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Flag of the Philippines - Wikipedia

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(Top)

1Design

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1.1Construction

1.2Color

1.3Symbolism

2History

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2.1Historical flags of the Philippine Revolution

2.2Current flag

3Chronology

4Proposals

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4.1Ninth ray for the flag's sun

4.1.1As representative of a ninth province

4.1.2As representative of an ethnic group

4.2Fourth star

4.3Crescent moon

5Usage

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5.1Display

5.1.1Permanent display

5.1.1.1Original named sites

5.1.1.2Additional sites

5.1.2Half-mast

5.1.3In wakes and burials

5.1.4As a war ensign

5.2Subdivision insignia

5.3In intellectual property

5.4Prohibited acts

6Relevant customs

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6.1Pledge

6.2Flag anthem

6.3National Flag Day

7See also

8Notes

9References

10External links

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Flag of the Philippines

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National flag of the Philippines

National flag of the PhilippinesPambansang Watawat (lit. 'National Flag')UseNational flag and ensign Proportion1:2AdoptedJune 12, 1898; 125 years ago (1898-06-12) (original version used by the First Philippine Republic)1936; 88 years ago (1936) (current pattern standard)February 12, 1998; 26 years ago (1998-02-12) (current version reaffirmed by Republic Act No. 8491)DesignA horizontal bicolor of blue and red with a white equilateral triangle based at the hoist containing three, five-pointed gold stars at its vertices, and an eight-rayed gold sun at its center.[a]Designed byEmilio Aguinaldo

UseWar flag Proportion1:2DesignAs above, with the blue and red stripes switched to indicate a state of war.

The national flag of the Philippines (Filipino: pambansang watawat ng Pilipinas) is a horizontal bicolor flag with equal bands of royal blue and crimson red, with a white, equilateral triangle at the hoist. In the center of the triangle is a golden-yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing a province.[a] At each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed, golden-yellow star, each of which representing one of the country's three main island groups—Luzon, Visayas (though originally referring to the island of Panay),[b] and Mindanao. The white triangle at the hoist represents liberty, equality, and fraternity. A unique feature of this flag is its usage to indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top, which is effectively achieved by flipping the flag upside-down.[17]

Design[edit]

Construction[edit]

The flag's length is twice its width, giving it an aspect ratio of 1:2. The length of all the sides of the white triangle are equal to the width of the flag. Each star is oriented in such manner that one of its tips points towards the vertex at which it is located.[18] Moreover, the gap-angle between two neighbors of the 8 ray-bundles is as large as the angle of one ray-bundle (so 22.5°), with each major ray having double the thickness of its two minor rays.[19] The golden sun is not exactly in the center of the triangle but shifted slightly to the right.[20]

Construction sheet of the Philippine flag.

Color[edit]

Changes to the shade of light blue of the Philippine flag from left to right: Azul Oscuro (1898); National Flag Blue (1955); dark Blue (1985); National Flag Blue (1986); and white Blue (1998)

Changes to the shade of light red of the Philippine flag

The shade of blue used in the flag has varied over time, beginning with the original color described as azul oscuro (Spanish, "dark blue"). The exact nature of this shade is debated, but a likely candidate is the blue on which a theory says influenced the Philippine flag's design.[21] The colors of the flag were first standardized by President Ramón Magsaysay, upon the recommendation of the Philippine Historical Committee (PHC) dated January 24, 1955.[22] Specifically, the colors adopted were Old Glory Red (Cable No. 70180), National Flag Blue (Cable No. 70077), Spanish Yellow (Cable No. 70068), and White (70001) by the Reference Guide of the Textile Color Card Association of the United States.[23] In 1985, President Ferdinand E. Marcos through Executive Order No. 1010, s. 1985 instructed the National Historical Institute "to take the necessary steps to restore the original color of the First Philippine Flag". In late May, the NHI adopted Oriental Blue (Cable No. 80176) for the new national flag, but this was later rescinded by President Corazon C. Aquino after the 1986 People Power Revolution that removed him from power in favor of pre-1985 National Flag Blue.[23] For the 1998 centennial celebration of Philippine independence, the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (Republic Act. 8491, s. 1998) was passed, designating Royal Blue (Cable No. 80173) as the official variant to be used from 1998 to present.[24]

The flag's colors are specified and codified under Republic Act 8491, s. 1998 signed on February 12, 1998, in terms of their cable number in the system developed by the Color Association of the United States.[18][25] The official colors and their approximations in other color spaces are listed below:[26]

Scheme

Blue

Crimson red

White

Gold

Cable No.[18]

80173

80108

80001

80068

Pantone[26]

286C

193C

122C

RGB

0-56-168

206-17-38

255-255-255

252-209-22

CMYK

C99-M80-Y0-K0

C12-M100-Y87-K3

C0-M0-Y0-K0

C2-M17-Y91-K0

HEX

#0038A8

#CE1126

#FFFFFF

#FCD116

Symbolism[edit]

Official design of the eight-ray sun

(3.75°-spacing)An erroneous design of the sun

(5°-spacing)

In the 1850s, both Manila and Iloilo, the islands' largest ports, had maritime flags used for navigation in the Philippine seas. Both maritime flags were swallowtail flags with red and blue stripes, respectively, which are now both part of the Philippine flag.[27] The Philippine national flag has a rectangular design that consists of a white equilateral triangle, symbolizing liberty, equality and fraternity; a horizontal blue stripe for peace, truth, and justice; and a horizontal red stripe for patriotism and valor. In the center of the white triangle is an eight-rayed golden sun symbolizing unity, freedom, people's democracy, and sovereignty. Each ray represents a province with significant involvement in the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain; these provinces are Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Morong (modern-day province of Rizal), Laguna, Batangas, and Nueva Ecija (some sources specify other provinces as alternatives to some of these[a]).[8][9] However, according to the Declaration of Independence and a research by Ateneo de Manila University Professor Ambeth Ocampo, the rays of the sun symbolized the first eight provinces of the Philippines which was declared under martial law during the Philippine Revolution (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac).[28] Three five-pointed stars, one at each of the triangle's points, stand for the three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas (originally referring to Panay Island) and Mindanao.[29]

The flag's original symbolism is enumerated in the text of the independence proclamation, which makes reference to an attached drawing, though no record of the drawing has surfaced.[30] The proclamation explains the flag as follows:

And finally it was resolved unanimously that this Nation, already independent from today should use the same flag which it has used, whose shape and colors are described in the attached drawing rendering realistically the three aforementioned forces representing the white triangle as the distinctive symbol of the famed Society of the Katipunan, which through the blood compact impelled the masses to rise in revolt; the three stars representing the three principal islands of this Archipelago — Luzon, Mindanao, and Panay (Visayas) in which the revolutionary movement broke out; the sun indicating the gigantic steps taken by the children of this country on the road to progress and civilization; the eight rays symbolizing the eight provinces of the Philippines,[a] and the colors of blue, red and white commemorating the flag of the United States of North America as a manifestation of our profound gratitude towards this Great Nation for its disinterested protection which it lends us, and continues to lend us. And, carrying this flag, I unfurl it before the gentlemen assembled here—[List of names of the delegates]—and we all solemnly swear to acknowledge and defend it to the last drop of our blood.

The symbolism given in the 1898 Proclamation of Philippine Independence differs from the current official explanation. According to the document, the white triangle signifies the emblem of the Katipunan, the secret society that opposed Spanish rule. It says the flag's colors commemorate the flag of the United States as a manifestation of gratitude for American aid against the Spanish during the Philippine Revolution. It also says that one of the three stars represents the island of Panay, which recent historical interpretations say was "representative of the entire Visayas region".[29][31]

History[edit]

Historical flags of the Philippine Revolution[edit]

Nine of the Katipunan flags often erroneously cited as part of the "Evolution of the Philippine Flag" series

See also: Flags of the Philippine Revolution and Evolution of the Philippine Flag

It has been common since the 1960s to trace the development of the Philippine flag to the various war standards of the individual leaders of the Katipunan, a pseudo-masonic revolutionary movement that opposed Spanish rule in the Philippines and led the Philippine Revolution.[30] However, while some symbols common to the Katipunan flags would be adopted into the iconography of the Revolution, it is inconclusive whether these war standards can be considered precursors to the present Philippine flag.[30]

The first flag of the Katipunan was a red rectangular flag with a horizontal alignment of three white Ks (an acronym for the Katipunan's full name, Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan – Supreme and Venerable Society of the Sons of the Nation). The flag's red field symbolized blood, as members of the Katipunan signed their membership papers in their own blood.[30]

The various leaders of the Katipunan, such as Andrés Bonifacio, Mariano Llanera, and Pío del Pilar, also had individual war standards.

Current flag[edit]

President Emilio Aguinaldo conceived the Philippine national flag.

History of the Modern Philippine Flag

The Philippine national flag was designed by Emilio Aguinaldo.[32][33][34] It was first displayed in the Battle of Alapan on May 28, 1898, after the Spaniards were defeated and surrendered to Aguinaldo.[35]

Flag of the Philippines at the Philippine International Convention Center

The flag was formally unfurled during the proclamation of independence on June 12, 1898, in Kawit, Cavite.[36] However, a Manila Times article by Augusto de Viana, Chief History Researcher, National Historical Institute, mentions assertions in history textbooks and commemorative rites that the flag was first raised in Alapan, Imus, Cavite, on May 28, 1898, citing Presidential Proclamation No. 374, issued by President Diosdado Macapagal on March 6, 1965.[37] The article goes on to claim that historical records indicate that the first display of the Philippine flag took place in Cavite City, when General Aguinaldo displayed it during the first fight of the Philippine Revolution.

The elements making up the Philippine Flag and its subsequent meanings The original design of the flag adopted a mythical sun with a face influenced by The Republics of the Rio de la Plata, Argentina and Uruguay, which in turn represent Inti the Incan Sun-god; a triangle, representing the Katipunan which inspired by the Eye of Providence in the Great Seal of the United States and the Masonic Triangle and which enshrined Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité of the French Revolution; the stripes and colors derived from the American flag.[38] The particular shade of blue of the original flag has been a source of controversy. Based on anecdotal evidence and the few surviving flags from the era, historians argue that the colors of the original flag was influenced by the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico.[30]

During the session of the Malolos Congress, Aguinaldo presented the symbolism of the official flag to the members, delegates and representatives of the assembly as follows:[39]

The Flag bears three colors, three stars, and a sun, the meaning of which are as follows: the red is symbolic of Filipino courage which is second to none, and was the color used during the war in the province of Cavite since the 31st of August 1896, until the Peace of Biak-na-Bato [in 1897]; the blue carries an allegorical meaning that all Filipinos will prefer to die before submitting ourselves to the invader, whoever he may be; the white conveys the idea that, like other nations, the Filipinos know how to govern themselves, and that they do not recede from observation of foreign powers. The sun and its rays stirred up Filipinos and spread the light over their world, piercing the clouds that enshrouded it; it is now the light which brightens every spot in the Philippine islands, and under its influence the Itas, Igorots, Manguians, and Moros, all of whom I believe were made in the image of God, and whom I recognize as our brethren, now come down from the mountains to join with us.

