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2) Our flag carries American ideas, American history - Old Glory Author: OmahaWebDesign Old Glory Our flag carries American ideas, American history and American feelings. It is not a painted rag. It is a whole national history. It is the Constitution. It is the Government. It is the emblem of the sovereignty of the people. It is the NATION. -Henry Ward Beecher, 1861 From its controversial beginnings, the American flag has been an important part of our culture. It has survived over 200 years and two World Wars. The flag has evolved physically and symbolically in times of crisis and achievement. During the Vietnam War, the flag took on conflicting meanings that split the nation, and by the Gulf War, the flag was again a uniting force. September 11, 2001, the flag became a symbol of hope and pride. Though tattered and dirty flying above the rubble of the World Trade Center, it, like our country would prevail.Unlike other countries, America only has two national symbols, the bald eagle and the American flag. While the bald eagle is internationally recognized, the American flag is a symbol known worldwide. The flag has been the inspiration for holidays, songs, poems, books, artwork and more. It has been used to show nationalism, rebellion and everything in between. The flag is so important that its history tells the story of America itself. # Continental Colors Also known as the Grand Union flag, the Union flag, the Continental flag, the Somerville flag and the Great Union # Designed with a British Union Jack in the canton and 13 alternating red and white stripes # Considered to the be the first American flag, but it was never official # The Maritime Committee of Continental Congress considered it the official flag of the American naval forces 1775-1777 # 13 Stars Betsy Ross Flag First official flag of the United States # Designed with 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the 13 colonies (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island) # Since Congress did not specify dimensions, proportions, shapes or star patterns, flags varied dramatically # Legend says that Betsy Ross designed and sewed the first American flag, but most historians disagree # The person who sewed the first flag is unknown, but the designer is thought to be Francis Hopkinson # The Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution of 1777 on June 14, 1777 making the Betsy Ross flag official # This date is now celebrated annually as Flag Day # The only president to serve under this flag was George Washington 1777-1795 # 15 Stars Star Spangled Banner Flag Designed with 15 stars and 15 stripes to represent the 13 original states plus Kentucky and Vermont # Made by Mary Pickersgill and her daughter # In 1812 the flag was flown over Fort McHenry, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner poem, which was put to music to become America's national anthem # The Star Spangled Banner is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History # George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe all served under this flag 1795-1818 # 20 Stars 20-Star American Flag Also known as the Great Star Flag and the Flag of 1818 # Congress passed the Flag Act of 1818, adding five new stars to the flag and reducing the number of stripes from 15 to 13 # The five additional stars represented Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi # This flag was designed by Navy Captain Samuel Reid # James Monroe was the only president to serve under this flag Wounded Warrior | Wounded Warriors | Wounded Warriors Family Support | High Five Tour 1818-1819 # 21 Stars 21-Star American Flag One star was added with the admission of Illinois to the Union # James Monroe was the only president to service under this flag 1819-1820 # 23 Stars 23-Star American Flag Two stars were added to the flag for the admission of Alabama and Maine # When Alabama was admitted in 1819, the free and slave states were balanced, but with the addition of Maine, the Union held a majority of free states # James Monroe was the only president to serve under this flag 1820-1822 # 24 Stars 24-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Missouri # The name "Old Glory" spawned from a 24-star flag flown by shipmaster Captain William Driver # The flag, which was given to him by his mother and friends, became famous by the time of the Civil War # Driver, who lived in Tennessee, was afraid the flag would be seized by Confederate forces, so he hid the flag between layers of his comforter # In 1860 ten more stars were added to the flag for the admission of new states # Today Old Glory is one of America's greatest treasures # James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson served under the 24-star flag 1822-1836 # 25 Stars 25-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Arkansas # Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren served under this flag Wounded Warrior | Wounded Warriors | Wounded Warriors Family Support | High Five Tour 1836-1837 # 26 Stars 26-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Michigan # Sailing under a 26-star American flag, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes led the first American expedition to explore Antarctica # Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler and James Polk served under this flag 1837-1845 # 27 Stars 27-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Florida # James Polk was the only president to serve under this flag 1845-1846 # 28 Stars 28-Star American Flag The 28th star was added to the flag when the United States annexed Texas; an action that would spawn the Mexican-American War # This was the first war in which American troops carried the flag