When was the current American flag made?

Question

Before or after 1806?

Answer 1

The man credited with designing the American flag is Robert Heft. He earned his place in history in 1958 while living with his grandparents in Ohio.

His updated 50-star flag was a class project later adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii was admitted to the union in 1959. Since Heft's flag was made public, he's been in all 50 state and 37 foreign countries, making hundreds of speeches and traveling more than 100,000 miles a year. Heft also has been the guest of nine U.S. presidents at the White House. Heft is the former eight-time mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, and has served as president of the state's Mayor's Association. During his career, Heft taught at Northwest State Community College, and also works as a real estate broker. Heft's stars-and-stripes flag has been the second longest serving design since the nation's founding.

As a 17-year-old high school junior, Heft found himself in need of a class project. His proposed flag idea was initially turned down by the teacher. He went ahead and finished his project, receiving a B minus for his efforts. Heft's teacher compromised and promised to deliver a better classroom grade if he could get the U.S. Congress to accept his flag. The rest is history.
Now retired, Heft spent 30 years as a teacher. He has served seven terms as Mayor of Napoleon, Ohio and 25 years as a real estate broker. Born in Saginaw, Michigan but raised in Ohio, Heft recently returned to his native city and is the Education Manager for the Saginaw County Junior Achievement. He is also active in Habitat for Humanity and the Lions Club.

Answer 2

The first national flag formally approved by the Continental Congress--on June 14, 1777--was the Stars and Stripes. The blue canton was to contain 13 stars, but the layout of the stars was left undefined, and several patterns are known. The currant flag with 50 white stars dates from July 4, 1960.

Answer 3

After 1806. The current flag has 50 stars, and the US only had 50 states in 1959, after Alaska and Hawaii became states.

Answer 4

we got our current American Flag in the late 1950's. i got a old 48 star american flag folded in a old chest in my basement. and my grandpa said that he bought that flag in 1943

Answer 5

millions

Answer 6

"American Flag" redirects here. For the song "American Flag" by Cat Power, see Moon Pix
The flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British crown and became the first states in the Union.[1] Nicknames for the flag include "the Stars and Stripes" and "Old Glory", with the latter nickname coined by Captain William Driver, a nineteenth century shipmaster.

Because of its symbolism, the starred blue canton is called the "union". This part of the national flag can stand alone as a maritime flag called the Union Jack[2] which served as the U.S. jack on warships from 1777 until 2002. It continues to be used as a jack by various federally-owned vessels, including those of the Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The United States flag is among the nation's most widely recognized and used symbols. Within the U.S. it is frequently displayed, not only on public buildings, but on private residences, as well as iconically in forms such as decals for car windows, and clothing ornaments such as badges and lapel pins. Throughout the world it is used in public discourse to refer to the U.S., both as a nation state, government, and set of policies, but also as an ideology and set of ideals.

Many understand the flag to represent the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights and perhaps most of all to be a symbol of individual and personal liberty as set forth in the Declaration of Independence. Through the Pledge of Allegiance and other political uses the flag has also come to be associated with U.S. nationalism, patriotism, and even militarism. The flag is a complex and contentious symbol, around which emotions run high.

In terms of the symbolism of the design itself, a book about the flag published by the Congress in 1977 states: "The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun."[3] George Washington is credited for saying: "We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty."[4]

Many people also take the red and white to stand for the blood of those who gave their lives for freedom, and the presumed purity of the freedom ideal, respectively.[citation needed]


[edit] Design

[edit] Specification
The design of the flag is specified by sections 1[5] and 2[6] of Title 4, United States Code (4 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2 (2004)). The specification gives the following values:

Hoist (width) of the flag: A = 1.0
Fly (length) of the flag: B = 1.9
Hoist (width) of the Union: C = 0.5385 (7/13, spanning seven stripes)
Fly (length) of the Union: D = 0.76 (1.9 × 2/5, two fifths of the flag length)
E = F = 0.0538 (C/10, One tenth the width of the Union)
G = H = 0.0633 (D/12, One twelfth the length of the Union)
Diameter of star: K = 0.0616
Width of stripe: L = 0.0769 (1/13)