The original flag that was first hoisted on May 28, 1898, and unfurled during the Declaration of independence on June 12, 1898, is being preserved at the Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Museum in Baguio. There were plans to restore the flag by replacing the worn-out portion but the idea was abandoned because matching threads could not be found. The flag is more elaborate than the flag which is currently in use. It bears the embroidered words, Libertad, Justicia and Igualdad (Liberty, Justice, and Equality) on one side of the flag and Fuerzas Expedicionarias del Norte de Luzon (Expeditionary forces of Northern Luzon) on the other[40]

Hostilities broke out between the Philippines and the United States in 1899. The flag was first flown with the red field up on February 4, 1899, to show that a state of war existed. Aguinaldo was captured by the Americans two years later, and swore allegiance to the United States.

The detail of Fernando Amorsolo's The Making of the Philippine flag depicting Agoncillo and company's manual sewing

With the defeat of the Philippine Republic, the Philippines was placed under American occupation and the display of the Philippine flag and other flags and banners associated with the Katipunan were declared illegal by the Flag Act of 1907. This law was repealed on October 24, 1919.[41] With the legalization of display of the Philippine flag, the cloth available in most stores was the red and blue of the flag of the United States, so the flag from 1919 onwards adopted the "National Flag blue" color. On March 26, 1920, the Philippine Legislature passed Act. No 2928 on March 26, 1920, which legally adopted the Philippine flag as the official flag of the Philippine Islands.[41] Up until the eve of World War II, Flag Day was celebrated on annually on October 30, commemorating the date the ban on the flag was lifted.

The Commonwealth of the Philippines was inaugurated in 1935. On March 25, 1936, President Manuel L. Quezon issued Executive Order No. 23 which provided for the technical description and specifications of the flag.[30] Among the provisions of the order was the definition of the triangle at the hoist as an equilateral triangle, the definition of the aspect ratio at 1:2, the precise angles of the stars, the geometric and aesthetic design of the sun, and the formal elimination of the mythical face on the sun. The exact shades of colors, however, were not precisely defined. These specifications have remained unchanged and in effect to the present. In 1941, Flag Day was officially moved to June 12, commemorating the date that Philippine independence was proclaimed in 1898.

The flag was once again banned with the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Philippines beginning in December 1941, to be hoisted again with the establishment of the Second Republic of the Philippines, a puppet state of Japan. In ceremonies held in October 1943, Emilio Aguinaldo hoisted the flag with the original Cuban blue and red colors restored. The flag was initially flown with the blue stripe up, until President José P. Laurel proclaimed the existence of a state of war with the Allied Powers in 1944. The Commonwealth government-in-exile in Washington, D.C. continued to use the flag with the American colors, and had flown it with the red stripe up since the initial invasion of the Japanese. With the combined forces of the Filipino and American soldiers and the liberation of the Philippines in 1944 to 1945, the flag with the American colors was restored, and it was this flag that was hoisted upon the granting of Philippine independence from the United States on July 4, 1946.

Chronology[edit]

See also: List of flags of the Philippines

Flag

Date

Use

Description

The Spanish East Indies (1565–1898)

1565–1762, 1764–1821

Flag used when the Philippine Islands were a Colony of New Spain.

The Cross of Burgundy: a red saltire resembling two crossed, roughly-pruned branches, on a white field.

1762–1764

Flag during the brief British occupation of Manila, as used in occupied Manila and Cavite.

The flag of the British East India Company before 1801: A flag with red and white stripes with the Kingdom of Great Britain's Union Flag as a canton. The Union flag bears red cross on a white field, commonly called St George's Cross, superimposed on a white saltire on a blue field, known as St Andrew's Cross. Also known as the "King's Colours".

1821–1873

Used during Spanish East Indies period.

Three horizontal stripes of red, weld-yellow and red, the centre stripe being twice as wide as each red stripe with arms in the first third of the weld-yellow stripe. The arms are crowned and vertically divided, the left red field with a tower representing Castille, the right white field with a lion representing León.

1873–1874

Used by the Spanish East Indies under the First Spanish Republic.

Three horizontal stripes: red, weld-yellow and red, the yellow strip being twice as wide as each red stripe with arms in the first third of the yellow stripe. Royal crown removed from arms.

1874–1898

Used during Spanish East Indies after the restoration of the Spanish monarchy.

The flag of the Kingdom of Spain used prior to the First Spanish Republic was reinstated.

Philippine Revolution – First Philippine Republic

1898–1901

The flag design was conceived by President Emilio Aguinaldo. The exact shade of blue is debated; many variants were used by subsequent governments.

Sewn by Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad in Hong Kong and first flown in battle on May 28, 1898. It was formally unfurled during the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and the flag of the First Philippine Republic, on June 12, 1898, by President Aguinaldo. It contains a mythical sun (with a face) similar to the Sun of May in other former Spanish colonies; the triangle of Freemasonry; the eight rays representing eight rebellious provinces of the Philippines first placed under martial law by the Governor-General.[a] Some flags carry the Spanish texts: Fuerzas Expedicionarias del Norte de Luzon on its obverse and Libertad Justicia e Ygualdad on its reverse, which means "Northern Luzon Expeditionary Forces" and "Liberty, Justice, and Equality" respectively.

American and Commonwealth Period (1898–1946)

1898–1908

Used while under direct administration from the United States.

The Philippine Commission, passed Act No. 1697 or the Flag Law of 1907, that outlawed the display of Katipunan flags, banners, emblems, or devices in the American-controlled Philippine Islands.[42] The same law prohibited the playing of the national anthem.[43] Thirteen horizontal stripes of alternating red and white representing the original Thirteen Colonies; in the canton, white stars on a blue field, the number of stars increased as the United States expanded its territory.

1908–1912

Variant after Oklahoma became a state

1912–1919

Variant after Arizona and New Mexico achieved statehood

1919–1936

From October 30, 1919, two flags were flown in the Philippines: the U.S. flag and the flag conceived by Emilio Aguinaldo which was made the national flag of the Philippines with the repealing of Act No. 1696.[44]

The American flag remained unchanged since 1919. The Philippine flag was officially adopted on March 26, 1920.[45][46] The design conceived by Emilio Aguinaldo remained but the shades of blue and red were adopted from the American flag. The sun's face was removed, but its stylized rays were retained. Many versions of the flag existed as no official design had been codified.

1936–1946

Specifications standardized; Defined under Executive Order No. 23, s. 1936 which was signed on March 25, 1936. The de facto shade of blue used was Cable No. 70077 or "National Flag Blue" by the Reference Guide of the Textile Color Card Association of the United States.[22] The triangle was made equilateral and the sun's rays were also further simplified, achieving its present form. Also used by the Commonwealth government-in-exile from 1942 to 1945.

Japanese Period (1942–1945)

1942–1943

Used during the Japanese Occupation.

The Japanese flag as it appeared until 1999: a red sun-disc, shifted 1% left of centre, on a white field.

1943

Used during the inauguration of the Second Republic.

Emilio Aguinaldo's flag which featured an anthropomorphic sun, hoisted upon proclamation of the Second Republic.[47]

1943–1945

Used during the Second Republic.

The original specifications of the flag as used by the Commonwealth government was readopted[47] pursuant to Executive Order 17 issued on December 13, 1943.[48]

Sovereignty (1946–present)

1946–1985

Following independence, the 1936 design specifications standardized by President Manuel L. Quezon sported a shade of blue currently called National Flag Blue. Initially having de facto standing, it was officially adopted in 1955. In 1985, the shade of blue was updated to Oriental Blue, this change would later be rescinded in favor of pre-1985 National Flag Blue.[49] In 1998, the flag gained its present definitive shade of blue currently called Royal Blue.

Defined under Executive Order No. 23, s. 1936 dated March 25, 1936. The shade of blue used here is Cable No. 70077 or "National Flag Blue" by the Reference Guide of the Textile Color Card Association of the United States. The particular shade of blue had de facto standing until January 24, 1955, when President Ramón Magsaysay upon the recommendation of the Philippine Heraldry Committee (PHC) officially adopted Cable No. 70077 or "National Flag Blue" as the official shade of blue to be used.[22][23]

1985–1986

Executive Order No. 1010, s. 1985 was issued by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on February 25, 1985, instructing the National Historical Institute (NHI) "to restore the original color of the First Philippine Flag" amidst debate on the shade used in the original flag. The executive order declared that "the shade of the color blue was lighter than the present dark blue". The executive order did not specify a shade of blue to be adopted. A de facto version of the flag which featured a light blue was used in April 1985 despite NHI not having announced its recommendation. The NHI in May 1985, adopted Cable No. 80176 or "Oriental Blue" for the new national flag.[50]

1986–1998

1936 version of the flag restored after the 1986 People Power Revolution. President Corazon C. Aquino restored the pre-1985 National Flag Blue specifications of the flag through Executive Order No. 292, s. 1987 which was signed on July 25, 1987.[22]

1998–present

The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (Republic Act. 8491, s. 1998) specifies the colors for the blue field Cable No. 80173; the white field, Cable No. 80001; the red field, Cable No. 80108; and the golden-yellow Stars and Sun, Cable No. 80068. The colors were introduced in the same year that the Centennial celebrations were to take place.[18][20][51]

Proposals[edit]

Ninth ray for the flag's sun[edit]

Philippine flag with the proposed ninth ray.

Proposals to add a ninth ray to the sun of the Philippine flag dates as early as 1969, when the Ninth Ray historical reform movement started at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.[52] The symbolism of the ninth ray varies by proponent.

As representative of a ninth province[edit]

Prior to the 1998 independence centennial celebrations, the provincial government of Zambales lobbied that the sunburst design accommodate a ninth ray, reasoning that their province was also in a state of rebellion in 1896. The Centennial Commission however refuted this change, based on research by the National Historical Institute.[53] In August 2003, then Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople also lobbied for a ninth ray, saying that Quezon should be added. He reasons that the first uprising against the Spaniards happened at the foot of Mount Banahaw which was led by Hermano Pule in 1841.[54]

As representative of an ethnic group[edit]

In December 1987, congressman Alawadin Bandon Jr. of Tawi-Tawi proposed the addition of a ninth ray to the Philippine flag's sun to represent "Muslim participation" in the Philippine Revolution, arguing that "As a Muslim I am assaulted by a feeling of alienation in being excluded from the symbolic narration of the great history of the country."[55] Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. later expressed the same view, filing a Senate Bill seeking the addition of a ninth ray representing Filipino Muslims in March 1988.[56]

In 2008, Senator Richard Gordon filed Senate Bill No. 2590 which aimed to amend the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines. This measure was later superseded by Senate Bill No. 3307 which was sponsored by Senator Francis Escudero and approved in September 2009. The bill was sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence[57][58] with House Bill 6424. Both S.B. No. 3307 and H.B. 6424 was reconciled by the Bicameral Conference Committee in September 2009.[59] President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, however, vetoed the measure.[citation needed]

As of 2014[update], a proposal from the Ninth Ray movement intends the additional ray to represent the Muslim and indigenous people of the country, including the Moro people, who kept colonizers away from their lands.[52]

In June 2018, Gordon renewed his campaign to get his proposal passed into law.[57]

Fourth star[edit]

Osorio's proposal

See also: North Borneo dispute

Emmanuel L. Osorio, one of the founders of the Ninth Ray movement, also came up with a proposal adding not only a ninth ray to the flag's sun but adding a fourth star to the flag, representing North Borneo (present-day Sabah), a territory claimed by the Philippines but currently under Malaysian sovereignty. The flag's triangle is changed into a rectangle to accommodate the fourth star. According to Osorio, the star representing Sabah in his proposed flag was added "in principle" and said the flag proposal seeks to express the Ninth Ray movement's view that "if we get Sabah, then it could be represented by the star".[52]

Crescent moon[edit]

There was a proposal to add a crescent moon during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos in a lead up to the 1998 Philippine Centennial. Ramos directed Education Secretary Ricardo Gloria in 1995 to form a commission of scholars to research on the possible modification of the flag. The crescent is meant to represent the Moro community.[60]

Usage[edit]

Display[edit]

The flag should be displayed in all government buildings, official residences, public plazas, and schools every day throughout the year. All other places as may be designated by the National Historical Commission as such.[61] The days of May 28 (National Flag Day) and June 12 (Independence Day) are designated as flag days, during which all offices, agencies and instrumentalities of government, business establishments, institutions of learning and private homes are enjoined to display the flag.[18] But in recent years, the flag days are now from May 28 to June 30 yearly to promote patriotism and to celebrate the nation's independence. Display of the Philippine flag by the public, on their properties, during sporting matches, etc., is legal and not unheard of even at other times of year.