into battle # The United States defeated Mexico and gained land that would become New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California and most of western Colorado # James Polk was the only president to serve under this flag 1846-1847 # 29 Stars 29-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Iowa # James Polk was the only president to serve under this flag 1847-1848 # 30 Stars 30-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Wisconsin # James Polk, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore served under this flag 1848-1851 # 31 Stars 31-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of California # Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan served under this flag 1851-1858 # 32 Stars 32-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Minnesota # James Buchanan was the only president to serve under this flag 1858-1859 # 33 Stars 33-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Oregon # The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, under this flag # James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln served under this flag 1859-1861 # 34 Stars 34-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Kansas # South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861 # President Lincoln did not remove stars from the flag because he believed the Southern states were still part of the government # In protest some Northeners cut 11 stars out of their personal flags # Abraham Lincoln was the only president to serve under this flag Wounded Warrior | Wounded Warriors | Wounded Warriors Family Support | High Five Tour 1861-1863 # 35 Stars 35-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of West Virginia # Virginia split into two separate states because parts supported the Confederacy and other parts supported the Union (the section that would become West Virginia supported the Union) # This was the first time that a new state formed out of rebellion of the original state # The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, under this flag # Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson served under this flag 1863-1865 # 36 Stars 36-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Nevada # 3 months before the flag became official, a 36-star flag was used to cushion President Lincoln's head the evening of his assassination at Ford's Theatre # "The Lincoln Flag" is currently on display at the Columns Museum of the Pike County Historical Society in Milford, PA # Andrew Johnson was the only president to serve under this flag 1865-1867 # 37 Stars 37-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Nebraska # Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes served under this flag 1867-1877 # 38 Stars 38-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Colorado # Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison all served under this flag 1877-1890 # 43 Stars 43-Star American Flag Five stars were added to the flag for the admission of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington and Idaho # Benjamin Harrison was the only president to serve under this flag 1890-1891 # 44 Stars 44-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Wyoming # Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland served under this flag 1891-1896 # 45 Stars 45-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Utah # Grover Cleveland, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt served under this flag 1896-1908 # 46 Stars 46-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Oklahoma # William H. Taft was the only president to serve under this flag 1908-1912 # 48 Stars 48-Star American Flag Two stars were added to the flag for the admission of New Mexico and Arizona # President Taft passed an Executive Order in 1912 establishing proportions for the flag and arranging the stars in six horizontal rows of eight, with each star pointing upward # This flag was in service for 47 years, lasting through two World Wars and making it the longest serving flag until July 4, 2007, when it will be succeeded by the 50-star American flag # William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower served under this flag 1912-1959 # 49 Stars 49-Star American Flag One Star was added for the admission of Alaska # President Eisenhower passed an Executive Order in 1959 to have the stars arranged in 7 rows with 7 stars in each row, staggered horizontally and vertically # Dwight D. Eisenhower was the only president to serve under this flag 1959-1960 # 50 Stars 50-Star American Flag One star was added to the flag for the admission of Hawaii # 17-year-old Bob Heft predicted that Hawaii would gain statehood after Alaska, and designed a 50-star flag for his high school history class # After Hawaii had been added, President Eisenhower selected Heft's design to become the national emblem # As of July 4, 2007, the 50-star flag will be America's longest serving flag # Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald W. Reagan, George Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush served under this flag 1960-Present Never forget our past, and those how fought for our future. Our mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. The families of our casualties suffer in many ways: some financially, some psychologically. Wounded Warriors Family Support mitigates their trauma by allowing them to find peace and solace as a family once more in family-friendly resorts that we provide free of charge. The resort condominium that we own in Orlando, Florida are quiet havens where war torn families can reunite and become stronger. Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/our-flag-carries-american-ideas-american-history-old-glory-5337849.html About the Author