The flag of today grew out of many earlier flags raised in days gone by over American soil. From the time that America was discovered, different flags flew over different parts of the country: flags of Spain, France, Holland, Sweden, and England.

From 1701 to the Revolution, an English flag, known as the Red Ensign, waved over the 13 colonies. The Red Ensign was the merchant flag of England. It was red with a union in the upper corner combining the cross of St. George (red on white), patron of England, with the diagonal cross (white on blue) of St. Andrew, patron of Scotland.

The Revolutionary War started in 1775 and the colonies needed a flag of their own. A flag that became known as the Grand Union flag was raised over George Washington's headquarters outside Boston on January 1, 1776. The Grand Union flag retained the union of the English flag. Six white stripes broke the red field into seven red stripes - a total of 13 stripes.

According to accounts passed on by Betsy Ross and her descendents, in May of 1776 a secret committee of Congress consisting of George Washington, Robert Morris and George Ross met with her regarding sewing a flag. Ross, a seamstress known to Washington, sewed ruffles on his shirts. Washington showed her a rough design of a flag. While no one knows the exact origin of the first American flag, some historians believe it was designed by Congressman Francis Hopkinson. The initial design had six pointed stars. Ross suggested and demonstrated cutting a five pointed star. Impressed, the committee entrusted her with creating the flag.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed an act establishing an official flag for the new nation. This is the date we celebrate each year as Flag Day. The resolution ordered that "the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Since the resolution did not state how the stars were to be arranged, flag makers arranged them in different ways, among them; rows, in a half circle, and in a full circle. The one adopted was made by Betsy Ross and had the stars in a full circle.

It was first decreed that there should be a star and a stripe for each state, making thirteen of both since the states at the time had just been erected from the original thirteen colonies. Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts that changed the shape, design and arrangement of the flag and allowed stars and stripes to be added to reflect the admission of each new state.

The flag that waved over Fort McHenry when it was bombarded by the British on September 13-14, 1814, was a 15 star and 15 stripe flag. Two stripes and stars had been added to the original 13 on May 1, 1795. This flag became famous as The Star Spangled Banner. It was the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write a four verse poem titled “ Defence of Fort Henry” the first verse of which later was adopted as our national anthem in 1931.

When still more states joined the United States, it became evident that the flag would get to be an awkward shape if more and more stripes were added. Therefore, on April 4, 1818, Congress passed a law that restored the design back to the original 13 stripes. It also provided that a star be added to the blue field for each new state. The Flag of 1818 had the stripes reduced to 13. Five more stars had been added for a total of 20.

Today the flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with six white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies; the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the Flag represent the following: the red is for valor, zeal and fervency; the white for hope purity, cleanliness of life, and rectitude of conduct; the blue, the color of heaven, for reverence to God, loyalty, sincerity, justice and truth.

The star (an ancient symbol of India, Persia and Egypt) symbolized dominion and sovereignty, as well as lofty aspirations. The constellation of the stars within the union, one star for each state, is emblematic of our Federal Constitution, which reserves to the States their individual sovereignty except as to rights delegated by them to the Federal Government.

The name "Old Glory" was given to our National Flag August 10, 1831, by Captain William Driver, a shipmaster from Salem Massachusetts. As he was leaving on one of his voyages on the brig Charles Doggett, he unfurled a flag given to him by friends and as the ocean breeze caught the flag he exclaimed “Old Glory”. In 1892, the flag inspired James B. Upham and Francis Bellamy to write the "Pledge of Allegiance."
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While the Fourth of July is traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885 by BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher. He proposed and advocated observing June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'.

Star Spangled Banner	Besty Ross Flag