[edit] Flag ratios
Note that the flag ratio (B in the diagram) is not absolutely fixed by law. Although the diagram in Executive Order 10834 gives a ratio of 1.9, earlier in the order is a list of flag sizes authorized for executive agencies. This list permits eleven specific flag sizes (specified by height and width) for such agencies: 20.00 × 38.00; 10.00 × 19.00; 8.95 × 17.00; 7.00 × 11.00; 5.00 × 9.50; 4.33 × 5.50; 3.50 × 6.65; 3.00 × 4.00; 3.00 × 5.70; 2.37 × 4.50; and 1.32 × 2.50. Eight of these sizes conform to the 1.9 ratio, within a small rounding error (less than 0.01). However three of the authorized sizes vary significantly: 1.57 (for 7.00 × 11.00), 1.27 (for 4.33 × 5.50) and 1.33 (for 3.00 × 4.00).


[edit] Colors
According to Flags of the World, the colors are specified by the General Services Administration "Federal Specification, Flag, National, United States of America and Flag, Union Jack," DDD-F-416E, dated November 27, 1981. It gives the colors by reference to "Standard Color Cards of America" maintained by the Color Association of the United States, Inc., as:

Old Glory Blue Old Glory Red White
Cable No. 70075 70180 70001
Pantone color[7] 281 193 Safe
RGB[8] #002868
(0,49,104) #BF0A30
(191,10,48)

According to the book, "Our Flag" published by the House of Representatives, "The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777." It goes on to say, on page 41 (page 47 of the PDF version)[9] that the colors of the Great Seal of the United States, when it was adopted in 1782, were defined thus: "White signifies Purity and Innocence; Red, Hardiness and Valor; Blue signifies Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice."[10]


[edit] Design of the union
When Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for Statehood, more than 1,500 designs were spontaneously submitted to President Dwight D. Eisenhower by Americans. Although some of them were 49-star versions, the vast majority were 50-star proposals. At least three, and probably more, of these designs were identical to the present design of the 50-star flag. These designs are in the Eisenhower Presidential Archives in Abilene, Kansas. Only a small fraction of them have ever been published.

One legend states the union of the current 50-star flag was designed by Robert G. Heft in 1958 while living with his grandparents in Ohio. He was 18 years old at the time and did the flag design as a class project. His mother was a seamstress, but refused to do any of the work for him. He originally received a B− for the project. After discussing the grade with his teacher, it was agreed (somewhat jokingly) that if the flag was accepted by Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft's flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii was admitted into the union in 1959.[11]

At the time, credit was given by the Executive Department to the U.S. Army Bureau of Heraldry for the design.
Decoration
Traditionally, the flag may be decorated with golden fringe surrounding the perimeter of the flag itself as long as it does not deface the flag proper. Ceremonial displays of the flag, such as those in parades or on indoor posts, often utilize fringe to enhance the beauty of the flag. The first recorded use of fringe on a flag dates from 1835, and the Army used it officially in 1895. No specific law governs the legality of fringe, but a 1925 opinion of the attorney general approves the use of fringe "...at the descretion of the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy...". The United States Institute of Heraldry also confirms that there are no implications of symbolism in the use of fringe.[12]


[edit] Flag etiquette
The United States Flag Code outlines certain guidelines for the use, display, and disposal of the flag. For example, the flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. (This tradition comes from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to King Edward VII: the American team captain Martin Sheridan refused, famously proclaiming that "this flag dips to no earthly king."[13])

Although the Flag Code is U.S. Federal law, there is no penalty for failure to comply with the Flag Code and it is not widely enforced—indeed, punitive enforcement would conflict with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Passage of the proposed Flag Desecration Amendment would overrule legal precedent that has been established in this area.