The display of the Philippine flag in cockpit arenas, casinos, disco venues, night and day clubs, gambling joints, houses of prostitution, methamphetamine consumption areas, strip clubs, rub'n'tug s, methadone clinics, and "places of vice or where frivolity prevails" is illegal.[62]

When displaying the Philippine flag with another flag in a crossed position, the former should hang on the left side of the observer and its staff should be displayed over the staff of the second flag. The display of two crossed Philippine flags is not permissible. In the case of the Philippine flag's display on a stage or platform such as in a speech, the flag's staff should be positioned on the right side and in front of the speaker and all other secondary flags displayed on the speaker's left.[63]

Permanent display[edit]

Original named sites[edit]

By law, the Philippine flag must be permanently hoisted and illuminated at night at the following locations:[18]

Sites of permanent display of the Philippine flag as per Republic Act No. 8491

Site

Location

Photo

Notes

Malacañang Palace

Manila

Official residence of the president of the Philippines

Congress of the Philippines Building(Batasang Pambansa Complex)

Quezon City

Listed as "Congress of the Philippines building" despite the Congress covering both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Supreme Court Building

Manila

Rizal Monument

Manila

Aguinaldo Shrine

Kawit, Cavite

Barasoain Shrine

Malolos, Bulacan

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Taguig

Specific site at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery). NHI Board Resolution No. 2 (2004), changed the description of the site's location from Makati to Taguig.

Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolución(Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution)

Manila

All international ports of entry

Various(List of seaports / airports)

Additional sites[edit]

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (formerly the National Historical Institute) as per Republic Act No. 8491 can also designate additional sites where the Philippine flag should be displayed permanently.[64]

Additional sites of permanent display of the Philippine flag as designated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines

Site

Location

Photo

Basis

Notes

Senate of the Philippines Building(GSIS Building)

Pasay

NHI Board Resolution No. 2 (2004)

Bonifacio Monument

Caloocan

Marcela Agoncillo Historical Landmark

Taal, Batangas

Battle of Alapan

Imus, Cavite

NHCP Board Resolution No. 17 (2015)

Listed after the historical event; the Battle of Alapan

Santa Barbara Plaza

Santa Barbara, Iloilo

Site where the first hoisting of the national flag outside of Luzon on November 17, 1898.[65]

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority

Olongapo

NHCP Board Resolution No. 8 (2017)

Administration building of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority at the Subic Bay Free Port[66][67] Qualifies as an international port of entry.[68]

Old Legislative Building

Manila

Site of the inauguration of the Philippine Commonwealth and Manuel L. Quezon as president.[68]

Angeles Heritage District

Angeles City

As the site of the first anniversary of the declaration of Philippine independence held in 1899 m particularly the Holy Rosary Parish Church atrium and the Pamintuan Mansion which served as the Presidential Palace at the time.[68][69]

Liberty Shrine

Lapu-Lapu City

NHCP Board Resolution No. 10 (2020)

Monument to Lapu-Lapu and commemorating the victory of the chieftain's forces in the 1521 Battle of Mactan. Flag of permanent display since January 17, 2021.[70]

Half-mast[edit]

The Philippine flag at Rizal Park, flown at half-mast on January 30, 2015, during the National Day of Mourning in the aftermath of the Mamasapano clash

The flag may be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning.[18] Upon the official announcement of the death of the president or a former president, the flag should be flown at half-mast for ten days. The flag should be flown at half-mast for seven days following the death of the vice president, the chief justice, the president of the Senate or the speaker of the House of Representatives.

The flag may also be required to fly at half-mast upon the death of other persons to be determined by the National Historical Institute, for a period less than seven days. The flag shall be flown at half-mast on all the buildings and places where the decedent was holding office, on the day of death until the day of interment of an incumbent member of the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the Senate or the House of Representatives, and such other persons as may be determined by the National Historical Commission.

When flown at half-mast, the flag should be first hoisted to the peak for a moment then lowered to the half-mast position. It should be raised to the peak again before it is lowered for the day.

A bill was filed in 2014, to mandate the flying of the flag at half-mast as a tribute to public school teachers. Under the proposal the flag shall be flown at half-mast for at least five days at the school or district office the deceased teacher was assigned.[71]

In wakes and burials[edit]

The flag may also be used to cover the caskets of the dead of the tanod, military and police, civil uniformed services, fire fighter, senator, congress, traffic enforcer, cadets military, cadets police, supreme court judge, Filipino governance servants, veterans of previous wars veteran soldiers, national artists, uniformed rescuers, PNP SWAT and outstanding civilians as determined by the local government. In such cases, the flag must be placed such that the white triangle is at the head and the blue portion covers the right side of the casket. The flag should not be lowered to the grave or allowed to touch the ground, but should be solemnly folded and handed to the heirs of the deceased.

There is a common practice of placing religious items on top of the Philippine flag when draped on a coffin such as a rosary, bible, torah, Quran, crucifix, star and moon, or the star of David. This is allowed by law to symbolize the belief and principle of "God above country".

As a war ensign[edit]

A pro-Allied World War II propaganda poster showing a Philippine soldier holding the national flag with the red field flown upwards

The Philippines does not utilize a separate war flag; instead, the national flag itself is used for this purpose.[18] To indicate a state of war, the red field is flown upwards and is placed on the right (i.e., the observer's left) when hung vertically. In times of peace, however, the blue area is the superior field. On this case, the Philippine flag is the only official country flag in the world that can be flipped when the country is at war.[72][73] The red side-up orientation of the flag was used by the First Philippine Republic during the Philippine–American War from 1899 to 1901,[74] by the Philippine Commonwealth during World War II from 1941 to 1945, by the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic when it declared war against the United Kingdom and the United States in 1944,[75] by soldiers and civilians during the attempted coups d'états against President Corazon Aquino's administration, and by militants and rallyists during EDSA III.[76]

Subdivision insignia[edit]

The usage of the Philippine flag as an element of a local government unit's (LGU; provinces, cities, and municipalities) seal is discouraged as per Memorandum Circular 92-30 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. The usage of the flag is permissible if the flag itself has been part of the LGU's history such as in the case of Kawit, Cavite, which is the site of the declaration of Philippine independence.[77]

In intellectual property[edit]

The Philippine flag itself is not eligible to be trademarked according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) since the flag is "owned by the public" in line with prohibitions on the flag's usage stated in Republic Act 8491.[18] The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, which the Philippines is a member of, also prohibits the registration of the state flags of its members as trademark. However both small and large businesses in the Philippines have used elements of the Philippine flag for their intellectual property. When it comes to this concern, the IPOPHIL has allowed businesses to use elements of the flag to invoke the national symbol as long as the intellectual property is neither a "true representation" of the Philippine flag nor a "modification that would amount to defacement of the flag".[78]

Prohibited acts[edit]

Section 10 of RA 8491 states that when the flag is displayed on a wall during peacetime, the blue field is to the observers' left, as shown here.[18]

According to Republic Act 8491 itself, it shall be prohibited:[18]

a) To mutilate, deface, defile, trample on or cast contempt or commit any act or omission casting dishonor or ridicule upon the flag or over its surface;

b) To dip the flag to any person or object by way of compliment or salute;

c) To use the flag:

1) As a drapery, festoon, tablecloth;

2) As covering for ceilings, walls, statues or other objects;

3) As a pennant in the hood, side, back and top of motor vehicles;

4) As a staff or whip;

5) For unveiling monuments or statues; and

6) As trademarks, or for industrial, commercial or agricultural labels or designs.

d) To display the flag:

1) Under any painting or picture;

2) Horizontally face-up. It shall always be hoisted aloft and be allowed to fall freely;

3) Below any platform; or

4) In discothèques, cockpits, night and day clubs, casinos, gambling joints and places of vice or where frivolity prevails.

e) To wear the flag in whole or in part as a costume or uniform;

f) To add any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawings, advertisement, or imprint of any nature on the flag;

g) To print, paint or attach representation of the flag on handkerchiefs, napkins, cushions, and other articles of merchandise;

h) To display in public any foreign flag, except in embassies and other diplomatic establishments, and in offices of international organizations;

i) To use, display or be part of any advertisement or infomercial; and

j) To display the flag in front of buildings or offices occupied by aliens.

The Act mandates that violators shall, upon conviction, be punished by fine or imprisonment.[18]

Relevant customs[edit]

Pledge[edit]

Main article: Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag

Government employees and officials raising their right hand for the pledge of allegiance to the Philippine flag

Philippine flag waving on a flagpole

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine flag (distinct from the Patriotic Oath of Allegiance) should be recited while standing with the right hand with palm open raised shoulder high. Individuals whose faith or religious beliefs prohibit them from making such pledge are permitted to excuse themselves, but are required by law to show full respect when the pledge is being rendered by standing at attention.[18]

The law makes no statement regarding the language in which the pledge must be recited, but the pledge is written (and therefore recited) in the Filipino language.

Flag anthem[edit]

Main article: Lupang Hinirang

Spanish, Tagalog and English versions of the national anthem have been given official status throughout Philippine history. However, only the most recent and current "Filipino" version is officially recognized by law. The Flag and Heraldic Code, approved on February 12, 1998, specifies, Lupang Hinirang, "The National Anthem shall always be sung in the national language within or without the country";[18] violation of the law is punishable by a fine and imprisonment.

National Flag Day[edit]

Philippine flags fly along Emilio Aguinaldo Highway in Dasmariñas on May 25, 2022 in preparation for the 124th Independence Day on June 12.

The National Flag Day in the Philippines is celebrated every May 28, the very day of the 1898 Battle of Alapan. The official national flag flying period starts from May 28 and ends on Independence Day, June 12, every year, although the flying period for the flag in homes, businesses and public establishments may start on a specified day of May (to be given by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) and may last until June 30.

