The flag of the United States of America features seven red and six white horizontal stripes, complemented by a blue canton with 50 five-pointed white stars. These stripes represent the initial period of the history of the US flag - what is the meaning of the stars on its flag?
Meaning of symbols on the flag
Each of the 13 stripes, along with one star, depicted on the flag of America, corresponds to each state in the country for the period when there were 13 states (1775-1783). 13 stripes mean 13 colonies, from which an independent state was subsequently formed. The stars on the American flag, which symbolize the current number of states (50), are deciphered in a similar way. The red color on the flag embodies valor and endurance, white - purity and innocence, and dark blue - diligence and justice.
When the United States signed the Declaration of Independence, it did not yet have its own national flag.
Americans celebrate Flag Day on June 14th. This holiday was officially established in 1777, when Congress issued a decree approving the Stars and Stripes flag as a symbol of the state. Although Flag Day is not a public holiday, it has been celebrated annually since the second half of the 19th century. The first national flag is traditionally considered the flag of the Great Union, which George Washington used in the struggle for independence and which became the basis for the design of the official flag of the United States of America.
Stripes and stars
According to the commemorative founding resolution of the Congress, 13 alternating white and red stripes, as well as 13 stars in the blue canton, symbolized a new constellation on the world map of states. On the first American flag, these symbols represented the number of states that fought the British for their independence from their crown. The design of the flag reflected all the ideals of the founders of the United States, and the endless star circle personified the symbol of equality that all American states possessed.
In fact, the Americans abandoned the aristocracy and the king, despite the fact that at that time the United States had no single religion, no common language, no dominant race.
Residents of the United States of America like to emphasize that the American flag belongs to them, not the government of the country, and that they are united by the same principles. The star-striped cloth can be seen everywhere - they take oaths of allegiance to it, devote songs and holidays, and also carry out various solemn rituals under its shadow. Since the flag was adopted by the 13 colonies of the United States, its design has changed 26 times. The design with 48 white stars lasted the longest, which was replaced by today's 50-star flag.