[edit] Folding the flag

Folding the U.S. flagThough not part of the official Flag Code, according to military custom flags should be folded into a triangular shape when not in use. This is said to invoke the image of the three-point hats popular during the American Revolutionary War. (The Philippines, a former American territory, also has this custom for folding its flag.) To properly fold the flag:

Begin by holding it waist-high with another person so that its surface is parallel to the ground.
Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely.
Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside.
Make a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open top edge of the flag. Starting the fold from the left side over to the right
Turn the outer end point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a second triangle.
The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in this manner. On the last fold, any remnant that does not neatly fold into a triangle (or in the case of exactly even folds, the last triangle) is tucked into the previous fold.
When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars should be visible.

[edit] Half-staff observation
Section 7m of the Flag Code reads:

The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff. The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President; 10 days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress. The flag shall be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.[citation needed]

[edit] Display
The flag is customarily flown year-round from most public buildings, and it is far from unusual to find private houses flying full-size flags. Some private use is year-round, but becomes widespread on civic holidays like Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Presidents' Day, Flag Day, and on Independence Day. On Memorial Day it is common to place small flags by war memorials and next to the graves of U.S. war veterans.

presidential proclamation, acts of Congress, and custom, American flags are displayed continuously at certain locations.

Replicas of the Star Spangled Banner Flag (15 stars, 15 stripes) are flown at two sites in Baltimore, Maryland: Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (Presidential Proclamation No. 2795, July 2, 1948) and Flag House Square (Public Law 83-319, approved March 26, 1954).
United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia (Presidential Proclamation No. 3418, June 12, 1961).
Lexington, Massachusetts Town Green (Public Law 89-335, approved November 8, 1965).
The White House, Washington, DC (Presidential Proclamation No. 4000, September 4, 1970).
Fifty U.S. Flags are displayed continuously at the Washington Monument, Washington, DC. (Presidential Proclamation No. 4064, July 6, 1971, effective July 4, 1971).
By order of Richard Nixon at United States Customs Service Ports of Entry that are continuously open (Presidential Proclamation No. 4131, May 5, 1972).
By Congressional decree, a Civil War era flag (for the year 1863) flies above Pennsylvania Hall (Old Dorm) at Gettysburg College. This building, occupied by both sides at various points of the Battle of Gettysburg, served as a lookout and battlefield hospital.
Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge NHP, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (Public Law 94-53, approved July 4, 1975).
Mount Slover limestone quarry (Colton Liberty Flag), in Colton, California (Act of Congress). First raised July 4, 1917.[1]
Washington Camp Ground, part of the former Middlebrook encampment, Bridgewater, New Jersey, Thirteen Star Flag, by Act of Congress.
By custom, at the Maryland home, birthplace, and grave of Francis Scott Key; at the Worcester, Massachusetts war memorial; at the plaza in Taos, New Mexico (since 1861); at the United States Capitol (since 1918); and at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota.
In addition, the American flag is presumed to be in continual display on the surface of the Earth's Moon, having been placed there by the astronauts of Apollo 11, Apollo 12, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17. It is possible that Apollo 11's flag was knocked down by the force of return to lunar orbit.

[edit] Particular days of display
The flag should be displayed especially these days:

January 1 - New Year's Day
January 20 - Inauguration Day
February 12 - Lincoln's Birthday
Third Monday in February - Washington's Birthday
Easter Sunday
Second Sunday in May - Mother's Day
Third Saturday in May - Armed Forces Day
Last Monday in May - Memorial Day (half-staff until noon)
June 14 - Flag Day
July 4 - Independence Day
First Monday in September - Labor Day
September 17 - Constitution Day
Second Monday in October - Columbus Day
October 27 - Navy Day
November 11 - Veterans Day
Fourth Thursday in November - Thanksgiving Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
and such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States; the birthdays of States (date of admission); and on State holidays.

[edit] History
It has been suggested that Timeline of the Flag of the United States be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)
The flag has been changed 26 times since the new, 13-state union adopted it. The 48-star version went unchanged for 47 years, the longest time the flag went unmodified. The current 50-star flag will match that record if it is still in use on July 4, 2007.


