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On January 1, 1776, the Continental Army came under the control of George Washington. In May of that year, Betsy Ross sewed the first American Flag, consisting of 13 stripes, alternating in colors of red and white. George Washington had it hoisted at Prospect Hill. She was a struggling seamstress who knew George and Martha Washington from Church. George Washington showed her the layout, which included stars with 6 points. She cut out a star with 5 points, and George Washington is said to have liked it and went with the design.

The first flag act was passed in 1977. Congress declared that the official flag of the United States would have 13 stripes, alternating red and white. It would also have 13 white stars on a blue background to represent each of the states in the Union. The stars each had 5 points, and were designed in a circle, representing the unity of the states. This flag act was updated several times through 1960. Congress added to it each time new states joined the Union. (more…)

While types and colors of flags vary by country and organization, there are some universal rules for properly displaying flags. It is customary to only display the flag from sunrise to sundown. When flying a flag at half-mast, it should first be taken all the way to the top, and then slowly lowered to half-mast. This is usually done to represent a time of mourning, a death, war, or other similar issue. Flags in the United States were at half-mast after the terrorist attacks of 09/11.

The flag of the country should be dominate where a display has more than one flag. For example, a display with a state flag and the United States flag should have the United States flag flown higher than the state flag. The country flag should always be hoisted first and lowered last out of respect. When flags are at half-mast, the country flag should be flown at half, with the state flag slightly lower. (more…)

Flags have been used for various reasons for over 4,000 years. Wooden poles were hand carved to display the flag on. The poles were later made of metal. A decoration is sometimes added to the tip of a flag pole, called a finial.

Flag poles today continue to be made of wood or metal. In addition, some are made of fiberglass. The flag pole is generally erected very high so that the flag can be seen waving freely in the sky for all to see. Flag poles vary is height from 10 feet to 80 feet on average. At a height of 525 feet, the flag pole in Gijeon-dong, North Korea, is the highest in the world. On a similar note, the largest flag in the world is in Basilia, Brazil. It weighs 1,300 pounds! A flag is raised onto the flagpole by the use of a pulley. Proper flag displaying is to raise the flag at sunrise and lower it at sunset. Flag poles should be securely cemented into the ground. (more…)

Each of the 50 states that make up the United States has their own state flag. While they are all united under the American Flag, the individual flags represent their own ideals as well as freedom and individual rights. Every state also has a song, state bird, and state flower. Each state flag has a unique design.

Alabama and Florida have very similar state flags. Both are white with a big red X across it. Florida’s also has an emblem in the middle while Alabama’s is white. Georgia, Mississippi, Hawaii, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas all have flags that are a variation of the America flag. The colors are a combination of red, white, and blue. Several of them have stripes as well. (more…)

The first known flags were those used around 3,000 B.C. in Ancient Greece and Egypt. They were called vexilloids. Today we call vexillology the study of flags. These first flags were carvings on top of metal or wooden poles. It wasn’t until 2,000 years ago that the idea to use material with a design on top of the pole was introduced. Flags are used to give a message, represent your organization, and celebrate events.

Today, a flag is described as a colored fabric that symbolizes something or that sends a signal. In medieval times, Knights carried flags to easily tell their friends from their enemies because they all looked alike in their armor. Most everyone is familiar with surrender flag, a plain white flag waived to indicate to your enemy that you give up. (more…)