912-1959) of all versions |
The origin of the U.S. flag design is uncertain. A popular story credits
Betsy Ross for sewing the first flag from a pencil sketch by George Washington who personally commissioned her for the job. However, no evidence for this theory exists beyond Ross' descendants' much later recollections of what she told her family. Another woman, Rebecca Young, has also been credited as having made the first flag by later generations of her family. Rebecca Young's daughter was Mary Pickersgill, who made the "Star Spangled Banner". The British historian Sir
Charles Fawcett has suggested that the design of the flag may have been derived from the
flag and
jack of the
British East India Company.
Comparisons between the 2 flags support Fawcett's suggestion. Another popular theory is that the flag was designed by
Francis Hopkinson. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime, when he sent a bill to Congress for his work. He asked for a Quarter Cask of the Public Wine as payment initially. The payment was not made, however, because it was determined he had already received a salary as a member of Congress. It should be noted that no one at the time contested his claim to have designed the flag.
First salute
The Netherlands were the first country to salute the U.S. flag, as the Dutch supported the American rebels.
US stars and design duration
In the following table depicting the 27 designs of the United States flag, the star patterns for each flag are merely the
usual patterns, often associated with the US Navy, with the exception of the 48-, 49-, and 50-star flags, as there was no official arrangement of the stars until the proclamation of the 48-star flag by President
William Howard Taft 29 October 1912. The exact colors of the flag were not standardized until 1934. (For alternate versions, see
this page at
Flags of the World.)
No. of
Stars | Design | States Represented
by New Stars | Dates in Use | Duration
(years) |
|---|
| (0) | | Original 13 colonies | January 8, 1776–June 14, 1777 | 1 |
| 13 | | Original 13 colonies | June 14, 1777–May 1, 1795 | 18 |
| 15 | | Kentucky, Vermont | May 1, 1795–July 3, 1818 | 23 |
| 20 | | Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Ohio, Tennessee | July 4, 1818–July 3, 1819 | 1 |
| 21 | | Illinois | July 4, 1819–July 3, 1820 | 1 |
| 23 | | Alabama, Maine | July 4, 1820–July 3, 1822 | 2 |
| 24 | | Missouri | July 4, 1822–July 3, 1836 | 14 |
| 25 | | Arkansas | July 4, 1836–July 3, 1837 | 1 |
| 26 | | Michigan | July 4, 1837–July 3, 1845 | 8 |
| 27 | | Florida | July 4, 1845–July 3, 1846 | 1 |
| 28 | | Texas | July 4, 1846–July 3, 1847 | 1 |
| 29 | | Iowa | July 4, 1847–July 3, 1848 | 1 |
| 30 | | Wisconsin | July 4, 1848–July 3, 1851 | 3 |
| 31 | | California | July 4, 1851–July 3, 1858 | 7 |
| 32 | | Minnesota | July 4, 1858–July 3, 1859 | 1 |
| 33 | | Oregon | July 4, 1859–July 3, 1861 | 2 |
| 34 | | Kansas | July 4, 1861–July 3, 1863 | 2 |
| 35 | | West Virginia | July 4, 1863–July 3, 1865 | 2 |
| 36 | | Nevada | July 4, 1865–July 3, 1867 | 2 |
| 37 | | Nebraska | July 4, 1867–July 3, 1877 | 10 |
| 38 | | Colorado | July 4, 1877–July 3, 1890 | 13 |
| 43 | | Idaho, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Washington | July 4, 1890–July 3, 1891 | 1 |
| 44 | | Wyoming | July 4, 1891–July 3, 1896 | 5 |
| 45 | | Utah | July 4, 1896–July 3, 1908 | 12 |
| 46 | | Oklahoma | July 4, 1908–July 3, 1912 | 4 |
| 48 | | Arizona, New Mexico | July 4, 1912–July 3, 1959 | 47 |
| 49 | | Alaska | July 4, 1959–July 3, 1960 | 1 |
| 50 | | Hawaii | July 4, 1960— | 46 |
Symmetry
Most of these arrangements of stars exhibit some form of
symmetry.
*
Symmetry with respect to horizontal axis: 50, 49, 48, 46, 44, 38, 37, 36, 34, 33, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 20, 15, 13 (standard)
* Symmetry with respect to vertical axis: 51, 50, 48, 46, 45, 44, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 21, 20, 15, 13 (standard and Betsy Ross)
* Both, hence also point symmetry: 50, 48, 46, 45, 44, 37, 36, 34, 33, 32, 28, 26, 24, 20, 15, 13 (standard)
* No symmetry: 43
* Chessboard pattern: 50, 49, 45, 15, 13 (standard)
* Rectangle of stars: 48, 35, 30, 28, 24, 20
The
United States Army Institute of Heraldry has plans for flags with up to 56 stars using a similar staggered star arrangement in case additional states accede.
There are ongoing statehood movements in
Puerto Rico, the
District of Columbia, and
New York City. Other
insular areas such as the
U.S. Virgin Islands, the
Northern Mariana Islands,
Guam, and
American Samoa may eventually become states as well. There are also several minor secessionist movements in California,
* The Thirteen Stars and Stripes-A Survey of 18th Century Images of the US Flag
* U.S. Flag Etiquette (ushistory.org)
* Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding the flag
* The United States Flag Page
* Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Facts About the United States Flag
* The Flag CodeChapter 1, The Flag
** Provides details about the design of the flag, treatment of the flag, the pledge of allegiance, etc.
* Executive Order No. 10798, with specifications and regulations for the current flag
*The Significance of the "Yellow Fringed Flag"
* Ben's Guide (3-5): Symbols of U.S. Government - Flag of the United States
* Designs for flags containing between 51 and 70 stars
*Illustrated US flag display guidelines
* Collection of rudimentary flag information: flag care, protection & life extension; flag disposal (burning) instructions & ceremony; list of special flag-flying days; U.S. Air Force Academy flag-folding ceremony; guide for selecting appropriate flags for flag poles of various heights; flag shadow box lore & presentation, etc.
* Why Isn't the US Flag Flying over Taiwan?
