Flags of the United States
Encyclopedia
Historical progression of designs
Since 1818, a star for each new state has been added to the flag on the Fourth of July immediately following each state's admission. In years which multiple states were admitted, the number of stars on the flag jumped correspondingly; the most pronounced example of this is 1890, when five states were admitted within the span of a single year (North DakotaNorth Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, and Washington in November 1889 and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
on July 3, 1890). This change has typically been the only change made with each revision of the flag since 1777, with the exception of changes in 1795 and 1818, which increased the number of stripes to 15 and then returned it to 13, respectively.
As the exact pattern of stars was not specified prior to 1912, and the exact colors not specified prior to 1934, many of the historical U.S. national flags shown below are typical rather than official designs.
Other historical versions
Proposed future designs
Other federal flags
Military flags
State flags
As examples, here are the six highest-rated flags in terms of design quality, according to a 2001 survey by the North American Vexillological AssociationNorth American Vexillological Association
The North American Vexillological Association is a membership organization devoted to "vexillology as the scientific study of flags." Flag researchers, designers, collectors, activists, merchants, and other enthusiasts from the United States and Canada meet annually at NAVA meetings in order to...
(NAVA).
Territory and commonwealth flags
Insular area flags
The U.S. national flag is the official flag for all islands, atolls, and reefs comprising the United States Minor Outlying IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying Islands
The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1 code, consists of nine United States insular areas in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll,...
. However, unofficial flags are in use on five of these eleven insular areas:
Source:
City flags
In 2004, NAVA conducted a survey to rank 150 U.S. city flags in terms of design quality. Here are the top 8 city flags as ranked and their mean ratings on the survey's 10-point scale:National
Since 1777, the national ensign of the United States has been its national flag. The current version is shown below; for previous versions, please see the section Historical progression of designs above.State
Other
Jacks
Native American tribal flags
American Revolution
Former federal agencies
Other states
See also
- Flag Day in the United StatesFlag Day in the United StatesIn the United States Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777...
- Flag desecration in the United States
- North American Vexillological AssociationNorth American Vexillological AssociationThe North American Vexillological Association is a membership organization devoted to "vexillology as the scientific study of flags." Flag researchers, designers, collectors, activists, merchants, and other enthusiasts from the United States and Canada meet annually at NAVA meetings in order to...
- United States Flag CodeUnited States Flag CodeThe United States Flag Code establishes advisory rules for display and care of the flag of the United States. It is Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the United States Code . This is a U.S. federal law, but there is no penalty for failure to comply with it and it is not widely enforced—indeed, the U.S...
External links
- The History of US Flags (YouTube) (Slideshow on US National Flags Historical Progression)