What kind of flags

On land, it was popularised by Brigadier General Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina, who may well have designed it. Along with the Bald Eagle, the rattlesnake was a symbol of the American colonies: its rattle has thirteen layers, one for each of the original United States.

Writing for the Pennsylvania Gazette in , Benjamin Franklin suggested that in retaliation against Britain sending convicted criminals to America, America would return the favour with rattlesnakes. Eclipsed by the Stars and Stripes, the Gadsden Flag has regained popularity recently with libertarian groups — notably the Tea Party — alongside US soccer supporter groups. In those early days when the US flag had yet to be established, many featured red, white and blue stripes.

In battle, the ensign of the British ship had been blown away. When Jones sailed her, flagless and in need of repair, into the island port of Texel, run by the neutral Dutch United Provinces, British officials declared the Serapis a pirate ship.

This was a dangerous moment for Jones. The original sketch survives in Dutch records. The Star Spangled Banner. This enormous flag, measuring 42ft by 30ft 13m by 9m , flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Curiously, perhaps, this most famous of US flags — on display in the Museum of American History, Washington DC today — boasts 15 rather than 13 stripes, while the anthem it encouraged is sung to a British melody composed by John Stafford Smith, organist of the Chapel Royal, London.

Confederate Navy Flag By , the US flag was very much what is today. Something, though, was about to threaten the very identity of the United States. This, of course, was the American Civil War Where the Union states flew the Stars and Stripes, the Confederate states raised a number of distinctive flags adorned with 13 stars of their own set in circles or, more recognisably today, within a blue saltire cross on a red background.

The Southern Cross is a reminder of how the course of US history might have been very different. The complete code used to generate this data, which uses Mathematica 10 , is available on the Wolfram Cloud.

After downloading the flag images from Flagpedia. This yielded different shades across That reduced the number of distinct shades from to That red star in the upper left represents Texas. This was in acknowledgment of the struggle between Texas, California, and Mexico around the time of the Mexican American War. That conflict created a comradery between the two states.

Colorado did not adopt its current flag until The color red represents Earth. The blue is for the sky. The white is for the snowy mountains. And finally, the yellow disc is for the sun. Middle America was once controlled and ruled by France. Not a bad deal! State flags are chock-full of amazing stories and unique designs. Many are deceptively simple but carry heavy symbolic weight.

An important reason why we have state flags is to show that each one is sovereign and can govern itself for the most part. The beautiful thing about modern American culture is the sheer amount of flags there are that support groups and ideas. Many flags today, however, have been around for a long time, but their meanings have changed. Flags are not just for states, military branches, or the country as a whole anymore.

The Continental Marines used it as a motto flag in the Revolutionary War. Many groups fly it today, but it is commonly associated with the desire for limited government.

Today, there are many variations of the American flag colored black and white while one of the stripes is colored. The flag with a red line is in support of firefighters. The black and white American flag with a green stripe represents the support for the military but doesn't signify a particular branch. When it comes to civilian flags, there are just too many to count.

Some are in support of civil rights, and others are flown simply for their novelty. The popularity of flags means more than just representation of groups or places; flags are a means of expression and freedoms we have as Americans.

We are a diverse set of groups with our own environments, history, and cultures. Our military flags are deeply rooted in honor and patriotism because of the sacrifices people have made for them.

Our state flags are instrumental in telling the story of our formation as a nation. The American flag is the highest flown flag for a reason, though.

As diverse of a people we are, we all believe in the values and unity the American flag represents. Army Center of Military History. Flags of Old What is considered to be the first American flag?