| On that historic day, the flag of the United States of | | | | would be arranged and all flags must agree with the |
| America came into existence and this form remains | | | | Presidential proclamation. New states were constantly |
| unchanged to the present day. Just who designed the | | | | being admitted to the Union and the United States had |
| first flag or who made it is a question still debated by | | | | thirteen national flags between 1817 and 1861. During |
| historians. Some believe that Betsy Ross designed the | | | | the Civil War, we had another two flags with the |
| first flag, although claims have also been made that | | | | admission of Kansas and West Virginia. Union troops |
| Francis Hopkinson, a Congressman, designed and | | | | fought under a 33-star flag during the first three |
| made the first flag. Historical records do show that | | | | months of the war; a 34-star flag until 1863; and a |
| Betsy Ross made flags for the government in 1777, | | | | 35-star flag until the end of the war. President Lincoln |
| but whether she made the first United States flag will | | | | refused to take out the stars of the southern states |
| probably always remain in doubt. In 1782, the Congress | | | | which had seceded. After the war had ended, the |
| of the confederation reaffirmed the choice of the | | | | nation began to move west. Nebraska joined the Union |
| Continental Congress by stating that the national seal | | | | in 1867; followed in 1877 by Colorado; 1890 by North |
| and the flag would remain red, white and blue. Deeper | | | | Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington and |
| meaning was also given to the flag and its design. The | | | | Idaho; 1891 by Wyoming; 1896 by Utah; and 1908 by |
| thirteen original states would always be represented | | | | Oklahoma. During this period of transition in the country, |
| by the seven red stripes and the six white ones. | | | | we had six more national flags. The twenty-third flag, |
| However, they left open the question of how the stars | | | | adopted in 1896, was the flag that we fought under |
| on the blue union would be arranged. In 1777, Congress | | | | during the Spanish-American War in 1898. In 1912, |
| had not specified any particular design for the | | | | Arizona and New Mexico were admitted to the Union |
| arrangement of the stars and some flags had thirteen | | | | and thus the United States needed another new flag. |
| stars in a circle. Others had twelve in a circle with the | | | | This was the twenty-fifth flag, adopted in 1912, and |
| thirteenth in the center. By 1782 though, almost all the | | | | which lasted until 1959. The total of 47 years that this |
| national flags had the thirteen stars in a circle. In 1794, | | | | flag flew over the nation represents the longest period |
| Vermont and Kentucky were admitted to the Union | | | | of duration of any one flag of the United States. This |
| bringing the number of states to fifteen. Congress | | | | flag was carried to the battlefields of World War I and |
| ordered that all new flags would carry fifteen stars | | | | World War II, as well as the Korean War. In 1959, |
| and fifteen stripes, and that a star and a stripe would | | | | Alaska was admitted as the 49th state of the Union. |
| be added as each new state joined the Union. This | | | | The 49-star flag, adopted in 1959, was raised at 12:01 |
| would later prove to be too cumbersome and would | | | | a.m. on July 4th, 1959, over Ft. McHenry to signal the |
| soon be abandoned. This flag, with its fifteen stars and | | | | official admittance of Alaska. This flag lasted but a |
| fifteen stripes, is the flag Americans carried in the War | | | | short while for on July 4th, 1960, the United States |
| of 1812. By 1817, The Union was expanded by five | | | | raised the present 50-star flag signaling the admission |
| more states: Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana and | | | | of Hawaii as our 50th and last state. To date, we |
| Mississippi. This expansion meant a new flag. Samuel | | | | have had twenty-seven national flags, and they have |
| C. Reid, a navy captain, redesigned the flag using the | | | | all flown in glory over this great nation, the United |
| original thirteen stripes and adding a star for each of | | | | States.27 Flags of the United States1st US Flag |
| the twenty states. This idea was proposed to | | | | 1777-1795 |
| Congress by Peter Wendover, a representative from | | | | The Betsy Ross Flag. To this day, the actual maker |
| New York. It was passed as the New Flag Act, and | | | | of this flag remains unknown. This almost casually |
| the date was set as July 4th next after a new state | | | | constructed national emblem incorporated the |
| had been admitted to the Union as the day on which a | | | | unchanging design of thirteen stripes with a |
| new flag would be flown. Congress again left open the | | | | thirteen-star union. Although this claim is seriously in |
| question of how the stars might be arranged, so the | | | | doubt, Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, is said to |
| design was left to individual flag makers. In later years, | | | | have made the first American flag. This claim was first |
| the President has usually proclaimed how the stars | | | | made by William J. Canby, her grandson, in 1870. |