See also[edit]

Philippines portal

Coat of arms of the Philippines

List of flags of the Philippines

Flags of the provinces of the Philippines

Flags of cities and municipalities in the Philippines

Philippine coastwise emblem

Notes[edit]

^ a b c d e The eight provinces symbolized by the rays are provinces which had significant early involvement in the Philippine Revolution. Identification of the eight provinces symbolized and descriptions of their early involvement vary between sources. Sources containing assertions regarding this include the following:

Lists of provinces

Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila–Morong, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac.[1]

Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac.[2][3][4]

Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Rizal, Tarlac.[5]

Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga.[6][7][8][9][10]

Early involvement

Eight provinces which revolted first against the Spanish government during the revolution of 1896.[3][10][11][12]

Placed under martial law on August 30, 1896.[1][5]

^ Visayans or Bisaya were originally referred to the people from the island of Panay, whereas those from the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Samar, and Leyte were referred to as Pintados by the Spaniards.[13][14] Hence, Panay Island was recognized as the mainland of the Visayan Islands during the Spanish era. It was the representative of the entire Visayan region.[15]

Iloilo, a province on the island of Panay, was also the first province outside of Luzon to have raised the Philippine flag.[16]

References[edit]

^ a b Lone, Stewart (2007). Daily Lives of Civilians in Wartime Asia: From the Taiping Rebellion to the Vietnam War. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-313-33684-3.

^ Al, Antonio, Et. Side by Side 5' (2002 ed.). Rex Bookstore, Inc. p. 26. ISBN 978-971-23-3300-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

^ a b Ocampo, Ambeth R. (1993). Aguinaldo's breakfast & more Looking back essays. Anvil Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-971-27-0281-5.

^ Benjamin R. Beede (1994). The War of 1898, and U.S. Interventions, 1898–1934: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 418. ISBN 978-0-8240-5624-7.

^ a b Al, Carpio, Et. My Country and My People 5. Rex Bookstore, Inc. p. 139. ISBN 978-971-23-2254-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

^ President Emilio Aguinaldo, Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino, Kawit, Cavite: June 12, 1898, "...triángulo blanco como distintivo de la célebre Sociedad "Katipunan" que por medio de pacto de sangre empujó a las masas a insurreccionarse; representando las tres estrellas las tres principales Islas de este Archipiélago, Luzon, Mindanao y Panay en que estalló este movimento insurreccional; indicando el sol los agigantados pasos que han dado los hijos de este país en el camino del progreso y civilización, simbolizando los ocho rayos de aquél las ocho provincias: Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna y Batangas, declarando en estado de guerra apenas se inició la primera insurrección; conmemorando los colores azul, rojo y blanco los de la bandera de los Estados Unidos de la América del Norte, como manifestación de nuestro profundo agradecimiento hacia esta Gran Nación por la desinteresada protección que nos presta y seguirá prestando.", quoted from "Design of the Philippine Flag". Symbolisms/Meanings in the Philippine Flag. National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines. May 18, 2015. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017.

^ "FULL TEXT: Pres. Benigno Aquino III's Independence Day speech". Sun.Star. June 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.

^ a b Philippine Declaration of Independence

^ a b "Origins of the Symbols of the National Flag". Archived from the original on June 10, 2013.

^ a b A. P. Samest Blaustein; Jay Adrian Sigler; Benjamin R. Beede (1977). Independence documents of the world. 2. Brill Archive. p. 570. ISBN 0-379-00795-9.

^ Zaide, Sonia M. (1999). The Philippines: A Unique Nation. All-Nations Pub. p. 259. ISBN 978-971-642-071-5.

^ Zaide, Sonia M. (1994). The Philippines: A Unique Nation. All-Nations Publishing Co. p. 259. ISBN 971-642-071-4.

^ G. Nye Steiger, H. Otley Beyer, Conrado Benitez, A History of the Orient, Oxford: 1929, Ginn and Company, pp. 122–123.

^ "... and because I know them better, I shall start with the island of Cebu and those adjacent to it, the Pintados. Thus I may speak more at length on matters pertaining to this island of Luzon and its neighboring islands..." BLAIR, Emma Helen & ROBERTSON, James Alexander, eds. (1903). The Philippine Islands, 1493–1803, Volume 05 of 55 (1582–1583), p. 35.

^ "Origin of the Symbols of our National Flag | Presidential Museum and Library". Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2021.

^ "Iloilo remembers first PH flag-raising outside Luzon". Philippine News Agency. November 16, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2021.

^ Jerry E. Esplanada (September 27, 2010). "RP flag blooper in New York not intentional—US embassy". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 30, 2010.

^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "An Act Prescribing the Code of the National Flag, Anthem, Motto, Coat-of-Arms and Other Heraldic Items and Devices of the Philippines – Republic Act No. 8491". The Corpus Juris. February 12, 1998. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017..

^ "Executive Order No. 23, s. 1936 – Description and Specification of the Filipino Flag". Official Gazette.

^ a b "The Philippine National Flag" (PDF). Monuments and Heraldry division, National Historical institute. National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2012.

^ "Origin of the Symbols of our National Flag". malacanang.gov.ph. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2021.

^ a b c d Agbayani, Eufemio III (May 29, 2021). "1985: A Year of Three Shades of Blue". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved August 14, 2021.

^ a b c Agbayani, Eufemio III (May 29, 2021). "Construction Sheet: Philippine Republic Flag". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved August 14, 2021.

^ Quezon III, Manuel L. (April 12, 2002). "Philippines: the shade of blue". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2010.

^ "Dictionary of Vexillology:C". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on May 29, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

^ a b "Philippines". Vexilla Mundi. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

^ "The Philippine flag | GOVPH". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.

^ nbsalert (December 13, 2016). "Philippine Readers and Writers Festival 2016 – Independence x 6". Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018 – via YouTube.

^ a b "Origin of the Symbols of our National Flag | Presidential Museum and Library". Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2021.

^ a b c d e f Quezon, Manuel L. III (April 2, 2002). "History of the Philippines Flag". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

^ "[English] Speech of President Aquino at the celebration of Independence Day". Official Gazette. June 12, 2015.

^ "The Philippine flag | GOVPH". Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2022.

^ Ocampo, Ambeth (2018). "Flag unites archipelago into one nation". Inquirer.net.

^ "The Philippine Flag: Symbol of our Sovereignty and Solidarity". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. September 6, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2022.

^ "Imus City marks 121st 'Battle of Alapan' Day". pna.gov.ph. May 28, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2021.

^ Renato Perdon (2010). Footnotes to Philippine History. Universal-Publishers. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-59942-842-0.

^ Augusto de Viana (May 28, 2008). "Where was the Filipino Flag first unfurled?". the Manila Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2008.

^ "Philippine Government Official Gazette". Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2022.

^ Ambeth R. Ocampo (June 12, 2018). "Flag unites archipelago into one nation". inquirer.net.

^ "Want to see PH flag first flown in 1898? Go to Baguio!". Rappler. June 12, 2013. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016.

^ a b "The Declining Reverence for the Philippine Flag". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013..

^ "Act No. 1696, s. 1907". August 23, 1907 – via Official Gazette of the Philippine Government.

^ Pomeroy, William J. (1992). The Philippines: Colonialism, Collaboration, and Resistance. International Publishers Co. p. 10. ISBN 0-7178-0692-8. Retrieved January 26, 2008. Philippines flag law.; excerpted quote: "In 1909 an entire band was sent to prison for playing the Philippine National Anthem at a festival in Quiapo, Manila.", citing Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (2005). The Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press.

^ "Act No. 2928, March 26, 1920". Official Gazette. Supreme Court Library. March 26, 1920. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2021.

^ "Act No. 2928, March 26, 1920". March 26, 1920. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Official Gazette of the Philippine Government.

^ "Today in History". Presidential Museum and Library. October 30, 2013. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.

^ a b "Second Philippine Republic". Presidential Museum and Library. 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

^ "Executive Order No. 17, s. 1943". Presidential Museum and Library. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

^ Agbayani, Eufemio III (May 29, 2021). "1985: A Year of Three Shades of Blue". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved June 3, 2021.

^ Agbayani, Eufemio III (May 29, 2021). "1985: A Year of Three Shades of Blue". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved August 14, 2021.

^ "Flag of the Philippines". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 19, 2021.

^ a b c Cabreza, Vincent (March 13, 2013). "Place for Sabah in flag sought". Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.

^ "Adjusting the rays of the flag?". Flags of the World. March 9, 1998. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2008.

^ Mallari, Delfin (August 20, 2003). "Ople urges putting of Quezon in rays of Philippine flag". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 23, 2014.

^ Atadero, Arnold (December 22, 1987). "Ninth ray sought in Philippine flag". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. p. 7. Retrieved June 20, 2021.

^ "Wanted: 9th ray for flag". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. March 15, 1988. p. 8. Retrieved January 13, 2023.

^ a b Ventura, Dinah (June 13, 2018). "One more ray, the way to unity". Daily Tribune. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

^ Ubac, Michael Lim (September 24, 2009). "RP flag to have 9th ray to the sun". Philippine Daily Inquire. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

^ Legaspi, Amita (September 24, 2009). "Senate-House panels OK bill adding 9th ray to RP flag". GMA News. Retrieved June 13, 2018.

^ Fel V. Maragay (June 11, 1995). "Crescent moon in flag soon?". Manila Standard.

^ On May 12, 2010, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 10086 reverting the National Historical Institute into its original form as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

^ Acosta, Persida (February 4, 2017). "Improper display of the Philippine flag". Manila Times. Retrieved June 27, 2018.

^ Sumayao, Marco (June 9, 2019). "Everything You Need to Know About Philippine Flag Etiquette". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved May 29, 2021.

^ The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines Illustrated (Revised ed.). Manila: National Historical Commission of the Philippines. 2018. ISBN 978-971-538-323-3.

^ "2 Iloilo historic sites fly PH flag". Panay News. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2022. On Nov. 18, 2015 the National Historical Commission of the Philippines ordered that a giant Philippine flag at the public plaza of Santa Barbara town be flown "in perpetuity." The Commission included Santa Barbara plaza "among the select places where the flag shall be permanently hoisted."

^ Veloria, Ruben (November 16, 2017). "PH's biggest national flag to be permanently hoisted in Subic". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

^ "Honors for Subic Bay as NHCP allows zone to fly Philippine flag | Politiko Central Luzon". Politko Central Luzon. November 17, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

^ a b c "Resolution no. 9, s. 2017 – A resolution prohibiting the manufacture and use of heraldic items and devices without the approval of the Office of the President, to be included in section 49 of the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) of R. A. 8491 known as "The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines"". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

^ Orejas, Tonette (June 11, 2017). "1st anniversary of 1898 Independence was celebrated in churchyard". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

^ "Philippine flag to be displayed 24/7 at Mactan's Liberty Shrine starting Jan. 17". Cebu Daily News. Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

^ Salaverria, Leila (March 20, 2014). "Bill wants flag flown at half mast for public school teachers who die". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 27, 2018.

^ "Executive Order No. 321, s. 1950 – Prescribing the Code of the National Flag and the National Anthem of the Republic of the Philippines". Official Gazette. Section 1, Paragraph 4. The Flag, if flown from a flagpole, should have its blue field on top in time of peace and the red field on top in time of war; if in a hanging position, the blue field should be to the right (left of the observer) in time of peace. However, the red should be on the left (of observer) in time of war.

