The Stars and Stripes, Forever

Why the flag endures

Since a Philadelphia seamstress created the first American flag almost 250 years ago, the “Stars and Stripes” have symbolized the hopes of a young democracy and rallied Americans behind their shared desires to protect their freedom.

“It symbolizes America,” says Peter Keim of the National Flag Foundation. “It’s unwavering as it waves. There it was at Fort McHenry, and it’s still waving today.”

The flag’s design has changed over two and a half centuries — as new states became a part of the union — but its stars-and-stripes motif has stayed.

Take a look at moments when the American flag inspired many, at home and abroad, through challenging times and moments of victory.

A five-point star and the flag’s origin

Legend has it that General George Washington, whose shirt ruffles Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross had previously embroidered, approached her in June 1776 to sew a flag based on a sketch he provided. Her innovation was the inclusion of a five-pointed star instead of the six-pointed star that Washington had requested. The 13 five-pointed stars and the 13 alternating red-and-white stripes represented America’s original 13 colonies.

Historians believe this story is mostly fictionalized, but it reminds Americans of the country’s humble origins. The first-recorded design for the flag comes from a 1777 congressional resolution, which states that the design should include 13 stars set against a blue background and 13 alternating red-and-white stripes.

Even so, the story of Betsy Ross lives on for most Americans.

“The Star-Spangled Banner”

During the War of 1812, Major George Armistead commissioned Mary Pickersgill to sew a flag for Fort McHenry in Baltimore. It was to be 30-feet-by-42-feet, large enough for the British Navy to see from far away. If British seamen arrived in the harbor (a desirable entry point for an invading force), they would know it remained under U.S. command.

It was a prescient decision. In September 1814, as the Battle of Baltimore unfolded, the British Navy bombed the city to try to gain entry. Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, watched the battle from the deck of a British ship where he was rescuing his imprisoned client. When Key saw the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry, he knew the city had not surrendered. He was so moved, he wrote a poem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” on the back of a letter he was carrying. The poem was put to music and became America’s official national anthem in 1931.

The flag that flew over Fort McHenry bears 15 stars and stripes for the states that were part of the country in 1795, the year when the second U.S. flag was designed. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington displays the Fort McHenry flag.

Carrying the flag under fire

During the Civil War, one of the most dangerous jobs was to be a flag carrier on the field of battle, since it put a target on soldiers’ backs. Union soldiers fought bravely and carried the flag anyway, risking life and limb for their cause. Throughout the war, the Union Army carried editions of the American flag — such as the 1861 version above — that included representations for the Confederate states that had seceded.

The first Americans at the North Pole

TThere is debate today about who was the first explorer to reach the North Pole. In 1909, U.S. Navy engineer Robert Peary and his companion Matthew Henson claimed they reached it with a team of four others. But Peary’s rival, Frederick Cook, also claimed to have been first. The issue became so contested that a congressional committee officially ruled, in 1911, that Peary presented convincing evidence to support his claim.

Historians would later question the evidence — they say Peary likely missed the true pole by about 30 miles — but Peary and his team are revered for being first to raise the American flag that far north. The Peary expedition carried an 1896 flag of 45 stars, which the United States issued when Utah became a state.

Tenacity at Iwo Jima

A World War II photograph of six U.S. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima symbolizes determination and victory and is considered by Americans to be one of the most iconic war images of all time. Marines planted the American flag on Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima — a strategic Japanese island that Allied forces fought long and hard to take during World War II. But while the Marines celebrated the sight of the flag, they took fire from the last Japanese forces still hiding on the island.

Afterward, the Marines were able to raise a second, bigger flag. Photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the moment, and the rest is history. The flag at Iwo Jima is the 1912 version, which includes 48 stars, since Alaska and Hawaii were U.S. territories but not states yet.

The first flag on the moon

The 1960-version of the American flag has been a part of several iconic moments. This flag contains 50 stars and 13 stripes and was designed when Hawaii and Alaska entered the union over 65 years ago. It is the flag most Americans fly today.

When American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in 1969, they were the first humans to walk on its surface. And the American flag they they planted was the first flag to fly on the lunar surface.

Honoring those we lost on 9/11

On September 11, 2001, after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia, and crashed a plane in rural Pennsylvania, the world rallied behind the United States. Like Americans, people around the world flew American flags along their streets to show support for the victims.

Celebrating Olympic victories

From the 1908 Olympics to today, nations have chosen competitors based on athletic achievement or Olympic spirit to carry their flag in opening and closing ceremonies. Sixty seven times, a U.S. flagbearer has walked proudly into a venue leading U.S. teams.

And after success in their Olympic events, American athletes typically hoist the flag to honor their country. In 1980, when an underdog U.S. men's ice hockey team upset the Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York, the U.S. players skated victoriously around the rink, waving the Stars and Stripes.

At medal ceremonies, the U.S. athletes also unfurl an American flag and drape it across their shoulders, showing pride of country as they celebrate their achievement.

What does the flag mean to you?

In a recent executive order, President Trump refers to the Stars and Stripes as “our great American Flag ... the most sacred and cherished symbol of the United States of America, and of American freedom, identity, and strength.”

What does the flag mean to you?

Follow the State Department and the White House for more Freedom 250 content ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday.