Finally! Secrets Behind Old Glory Revealed

If you are an American and grew up attending* The Field - Blue for vigilance, perseverance and
school in the United States, you were taught thejustice
lesson of how Betsy Ross sewed together the* The Star - "...a symbol of the heavens and the
first American flag in 1776. But how many recalldivine goal to which man has aspired from time
exactly what the stripes, the stars and the colorsimmemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of
represent?light emanating from the sun."
Believe it or not, the colors red, white, and blueIn 1777, the number of stripes was
didn't have any significance when the flag wascongressionally mandated to stand at thirteen to
adopted in 1777. The Continental Congressrepresent the original thirteen colonies, however,
actually passed a resolution on July 4, 1776 whichdesigns throughout America still varied greatly. A
authorized a committee to come up with a sealhero of the War of 1812 and Naval Officer named
for the United States of America. ThatSamuel Chester Reid got together with New York
committee was instructed to create a design thatCongressman Peter H. Wendover in 1818 and
reflected the Founding Fathers' beliefs of valuesinitiated a bill to establish uniformity for the design
and independence for the new Nation. It wasn'tof the American flag. Samuel Reid was the person
until the seal was completed and approved onwho actually suggested that stars be added as
June 20, 1782 that the national colors and symbolsnew states were admitted into the Union. That bill
on the American flag had any defined meaning.was passed on April 4, 1818.
The explanation for the flag's design, taken fromOver the years, there have been twenty-seven
a book written by the House of Representativesversions of the flag. The current design dates to
during that time, is as follows:July 4, 1960, when Hawaii became the United
* The Stripes - White to denote purity andStates of America's 50th state.
innocence - Red to represent hardiness and valor