^ "Republic Act No. 8491 – Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines". Official Gazette. Chapter 1. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020. Section 10. The flag, if flown from a flagpole, shall have its blue field on top in time of peace and the red field on top in time of war; if in a hanging position, the blue field shall be to the right (left of the observer) in time of peace, and the red field to the right (left of the observer) in time of war.

^ E.A. Baja, Our Country's Flag and Heritage, 1930, Manila, p. 52

^ Manuel Quezon III, November 10, 2002

^ File:EDSAIII.png

^ "DILG Memorandum Circular 1992-30" (PDF). Department of the Interior and Local Government. June 8, 1992. Retrieved October 3, 2022.

^ "The Philippine Flag as a trademark". Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National flag of the Philippines.

"The Controversial Philippine National Flag". Manila Times. May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2008.

The Official Website of the Republic of the Philippines

Philippine at Flags of the World

Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines at Flags of the World

How to properly display the Philippine flag.

History of the Philippine Flag:

Philippines – historical flags of 20th Century, flagspot.net

Filipino Flag – Learn Now FilipinoFlag.net (archived from the original Archived February 21, 2013, at archive.today on 2012-06-23)

Watawat – Flags and Symbols of the Pearl of the Orient Seas

History of the Philippine Flag, Philippines Presidential Museum and Library

Origin of the Symbols of our National Flag Archived June 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Philippines Presidential Museum and Library

Flags and Banners of the Colonial Era in the Philippines, Philippines Presidential Museum and Library.

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1History

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2.1Civil flags

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2.3International flags

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4.1Parts of a flag

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12.1Record heights

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13Hoisting the flag

14Flags in communication

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Piece of fabric with a distinctive design and colours

For the flags belonging to nations, see National flag. For other uses, see Flag (disambiguation).

United Nations members' national flags

Setting up a flag could also possess the meaning of conquering something. Jaan Künnap with the flag of Estonia at the top of Lenin Peak (7,134 m [23,406 feet]) in 1989.

A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signalling and identification, especially in environments where communication is challenging (such as the maritime environment, where semaphore is used). Many flags fall into groups of similar designs called flag families.[1] The study of flags is known as "vexillology" from the Latin vexillum, meaning "flag" or "banner".

National flags are patriotic symbols with widely varied interpretations that often include strong military associations because of their original and ongoing use for that purpose. Flags are also used in messaging, advertising, or for decorative purposes.

Some military units are called "flags" after their use of flags. A flag (Arabic: لواء) is equivalent to a brigade in Arab countries. In Spain, a flag (Spanish: bandera) is a battalion-equivalent in the Spanish Legion.[citation needed]

History

Main article: History of flags

Bronze flag Derafsh Shahdad found in Shahdad, Iran, third millennium BC

The origin of the flag is unknown[2] and it remains unclear when the first flag was raised.[3]

Ships with vexilloids were represented on predynastic Egyptian pottery c. 3500 BCE.[3] In antiquity, field signs that can be categorised as vexilloid or "flag-like" were used in warfare, originating in ancient Egypt or Assyria.[4] Examples include the Sassanid battle standard Derafsh Kaviani, and the standards of the Roman legions such as the eagle of Augustus Caesar's Xth legion and the dragon standard of the Sarmatians; the latter was allowed to fly freely in the wind, carried by a horseman, but depictions suggest that it bore more similarity to an elongated dragon kite than to a simple flag.

While the origin of the flag remains a mystery, the oldest flag discovered is made of bronze: a Derafsh or 'flag-like' Shahdad, which was found in Shahdad, Iran, and dates back to c. 2400 BCE. It features a seated man and a kneeling woman facing each other, with a star in between. This iconography was found in other Iranian Bronze Age pieces of art.[5][6][7][8]

Flags made of cloth were almost certainly[4] the invention of the ancient peoples of the Indian subcontinent or the Zhou dynasty of Ancient China. Chinese flags had iconography such as a red bird, a white tiger, or a blue dragon, and royal flags were to be treated with a level of respect similar to that given to the ruler. Indian flags were often triangular and decorated with attachments such as a yak's tail and the state umbrella.[further explanation needed] Silk flags either spread to the Near East from China or it was just the silk itself, later fashioned by people who had independently conceptualized a rectangular cloth attached to a pole.[9] Flags were probably transmitted to Europe via the Muslim world, where plainly coloured flags were used due to Islamic proscriptions. They are often mentioned in the early history of Islam and may have been copied from India.[4]

In Europe, during the High Middle Ages, flags came to be used primarily as a heraldic device in battle, allowing easier identification of a knight over only the heraldic icon painted on the shield. Already during the high medieval period, and increasingly during the Late Middle Ages, city states and communes such as those of the Old Swiss Confederacy also began to use flags as field signs. Regimental flags for individual units became commonplace during the Early Modern period.

Sujagi of Eo Jae-yeon, captured in 1871

During the peak of the sailing age, beginning in the early 17th century, it was customary (and later a legal requirement) for ships to fly flags designating their nationality;[10] these flags eventually evolved into the national flags and maritime flags of today. Flags also became the preferred means of communications at sea, resulting in various systems of flag signals; see, International maritime signal flags.

Use of flags beyond a military or naval context began with the rise of nationalism by the end of the 18th century, although some flags date back earlier. The flags of countries such as Austria, Denmark or Turkey have legendary origins while many others, including those of Poland and Switzerland, grew out of the heraldic emblems of the Middle Ages. The 17th century saw the birth of several national flags through revolutionary struggle. One of these was the flag of the Netherlands, which appeared during the 80-year Dutch rebellion which began in 1568 against Spanish domination.[11]

Political change and social reform, allied with a growing sense of nationhood among ordinary people, led to the creation of new nations and flags all over the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.[12]

National flags

Main article: National flag

Flags at half-mast outside Central Plaza, Hong Kong, after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The Flag of Saudi Arabia is exempted.

Tribal flags at Meeting Place Monument/Flag Plaza at the Oklahoma State Capitol

One of the most popular uses of a flag is to symbolise a nation or country. Some national flags have been particularly inspirational to other nations, countries, or subnational entities in the design of their own flags. Some prominent examples include:

The Danish national flag (Dannebrog) waving in Samsø

The flag of Denmark, the Dannebrog, is attested in 1478, and is the oldest national flag still in use. It inspired the cross design of the other Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, and regional Scandinavian flags for the Faroe Islands, Åland, Scania and Bornholm, as well as flags for the non-Scandinavian Shetland and Orkney.[13]

The flag of the Netherlands is the oldest tricolour. Its three colours of red, white and blue go back to Charlemagne's time, the ninth century. The coastal region of what today is the Netherlands was then known for its cloth in these colours. Maps from the early 16th century already put flags in these colours next to this region, like Texeira's map of 1520. A century before that, during the 15th century, the three colours were mentioned as the coastal signals for this area, with the three bands straight or diagonal, single or doubled. As state flag it first appeared around 1572 as the Prince's Flag in orange–white–blue. Soon the more famous red–white–blue began appearing, becoming the prevalent version from around 1630. Orange made a comeback during the civil war of the late 18th century, signifying the orangist or pro-stadtholder party. During World War II the pro-Nazi NSB used it. Any symbolism has been added later to the three colours, although the orange comes from the House of Orange-Nassau. This use of orange comes from Nassau, which today uses orange-blue, not from Orange, which today uses red-blue. However, the usual way to show the link with the House of Orange-Nassau is the orange pennant above the red-white-blue. It is said that the Dutch Tricolour has inspired[14][citation needed] many flags but most notably those of Russia, New York City, and South Africa (the 1928–94 flag as well the current flag). As the probable inspiration for the Russian flag, it is the source too for the pan-Slavic colours red, white and blue, adopted by many Slavic states and peoples as their symbols; examples are Slovakia, Serbia, and Slovenia.

The national flag of France was designed in 1794. As a forerunner of revolution, France's tricolour flag style has been adopted by other nations. Examples: Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Romania and Mexico.[citation needed]

The Union Flag (Union Jack) of the United Kingdom is the most commonly used. British colonies typically flew a flag based on one of the ensigns based on this flag, and many former colonies have retained the design to acknowledge their cultural history. Examples: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Tuvalu, and also the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia, and the American state of Hawaii; see commons:Flags based on British ensigns.

The flag of the United States is nicknamed The Stars and Stripes or Old Glory.[15] Some nations imitated this flag to symbolise their similarity to the United States or the American Revolution. Examples: Liberia,[16] Chile, Taiwan (ROC), and the French region of Brittany.

The Flag of Ethiopia's colours inspired the colours of many African national flags.

Ethiopia was seen as a model by emerging African states of the 1950s and 1960s, as it was one of the oldest independent states in Africa. Accordingly, its flag became the source of the Pan-African colours, or 'Rasta colours'. Examples: Benin, Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Guinea.

The flag of Turkey, which is very similar to the last flag of the old Ottoman Empire, has been an inspiration for the flag designs of many other Muslim nations. During the time of the Ottomans the crescent began to be associated with Islam and this is reflected on the flags of Algeria, Azerbaijan, Comoros, Libya, Mauritania, Pakistan, Tunisia and Maldives.

The Pan-Arab colours, green, white, red and black, are derived from the flag of the Great Arab Revolt as seen on the flags of Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and Palestine.

The Soviet flag, with its golden symbols of the hammer and sickle on a red field, was an inspiration to flags of other communist states, such as East Germany, the People's Republic of China, Vietnam, Angola, Afghanistan (1978–1980) and Mozambique.

The flag of Venezuela, created by Francisco de Miranda to represent the independence movement in Venezuela that later gave birth to the Gran Colombia, inspired the flags of Colombia, Ecuador, and the Federal Territories in Malaysia, all sharing three bands of yellow, blue and red with the flag of Venezuela.

The flag of Argentina, created by Manuel Belgrano during the war of independence, was the inspiration for the United Provinces of Central America's flag, which in turn was the origin for the flags of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

National flag designs are often used to signify nationality in other forms, such as flag patches.

Civil flags

Main article: Civil flag

The civil and state flags of Peru share the same red and white bands, but only the state flag (right) is defaced with the national ensign.

A civil flag is a version of the national flag that is flown by civilians on non-government installations or craft. The use of civil flags was more common in the past, in order to denote buildings or ships that were not crewed by the military. In some countries the civil flag is the same as the war flag or state flag, but without the coat of arms, such as in the case of Spain, and in others it is an alteration of the war flag.

War flags

Main articles: War flag and Colours, standards and guidons

Standard for the UK's Royal Air Force, the Ensign of the RAF displays the RAF roundel that is also displayed on the fuselage and wings of British warplanes.

Several countries, including the Royal Air Force, British Army and the Royal Navy (White Ensign) of the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union have had unique flags flown by their armed forces separately, rather than the national flag.

Other countries' armed forces (such as those of the United States or Switzerland) use their standard national flag; in addition, the U.S. has alongside flags and seals designed from long tradition for each of its six uniformed military services/military sub-departments in the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. The Philippines' armed forces may use their standard national flag, but during times of war the flag is turned upside down. Bulgaria's flag is also turned upside down during times of war. These are also considered war flags, though the terminology only applies to the flag's military usage.

