Official name: United States of America Capital: Washington Location: North America Date of adoption: July 4, 1960 |
The flag of the United States has 13 stripes, alternated red and white, representing the 13 colonies / states existing in the country’s origin. In the upper left corner there is a blue field containing 50 white stars of five points representing all the states of the Union.
Colors
Red symbolizes strength and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.
What shade of red, white and blue
Various sources give different Pantone values for these colors. The most plausible are found in the US embassies websites. The US Embassy in London, for example, defines the red as PMS 193 and blue as PMS 282. On the other hand, the law of the state of Texas says the flag of this state has the same colors as the American flag, and they are red PMS 193 and PMS 281 blue.
Design and History
The design of the American flag has changed over time. The number of stars increased as new states were joining the Union, but the number of stripes stopped at 15 and later went back to 13. In 1960, a star was included to represent Hawaii, bringing the total number of stars to 50.
According to the executive order number 10834 of the then President Dwight Eisenhower, the flag of 50 stars became the official flag of the United States on July 4, 1960.
No one knows with absolute certainty who conceived the first stars and stripes or who designed them. Congressman Francis Hopkinson seems to be the most likely person. Some historians believe that Betsy Ross, a seamstress from Philadelphia, has made the first.
References:
The Flag of the United States of America
The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions