What Do the Red & White Stripes Mean on the U.S. Flag?
The American flag is a distinctive symbol. Many people ascribe significance to its different aspects, but not all the aspects actually have meaning.
Other People Are Reading
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The Stars and Stripes
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The 13 stripes of the U.S. flag do have meaning. They represent the 13 original colonies of the United States of America. The 50 stars represent each of the 50 states.
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The Colors
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The first Flag Act, passed in 1777, stated that the flag would comprise 13 alternating red and white stripes, with 13 stars in a blue field. However, the Founding Fathers attached no special meaning to the colors of the flag.
The Confusion
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On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of a national emblem for the United States. When it became a reality in 1782, the Great Seal took its colors from the American flag. As a heraldic symbol, every aspect of the seal had meaning, including the colors.
According to Congress
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The publication, "Our Flag," printed as a Senate document in 2006, tells of Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress in 1782 and designer of the Great Seal. In describing the seal to Congress, he stated: "The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."
The Upshot
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The traits applied by Charles Thompson to the red, white and blue colors of the Great Seal of the United States are now also commonly associated with the American flag.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit "Patriotic Old Worn Waving American Flag, Ragged Old Flag, Stars & Stripes, Old Glory, Red White & Blue, Blowing in the Wind" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: BL1961 (Beverly) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