Large versions of the war flag flown on the warships of countries' navies are known as battle ensigns. In addition, besides flying the national standard or a military services' emblem flag at a military fort, base, station or post and at sea at the stern (rear) or main top mast of a warship, a Naval Jack flag and other maritime flags, pennants and emblems are flown at the bow (front). In times of war waving a white flag is a banner of truce, talks/negotiations or surrender.

Four distinctive African flags currently in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Britain were flown in action by Itsekiri ships under the control of Nana Olomu during the conflict in the late 19th century. One is the flag generally known as the Benin Empire flag and one is referred to as Nana Olomu's flag.[17]

International flags

The Flag of the United Nations, sky blue field with north polar view looking down on a world map in white with two olive branches wreaths curved around. First version presented April–June 1945 to the United Nations Organization (UNO) at the San Francisco Conference, second version adopted by the U.N., December 1946

Among international flags are the United Nations, Europe, Olympic, NATO and Paralympic flags.

Maritime flags

Main article: Maritime flag

Ensigns are flown on boats to indicate the country of registration of the boat.

Flags are particularly important at sea, where they can mean the difference between life and death, and consequently where the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. A national flag flown at sea is known as an ensign. A courteous, peaceable merchant ship or yacht customarily flies its ensign (in the usual ensign position), together with the flag of whatever nation it is currently visiting at the mast (known as a courtesy flag). To fly one's ensign alone in foreign waters, a foreign port or in the face of a foreign warship traditionally indicates a willingness to fight, with cannon, for the right to do so. As of 2009[update], this custom is still taken seriously by many naval and port authorities and is readily enforced in many parts of the world by boarding, confiscation and other civil penalties. In some countries yacht ensigns are different from merchant ensigns in order to signal that the yacht is not carrying cargo that requires a customs declaration. Carrying commercial cargo on a boat with a yacht ensign is deemed to be smuggling in many jurisdictions. Traditionally, a vessel flying under the courtesy flag of a specific nation, regardless of the vessel's country of registry, is considered to be operating under the law of her 'host' nation.

The international maritime signal flag Kilo (letter K)

There is a system of international maritime signal flags for numerals and letters of the alphabet. Each flag or pennant has a specific meaning when flown individually. As well, semaphore flags can be used to communicate on an ad hoc basis from ship to ship over short distances.

Another category of maritime flag flown by some United States government ships is the distinctive mark. Although the United States Coast Guard has its own service ensign, all other U.S. government ships fly the national ensign their service ensign, following United States Navy practice. To distinguish themselves from ships of the Navy, such ships historically have flown their parent organisation's flag from a forward mast as a distinctive mark. Today, for example, commissioned ships of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fly the NOAA flag as a distinctive mark.

Shapes and designs

The flag of Nepal, a non-rectangular flag that is a double-pennon

The Ohio flag, a pennon

The flag of Mauritania, a yellow crescent and star on a green field between two red stripes.

Flags are usually rectangular in shape (often in the ratio 2:3, 1:2, or 3:5), but may be of any shape or size that is practical for flying, including square, triangular, or swallow tailed. A more unusual flag shape is that of the flag of Nepal, which is in the shape of two stacked triangles. Other unusually shaped flags include the civil flags of Ohio (a swallowtail); Tampa, Florida; and Pike County, Ohio.[18]

Many flags are dyed through and through to be inexpensive to manufacture, such that the reverse side is the mirror image of the obverse (front) side, generally the side displayed when, from the observer's point of view, the flag flies from pole-side left to right. This presents two possibilities:

If the design is symmetrical in an axis parallel to the flag pole, obverse and reverse will be identical despite the mirror-reversal, such as the Indian Flag or Canadian Flag

If not, the obverse and reverse will present two variants of the same design, one with the hoist on the left (usually considered the obverse side), the other with the hoist on the right (usually considered the reverse side of the flag). This is very common and usually not disturbing if there is no text in the design.

Some complex flag designs are not intended to be shown on both sides, requiring separate obverse and reverse sides if made correctly. In these cases there is a design element (usually text) which is not symmetric and should be read in the same direction, regardless of whether the hoist is to the viewer's left or right. These cases can be divided into two types:

The same (asymmetric) design may be duplicated on both sides. Such flags can be manufactured by creating two identical through and through flags and then sewing them back to back, though this can affect the resulting combination's responsiveness to the wind. Depictions of such flags may be marked with the symbol , indicating the reverse is congruent to (rather than a mirror image of) the obverse.

Rarely, the reverse design may differ, in whole or in part, from that of the obverse. Examples of flags whose reverse differs from the obverse include the flag of Paraguay, the flag of Oregon, and the historical flag of the Soviet Union. Depictions of such flags may be marked with the symbol .

The flag of Kiribati, a banner of arms

Common designs on flags include crosses, stripes, and divisions of the surface, or field, into bands or quarters—patterns and principles mainly derived from heraldry. A heraldic coat of arms may also be flown as a banner of arms, as is done on both the state flag of Maryland and the flag of Kiribati.

The de jure flag of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, which consisted of a rectangular field of green, was for a long period the only national flag using a single colour and no design or insignia. However, other historical states have also used flags without designs or insignia, such as the short-lived Soviet Republic of Hungary and the more recent Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, whose flags were both a plain field of red.

Colours are normally described with common names, such as "red", but may be further specified using colourimetry.

The largest flag flown from a flagpole worldwide, according to Guinness World Records, is the flag of the United Arab Emirates flown in Sharjah. This flag was 2,448.56 m2 (26,356.1 sq ft).[19] The largest flag ever made was the flag of Qatar; the flag, which measures at 101,978 m2 (1,097,680 sq ft), was completed in December 2013 in Doha.[20]

Parts of a flag

Main article: Glossary of vexillology

The general parts of a flag are: canton (the upper inner section of the flag), field or ground (the entire flag except the canton), the hoist (the edge used to attach the flag to the hoist), and the fly (the furthest edge from the hoist end).[21]

Vertical flags

Vertical flags are sometimes used in lieu of the standard horizontal flag in central and eastern Europe, particularly in the German-speaking countries. This practice came about because the relatively brisk wind needed to display horizontal flags is not common in these countries.[22]

The standard horizontal flag (no. 1 in the preceding illustration) is nonetheless the form most often used even in these countries.[23]

Vertical flags seen in Switzerland

The vertical flag (German: Hochformatflagge or Knatterflagge; no. 2) is a vertical form of the standard flag. The flag's design may remain unchanged (No. 2a) or it may change, e.g. by changing horizontal stripes to vertical ones (no. 2b). If the flag carries an emblem, it may remain centred or may be shifted slightly upwards.[22][24]

The vertical flag for hoisting from a beam (German: Auslegerflagge or Galgenflagge; no. 3) is additionally attached to a horizontal beam, ensuring that it is fully displayed even if there is no wind.[22][25]

The vertical flag for hoisting from a horizontal pole (German: Hängeflagge; no. 4) is hoisted from a horizontal pole, normally attached to a building. The topmost stripe on the horizontal version of the flag faces away from the building.[22][26]

The vertical flag for hoisting from a crossbar or banner (German: Bannerflagge; no. 5) is firmly attached to a horizontal crossbar from which it is hoisted, either by a vertical pole (no. 5a) or a horizontal one (no. 5b). The topmost stripe on the horizontal version of the flag normally faces to the left.[22][27]

Religious flags

See also: Religion in national symbols

Flags can play many different roles in religion. In Buddhism, prayer flags are used, usually in sets of five differently coloured flags. Several flags and banners including the Black Standard are associated with Islam. Many national flags and other flags include religious symbols such as the cross, the crescent, or a reference to a patron saint. Flags are also adopted by religious groups and flags such as the Jain flag, Nishan Sahib (Sikhism), the Saffron flag (Hindu) and the Christian flag are used to represent a whole religion.

Poland (Gorzów Wlkp.). Religious flags

Christian flag adopted by several Protestant denominations

Jain flag (on occasion, the bottom black bar is replaced with a dark blue one)

Buddhist flag

Nishan Sahib (the Sikh flag)

In sports

Because of their ease of signalling and identification, flags are often used in sports.

In association football, linesmen carry small flags along the touch lines. They use the flags to indicate to the referee potential infringements of the laws, or who is entitled to possession of the ball that has gone out of the field of play, or, most famously, raising the flag to indicate an offside offence. Officials called touch judges use flags for similar purposes in both codes of rugby.

In American and Canadian football, referees use penalty flags to indicate that a foul has been committed in game play. The phrase used for such an indication is flag on the play. The flag itself is a small, weighted handkerchief, tossed on the field at the approximate point of the infraction; the intent is usually to sort out the details after the current play from scrimmage has concluded. In American football, the flag is yellow; in Canadian football the flag is orange, but at the professional level the flag is yellow. In both the Canadian Football League and National Football League, coaches also use red challenge flags to indicate that they wish to contest a ruling on the field.

In yacht racing, flags are used to communicate information from the race committee boat to the racers. Different flags hoisted from the committee boat may communicate a false start, changes in the course, a cancelled race, or other important information. Racing boats themselves may also use flags to symbolise a protest or distress. The flags are often part of the nautical alphabetic system of International maritime signal flags, in which 26 different flags designate the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet.

Flag flown at a car race

In auto and motorcycle racing, racing flags are used to communicate with drivers. Most famously, a checkered flag of black and white squares indicates the end of the race, and victory for the leader. A yellow flag is used to indicate caution requiring slow speed and a red flag requires racers to stop immediately. A black flag is used to indicate penalties.

Main article: Racing flags

In addition, fans of almost all sports wave flags in the stands to indicate their support for the participants. Many sports teams have their own flags, and, in individual sports, fans will indicate their support for a player by waving the flag of his or her home country.

Capture the flag is a popular children's sport.

In Gaelic football and Hurling a green flag is used to indicate a goal while a white flag is used to indicate a point

In Australian rules football, the goal umpire will wave two flags to indicate a goal (worth six points) and a single flag to indicate a behind (worth one point).

For safety, dive flags indicate the locations of underwater scuba divers or that diving operations are being conducted in the vicinity.

In water sports such as wakeboarding and Water-Skiing, an orange flag is held in between runs to indicate someone is in the water.

In golf, the hole is almost always marked with a flag. The flagpole is designed to fit centered within the base of the hole and is removable. Many courses will use colour-coded flags to determine a hole location at the front, middle or rear of the green. However, colour-coded flags are not used in the professional tours. (A rare example of a golf course that does not use flags to mark the hole is the East Course of Merion Golf Club, which instead uses flagpoles topped by wicker baskets.)

Flag poles with flags of all shapes and sizes are used by marching bands, drum corps, and winter guard teams use flags as a method of visual enhancement in performances.

Diplomatic flags

Main article: Diplomatic flag

Some countries use diplomatic flags, such as the United Kingdom (see image of the Embassy flag) and the Kingdom of Thailand (see image of the Embassy flag).

The socialist movement uses red flags to represent their cause. The anarchist movement has a variety of different flags, but the primary flag associated with them is the black flag. In the Spanish Civil War, the anarchists used the red-and-black bisected flag. In the 20th century, the rainbow flag was adopted as a symbol of the LGBT social movements. Its derivatives include the Bisexual pride and Transgender pride flags.

Some of these political flags have become national flags, such as the red flag of the Soviet Union and national socialist banners for Nazi Germany. The present Flag of Portugal is based on what had been the political flag of the Portuguese Republican Party previous to the 5 October 1910 revolution which brought this party to power.