[edit] First flag

Grand Union Flag ("Continental Colors").
Flag of the British East India Company, 1707–1801At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, the United States had no official, national flag. Tradition assigns the role "first flag" role to the design commonly named the Grand Union Flag, contending it was raised first by General Washington's soldiers at Prospect Hill, at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, on New Year's Day 1776. This traditional account probably is mistaken, confusing the use of two different flags (the British Union Flag and a red, striped flag) at Prospect Hill as a combined, single flag.[14]

This flag is properly considered the de facto first naval ensign of the United States. It was first raised aboard Continental Navy Commodore Esek Hopkins' flagship Alfred on the Delaware River on December 3, 1775[15], possibly (according to his claim) by the ship's senior lieutenant John Paul Jones.

The origins of the design are unclear. It closely resembles the British East India Company (BEIC) flag of the same era, and an argument dating to Sir Charles Fawcett in 1937 holds that the BEIC flag indeed inspired the design.[16] However, the BEIC flag could have from 9 to 13 stripes, and was not allowed to be flown outside the Indian Ocean.[17] Both flags could have been easily constructed by adding white stripes to a British Red Ensign, a common flag throughout Britain and its colonies.


The Washington family coat of arms.Another theory holds that the red-and-white stripe—and later, stars-and-stripes—motif of the flag may have been based[citation needed] on the Washington family coat-of-arms, which consisted of a shield "argent, two bars gules, above, three mullets gules" (a white shield with two red bars below three red stars).

More likely it was based on a flag of the Sons of Liberty, one of which consisted of 13 red and white alternating horizontal stripes.


[edit] The Flag Resolution of 1777

13-star "Betsy Ross" flag
(original had all stars pointed outward, not upward)On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. A false tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June of 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment.[18]

The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement for the stars. The pictured flag shows the thirteen stars arranged in a circle, the so-called Betsy Ross flag. Although the Betsy Ross legend is not taken seriously by many historians, the design itself is the oldest version of any US flag to appear on any physical relic: it is historically referenced in contemporary battlefield paintings by John Trumbull and Charles Willson Peale, which depict the circular star arrangement. Popular designs at the time were varied and most were individually crafted rather than mass-produced. Given the scant archeological and written evidence, it is unknown which design was the most popular at that time.

The origin of the stars and stripes design is uncertain. A popular story credits Betsy Ross for sewing the first flag from a pencil sketch by George Washington who personally commissioned her for the job. However, no evidence for this theory exists beyond Ross' descendants' much later recollections of what she told her family. Another woman, Rebecca Young, has also been credited as having made the first flag by later generations of her family. Rebecca Young's daughter was Mary Pickersgill, who made the Star Spangled Banner Flag. Another popular theory is that the flag was designed by Francis Hopkinson. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime, when he sent a bill to Congress for his work. He asked for a "Quarter Cask of the Public Wine" as payment initially. The payment was not made, however, because it was determined he had already received a salary as a member of Congress. It should be noted that no one at the time contested his claim to have designed the flag.


[edit] Later flag acts

15-star, 15-stripe "Star-Spangled Banner" flag
48-star flag, will remain as having been the longest in use (1912–1959) of all versions until July 4, 2007
An Urban camouflaged American flag patch, as used by the U.S. Military.See also: Flag Acts (U.S.)
In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the union). For a time the flag was not changed when subsequent states were admitted, probably because it was thought that this would cause too much clutter. It was the 15-star, 15-stripe flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," now the national anthem.

On April 4, 1818, a plan was passed by Congress at the suggestion of U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C. Reid[19] in which the flag was changed to have 20 stars, with a new star to be added when each new state was admitted, but the number of stripes would remain at thirteen to honor the original colonies. The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4 (Independence Day) following admission of one or more new states. The most recent change, from 49 stars to 50, occurred in 1960 when the present design was chosen, after Hawaii gained statehood in August 1959. Before that, the admission of Alaska in January 1959 prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag.