Personal flags

Personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II

Throughout history, monarchs have often had personal flags (including royal standards), representing the royal person, including in personal union of national monarchies.

Vehicle flags

Flags are often representative of an individual's affinity or allegiance to a country, team or business and can be presented in various ways. A popular trend that has surfaced revolves around the idea of the 'mobile' flag in which an individual displays their particular flag of choice on their vehicle. These items are commonly referred to as car flags and are usually manufactured from high strength polyester material and are attached to a vehicle via a polypropylene pole and clip window attachment.

Swimming flags

Open swimming area

Closed swimming area

Red flag at a beach in Ireland, indicating that the water is not safe for swimming

In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Ireland and the United Kingdom, a pair of red-yellow flags is used to mark the limits of the bathing area on a beach, usually guarded by surf lifesavers. If the beach is closed, the poles of the flags are crossed. The flags are coloured with a red triangle and a yellow triangle making a rectangular flag, or a red rectangle over a yellow rectangle. On many Australian beaches there is a slight variation with beach condition signalling. A red flag signifies a closed beach (in the UK also other dangers), yellow signifies strong current or difficult swimming conditions, and green represents a beach safe for general swimming. In Ireland, a red and yellow flag indicates that it is safe to swim; a red flag that it is unsafe; and no flag indicates that there are no lifeguards on duty. Blue flags may also be used away from the yellow-red lifesaver area to designate a zone for surfboarding and other small, non-motorised watercraft.

Reasons for closing the beach include:

dangerous rip

hurricane warning

no lifeguards in attendance

overpolluted water

sharks

tsunami

waves too strong

A surf flag exists, divided into four quadrants. The top left and bottom right quadrants are black, and the remaining area is white.

Signal flag "India" (a black circle on a yellow square) is frequently used to denote a "blackball" zone where surfboards cannot be used but other water activities are permitted.

Railway flags

Railways use a number of coloured flags. When used as wayside signals they usually use the following meanings (exact meanings are set by the individual railroad company):

red = stop

yellow = proceed with caution

green or white = proceed.

a flag of any colour waved vigorously means stop

a blue flag on the side of a locomotive means that it should not be moved because someone is working on it (or on the train attached to it). A blue flag on a track means that nothing on that track should be moved. The flag can only be removed by the person or group that placed it. In the railway dominated steel industry this principle of "blue flag and tag" was extended to all operations at Bethlehem Steel, Lackawanna, New York. If a man went inside a large machine or worked on an electrical circuit for example, his blue flag and tag was sacrosanct.[28] The "Lock Out/Tag Out" practice is similar and now used in other industries to comply with safety regulations.

At night, the flags are replaced with lanterns showing the same colours.

Flags displayed on the front of a moving locomotive are an acceptable replacement for classification lights and usually have the following meanings (exact meanings are set by the individual railroad company):

white = extra (not on the timetable)

green = another section following

red = last section

Additionally, a railroad brakeman will typically carry a red flag to make his or her hand signals more visible to the engineer. Railway signals are a development of railway flags.[29]

Flagpoles

Main article: Flagpole

One of the two 60-foot-tall flagpoles in the Siena Cathedral. During the battle of Montaperti (1260), Bocca degli Abati, a Sienese spy, brought Florence's flag down, causing panic among the Florentine soldiers and ultimately their defeat.

A flagpole, flagmast, flagstaff, or staff can be a simple support made of wood or metal. If it is taller than can be easily reached to raise the flag, a cord is used, looping around a pulley at the top of the pole with the ends tied at the bottom. The flag is fixed to one lower end of the cord, and is then raised by pulling on the other end. The cord is then tightened and tied to the pole at the bottom. The pole is usually topped by a flat plate or ball called a "truck" (originally meant to keep a wooden pole from splitting) or a finial in a more complex shape. Very high flagpoles may require more complex support structures than a simple pole, such as a guyed mast.

Dwajasthambam are flagpoles commonly found at the entrances of South Indian Hindu temples.[30]

Record heights

The former flagpole in Kew Gardens, taken shortly before its removal in 2007

Since 26 December 2021, the tallest free-standing flagpole in the world is the Cairo Flagpole, located in the New Administrative Capital under construction in Egypt at a height of 201.952 m (662.57 ft), exceeding the former record holders, the Jeddah Flagpole in Saudi Arabia (height: 171 m; 561 ft), the Dushanbe Flagpole in Tajikistan[31][32] (height: 165 m; 541 ft) and the National Flagpole in Azerbaijan (height: 162 m; 531 ft).[33] The flagpole in North Korea is the fourth tallest flagpole in the world, however, it is not free-standing. It is a radio tower supported flagpole. Many of these were built by American company Trident Support: the Dushanbe Flagpole, the National Flagpole in Azerbaijan, the Ashgabat flagpole in Turkmenistan at 133 m (436 ft); the Aqaba Flagpole in Jordan at 130 m (430 ft); the Raghadan Flagpole in Jordan at 126.8 m (416 ft); and the Abu Dhabi Flagpole in the United Arab Emirates at 122 m (400 ft).[34]

The current tallest flagpole in India (and the tallest flying the tricolour) is the 110-metre (360 ft) flagpole in Belgaum, Karnataka which was first hoisted on 12 March 2018.[35][36] The tallest flagpole in the United Kingdom from 1959 until 2013 stood in Kew Gardens. It was made from a Canadian Douglas-fir tree and was 68.5 m (225 ft) in height.[37]

The current tallest flagpole in the United States (and the tallest flying an American flag) is the 400-foot (120 m) pole completed before Memorial Day 2014 and custom-made with an 11-foot (3.4 m) base in concrete by wind turbine manufacturer Broadwind Energy. It is situated on the north side of the Acuity Insurance headquarters campus along Interstate 43 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and is visible from Cedar Grove. The pole can fly a 220-pound flag in light wind conditions and a heavier 350-pound flag in higher wind conditions.[38]

Design

Flagpoles can be designed in one piece with a taper (typically a steel taper or a Greek entasis taper),[39] or be made from multiple pieces to make them able to expand. In the United States, ANSI/NAAMM guide specification FP-1001-97 covers the engineering design of metal flagpoles to ensure safety.

Flagpole of modest size, with simple truck

Large flagpole, showing structured truck (New Zealand)

New Caledonia has two flags, flown here in Nouméa, the capital city, on a single flagpole with a crossbar

Dwajasthambam (flagpole) at Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

Hoisting the flag

Flag of Australia at a flag-hoisting ceremony on Australian Citizenship Day 2011

Hoisting the flag is the act of raising the flag on the flagpole. Raising or lowering flags, especially national flags, usually involves ceremonies and certain sets of rules, depending on the country, and usually involve the performance of a national anthem.

A flag-raising squad is a group of people, usually troops, cadets, or students, that march in and bring the flags for the flag-hoisting ceremony. Flag-hoisting ceremonies involving flag-raising squads can be simple or elaborate, involving large numbers of squads. Elaborate flag-hoisting ceremonies are usually performed on national holidays.

The cord or rope that ties a flag to its pole is called a halyard. Flags may have a strip of fabric along the hoist side called a heading for the halyard to pass through, or a pair of grommets for the halyard to be threaded through. Flags may also be held in position using Inglefield clips.[40]

Flags in communication

Semaphore signals for the letters of the English alphabet

Semaphore is a form of communication that utilises flags. The signalling is performed by an individual using two flags (or lighted wands), the positions of the flags indicating a symbol. The person who holds the flags is known as the signalman. This form of communication is primarily used by naval signallers. This technique of signalling was adopted in the early 19th century and is still used in various forms today.[41]

The colours of the flags can also be used to communicate. For example; a white flag means, among other things, surrender or peace, a red flag can be used as a warning signal, and a black flag can mean war, or determination to defeat enemies.

Orientation of a flag is also used for communication, though the practice is rarely used given modern communication systems. Raising a flag upside-down was indicative that the raising force controlled that particular area, but that it was in severe distress.[42]

See also

Lists and galleries of flags

Gallery of sovereign state flags

List of flag names

Lists of flags

Timeline of national flags

Notable flag-related topics

Flag families

False flag

Flag Day

Flag desecration

Flag protocol

Flag patch

Flag semaphore

Flag throwing

Glossary of vexillology

Pledge of Allegiance (United States)

Standard-bearer (also enumerates various types of standards, both flag types and immobile ensigns)

Vexillology

Flags of the World, an Internet-based vexillological association and resource

Windsock

Citations

^ Znamierowski, Alfred (2013). The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns, with Over 1400 Illustration. Lorenz Books. pp. 100–129. ISBN 978-0-7548-2629-3.

^ Inglefield, p. 39.

^ a b Smith, Whitney (1975). Flags through the ages and across the world. Internet Archive. New York. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-07-059093-9.

^ a b c Flag | heraldry. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 15, 2019.

^ Graef, Katrien De; Tavernier, Jan (7 December 2012). Susa and Elam. Archaeological, Philological, Historical and Geographical Perspectives.: Proceedings of the International Congress Held at Ghent University, December 14–17, 2009. BRILL. ISBN 978-9004207400 – via Google Books.

^ Pittman, Holly; N.Y.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York (12 December 1984). Art of the Bronze Age: Southeastern Iran, Western Central Asia, and the Indus Valley. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780870993657 – via Google Books.

^ Hansen, Donald P.; Ehrenberg, Erica (12 December 2017). Leaving No Stones Unturned: Essays on the Ancient Near East and Egypt in Honor of Donald P. Hansen. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 9781575060552 – via Google Books.

^ Hakemi, Ali; Archeologiche, Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente Centro Scavi e Ricerche (12 December 1997). Shahdad: archaeological excavations of a bronze age center in Iran. IsMEO. ISBN 9788120410176 – via Google Books.

^ Smith, Whitney (1975). Flags through the ages and across the world. Internet Archive. New York. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-07-059093-9.

^ Articles 90–94 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

^ Inglefield, p. 48.

^ Inglefield, p. 50.

^ National Flag -The official website of Denmark Archived 2018-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Earlier use of the white cross on red is attested by an armorial (Netherlands) of 1370-1386. In later monastic tradition, the Dannebrog made its first, miraculous appearance at the Battle of Lindanise on 15 June 1219.

^ Smith, Whitney. "flag of France | History & Meaning". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-02-24.

^ Smith, Whitney. "Flag of the United States of America". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-05-24.

^ Smith, Whitney. "Flag of Liberia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-05-24.

^ "Welcome to the Royal Museums Greenwich Blogs - Royal Museums Greenwich Blogs" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2010-05-24.

^ "Pike". County Flags. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Statehouse Museum. Retrieved July 20, 2019.

^ "Largest flag flown". 28 March 2022.

^ "Qatar breaks record for world's largest flag". BBC. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.

^ "The Parts of a Flag". Flag Terminology. NSTATE. Retrieved 2019-08-02.

^ a b c d e "Flaggentypen". German Vexillological Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde e. V., DGF). Retrieved 20 February 2012.