[edit] First salute
The Netherlands were the first country to salute the Grand Union flag, when gun salutes by American ships were returned by officials on Dutch islands in the West Indies in late 1776: on St. Croix in October, and on St. Eustatius in November. (Though later, the better documented St. Eustatius incident involving the USS Andrew Doria is traditionally regarded as the "first salute".) France was the first country to salute the Stars and Stripes, when a fleet off the French mainland returned a gun salute by Captain John Paul Jones commanding the USS Ranger on February 14, 1778.[2]


[edit] Historical progression of designs
In the following table depicting the 27 various designs of the United States flag, the star patterns for each flag are merely the usual patterns, often associated with the United States Navy. With the exception of the 48-, 49-, and 50-star flags, as there was no official arrangement of the stars until the proclamation of the 48-star flag by President William Howard Taft on 29 October 1912. The exact colors of the flag were not standardized until 1934. (For alternate versions of the flag of the United States, see the Stars of the U.S. Flag page at the Flags of the World website.)

Further information: Territorial evolution of the United States
No. of
Stars Design States Represented
by New Stars Dates in Use Duration
in years
(months)
(0) n/a December 3, 1775[15]–June 14, 1777 1
(18 months)
13 Original 13 states June 14, 1777–May 1, 1795 18
(215 months)
15 Kentucky, Vermont May 1, 1795–July 3, 1818 23
(278 months)
20 Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Ohio, Tennessee July 4, 1818–July 3, 1819 1
(12 months)
21 Illinois July 4, 1819–July 3, 1820 1
(12 months)
23 Alabama, Maine July 4, 1820–July 3, 1822 2
(24 months)
24 Missouri July 4, 1822–July 3, 1836 14
(168 months)
25 Arkansas July 4, 1836–July 3, 1837 1
(12 months)
26 Michigan July 4, 1837–July 3, 1845 8
(96 months)
27 Florida July 4, 1845–July 3, 1846 1
(12 months)
28 Texas July 4, 1846–July 3, 1847 1
(12 months)
29 Iowa July 4, 1847–July 3, 1848 1
(12 months)
30 Wisconsin July 4, 1848–July 3, 1851 3
(36 months)
31 California July 4, 1851–July 3, 1858 7
(84 months)
32 Minnesota July 4, 1858–July 3, 1859 1
(12 months)
33 Oregon July 4, 1859–July 3, 1861 2
(24 months)
34 Kansas July 4, 1861–July 3, 1863 2
(24 months)
35 West Virginia July 4, 1863–July 3, 1865 2
(24 months)
36 Nevada July 4, 1865–July 3, 1867 2
(24 months)
37 Nebraska July 4, 1867–July 3, 1877 10
(120 months)
38 Colorado July 4, 1877–July 3, 1890 13
(156 months)
43 Idaho, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Washington July 4, 1890–July 3, 1891 1
(12 months)
44 Wyoming July 4, 1891–July 3, 1896 5
(60 months)
45 Utah July 4, 1896–July 3, 1908 12
(144 months)
46 Oklahoma July 4, 1908–July 3, 1912 4
(48 months)
48 Arizona, New Mexico July 4, 1912–July 3, 1959 47
(564 months)
49 Alaska July 4, 1959–July 3, 1960 1
(12 months)
50 Hawaii July 4, 1960–Present 46


[edit] Future of the flag

Proposed design for a 51-star flag in the event of an additional stateSee also: 51st state

51 star U.S. flag used by the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico in the event of Puerto Rican statehood.The United States Army Institute of Heraldry has plans for flags with up to 56 stars, using a similar staggered star arrangement should additional states accede. Moreover, there are continuing political movements favouring statehood in Puerto Rico, and in the District of Columbia.


[edit] Non-standard flags

Guilford Court House FlagA number of non-standard flags appeared in the early years of American independence. One example is the design approximated here, of a flag traditionally believed to have been carried by the American troops at the Battle of Guilford Court House in 1781. This is disputed by some other historians who think it dates to the nineteenth century. The original flag is at the North Carolina Historical Museum.


[edit] Places of continuous display