^ German Federal Ministry of the Interior: Hissflagge Archived 2012-09-08 at archive.today, accessed 20 February 2012

^ German Federal Ministry of the Interior: Hochformatflagge Archived 2012-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 20 February 2012

^ German Federal Ministry of the Interior: Auslegerflagge Archived 2012-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 20 February 2012

^ German Federal Ministry of the Interior: Hängeflagge Archived 2012-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 20 February 2012

^ German Federal Ministry of the Interior: Hängeflagge Archived 2012-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 20 February 2012

^ "Docket No. 79-2597". Archived from the original on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2010-06-27.

^ Calvert, J.B. (25 July 2004). "Early Railway Signals". University of Denver. Retrieved 7 October 2007.

^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (1991). The Cult of Draupadi, Volume 2: On Hindu Ritual and the Goddess. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226340473. pp. 91–92.

^ "Jeddah Flagpole inaugurated". arabnews.com. Retrieved 2014-09-23.

^ Former record: "Wer baut den hoechsten Fahnenmast". Asia Plus. September 9, 2008. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2011.

^ "Flag of Azerbaijan". Telegraph.co.uk. July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11.

^ "Looking for Afghanistan? Turn Left at the Enormous Flagpole". National Geographic. 2017-09-05.

^ "Karnataka's Belgaum is now home to India's tallest flag". Times Now News. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2019.

^ "Tallest flag in India: Country's tallest tricolour to be hoisted in Belagavi". The Times of India. Mar 12, 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2019.

^ "Timber! Steeplejacks to dismantle Kew Flagpole". Kew.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17.

^ Weyandt, Janet (25 May 2014). "High-flying: Up in time for Memorial Day, Acuity flag is world's tallest". The Sheboygan Press. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2014.

^ "Cone Tapered vs. Venetian Entasis Tapered". Lingo Flagpoles Inc. Archived from the original on 2005-02-28.

^ Inglefield, p. 12.

^ "Semaphore Flag Signalling System". ANBG.gov.au. Retrieved 31 March 2017.

^ Scanlon, Caitlin. "Flag Etiquette Do's and Don'ts". Military.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.

General and cited references

Inglefield, Eric (1979 edition). Flags. Ward Lock, London. ISBN 0706356527

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Flag | Origins, Forms, & Functions | Britannica

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flag, a piece of cloth, bunting, or similar material displaying the insignia of a sovereign state, a community, an organization, an armed force, an office, or an individual. A flag is usually, but not always, oblong and is attached by one edge to a staff or halyard.flag partsThe parts of a flag.(more)The part nearest the staff is called the hoist, and the outer part is called the fly. A flag’s length (also called the fly) usually exceeds its width (hoist). The main portion of the flag, constituting all or most of its area, is called the field or ground. In addition, flags often have a design element in the upper corner of the hoist, called the canton, which is distinct from the field. Flags of various forms and purpose are known as colours, standards, banners, ensigns, pendants (or pennants), pennons, guidons, and burgees.flag of Vatican CityFlag of Vatican City, an exception to the European heraldic rule about not combining two “metal” colours (i.e., yellow and white) in a flag design.(more)Flags originally were used mainly in warfare, and to some extent they have remained insignia of leadership, serving for the identification of friend or foe and as rallying points. They are now also extensively employed for signaling, for decoration, and for display. Because the usefulness of a flag for purposes of identification depends on its blowing out freely in the wind, the material that is preferred is usually light and bears a device or pattern identical on both sides. Wording therefore tends to be excluded, and the simpler patterns are favoured. Any colours or devices may be used, but European usage normally follows the practice of heraldry in discouraging the juxtaposition of “metal” and “metal” (i.e., of yellow and white) or of colour and colour without “metal” interposed. The flag of the Vatican city-state constitutes an exception to that rule.

Origins

Flags recognizable as such were almost certainly the invention of the ancient peoples of the Indian subcontinent or what is now China. It is said that the founder of the Zhou dynasty in China (1046–256 bce) had a white flag carried before him, and it is known that in 660 ce a minor prince was punished for failing to lower his standard before his superior. Chinese flags had devices such as a red bird, a white tiger, or a blue dragon. They were carried on chariots and planted upon the walls of captured cities. The royal flag, however, had all the attributes of kingship, being identified with the ruler himself and treated with a similar respect. It was thus a crime even to touch the flag-bearer. The fall of the flag meant defeat, and the king would rarely expose his flag and his person together, the flag being normally entrusted to a general.

Flags had equal importance in ancient India, being carried on chariots and elephants. The flag was the first object of attack in battle, and its fall would mean confusion if not defeat. Indian flags were often triangular in shape and scarlet or green in colour, with a figure embroidered in gold and a gold fringe. If those and the Chinese flags had a common origin in the standards of ancient Egypt and Assyria (standards, in that sense, meaning solid objects, such as metal animals, attached atop poles), then they might have developed from the streamers often attached to the pole. That possibility gains some likelihood from the fact that some Indian flagstaffs were surmounted by a figure similar to that displayed on the flag itself. Mughal royal insignia included, however, other things besides the flag, more especially yaks’ tails and the state umbrella. Flags seem also to have been used, in India as in China, for signaling, and there is an instance of a white flag being used as a signal for a truce as early as 1542 ce. Indian and Chinese usage spread to Myanmar (Burma), Siam (now Thailand), and other parts of southeastern Asia. Flags with a background of white, yellow, or black silk are mentioned, with devices (an elephant, a bull, or a water hen, for example) embroidered on them in gold. A Siamese treatise on war gives the impression that the flags were unfurled as the march began.

PakistanFlags were probably transmitted to Europe by the Saracens, and the prohibition in Islam against using any identifiable image as idolatrous influenced their design. They are often mentioned in the early history of Islam and may have been copied from India, but Islamic flags are greatly simplified and appear to have been plain black or white or red. Black was supposed to have been the colour of the Prophet Muhammad’s banner—the colour of vengeance. A black flag was used by the ʿAbbāsids in 746 ce (ah 129), the Umayyads choosing white by contrast and the Khārijites red. Green was the colour of the Fāṭimid dynasty and eventually became the colour of Islam. In adopting the crescent sign, however, about 1250, the Ottoman Turks apparently were reverting to an Assyrian sacred symbol of the 9th century bce and probably of greater antiquity than that. The crescent moon, with or without an additional star or stars, has since become the accepted official symbol of Islam.

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In Europe the first “national” flags were adopted in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Many of the leaders of that time adopted the flag of their patron saint to represent their country. In England, for example, the Cross of St. George was adopted in the 13th century. Toward the end of the Middle Ages, flags had become accepted symbols of countries, kings, organizations, cities, and guilds. Guild flags bore obvious devices. For example, a black flag with three white candles represented the candle makers of Bayeux, France.

Forms and functions

banners of CrusadersDetail of a 15th-century tapestry depicting the heraldic banners of Crusaders embarking for the Holy Land.(more)In Europe, flags were subdivided according to their shape and purpose into standards, banners, guidons, pennons, and streamers. There were also many flags of a personal, family, or local significance that were of a different, and usually more complex, pattern. Of the main types, the standard was the largest and was intended, from its size, to be stationary. It marked the position of an important individual before a battle, during a siege, throughout a ceremony, or at a tournament. For the monarch it marked the palace, castle, saluting base, tent, or ship where he or she was actually present. Standards were also used at first by the greater nobles, whose personal insignia they bore. They were originally long and tapering toward the fly, ending in two points. Banners were square or oblong and were borne in action (as the standard was not) before royal and noble warriors down to the rank of knight banneret. Those again bore the personal or family device. The guidon (a word derived from the French guyd-homme) was similar to the standard but was rounded in the fly or had two swallow tails, both rounded. Guidons were borne by leaders in battle who were of no more than knightly rank and so not entitled to display a banner. The pennon, a small triangular flag, was carried by each knight on his lance. One purpose of the pennon was to obviate accidents in much the same way as does a red flag tied to a long pole or rod that extends beyond the tailboard of a truck. But the pennon served also to strike terror into the enemy and to denote rank.

The streamer (now known as a pendant, or pennant) was a long tapering flag, 60 to 18 feet (18 to 5.5 metres) long and about 24 feet (7 metres) broad at the hoist, ending in two points. Because of its great length, almost its only use was at sea. In the 15th century it was flown from a pole rising above the fighting top, later from the yardarm or topmast. It came eventually to distinguish the warship from the merchantman and, more specifically, the warship in commission from the warship laid up in harbour. The pennant is white in the British Royal Navy, with a St. George’s Cross near the hoist, and denotes a warship in commission, being hoisted when the captain assumes command.

Jolly Roger flagJolly Roger, the traditional pirate flag, designed with a white skull and crossbones on a black field.(more)The flag over the centuries has developed many special uses. The black flag in days gone by was the symbol of the pirate. Throughout the world a yellow flag is the signal of infectious illness. A ship hoists it to denote that there are some on board suffering from yellow fever, cholera, or some such infectious malady, and it remains hoisted until the ship has passed quarantine. The flag is also hoisted on quarantine stations. The white flag is universally used as a flag of truce.

At sea, striking, or lowering, the flag denotes surrender. When the flag of one country is placed above that of another, the victory of the former is denoted. Hence, in time of peace it would be an insult to hoist the flag of one friendly nation above that of another. Each national flag must be flown from its own flagstaff. To denote honour and respect, a flag is “dipped.” Ships at sea salute each other by “dipping”—i.e., by running the flag slowly down from the masthead and then smartly replacing it. When troops parade before a sovereign or other reviewing officer, the regimental flags are lowered as they salute. A flag flying at half-mast is the universal symbol of mourning. A ship’s signal of distress is made by hoisting the national ensign reversed—i.e., upside down.

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national flag consisting of horizontal stripes of blue and red with a white hoist triangle incorporating a golden sun and three stars. The flag’s width-to-length ratio is generally 1 to 2.The 1898 overthrow of Spanish authority by the United States led Filipinos to believe that their country’s independence, proclaimed on June 12, 1898, was guaranteed. A national flag quite different from the revolutionary banners used a few years before was adopted. At the hoist was a white triangle, symbolic of liberty and probably derived from Masonic symbolism. It bore a golden sun and three golden stars, standing for the three main areas in the Philippines—the Luzon group of islands in the north, the Visayan group in the south, and the main southern island of Mindanao. The eight sun rays were for the provinces where the original anti-Spanish revolt had broken out. The remainder of the flag consisted of horizontal stripes of blue (for the willingness to sacrifice oneself for freedom) over red (for courage).

The first republic was finally suppressed by the United States, and its flag was outlawed between 1907 and 1920. In 1936 the new Commonwealth of the Philippines adopted that flag in anticipation of eventual independence. Under Japanese occupation, the Philippine flag was first forbidden and then officially recognized on October 14, 1943, when the Japanese-controlled second republic was proclaimed. Filipinos opposed to Japanese rule displayed the flag with the blue stripe down and the red stripe up (i.e., they hoisted the flag upside down). Finally, the United States granted independence to the Philippines on July 4, 1946, under the 1898 flag. In 1985 President Ferdinand Marcos altered the shade of blue from dark to light in the belief that the earliest flags of the republic had featured light blue. His successor, Corazon Aquino, reversed the change, but on September 16, 1997, in anticipation of the centennial of the original Philippine flag, the top stripe was again changed, from dark navy blue to a lighter royal blue.

Whitney Smith

PHILIPPINE FLAG - History Of The Creation Of The Flag

PHILIPPINE FLAG - History Of The Creation Of The Flag

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July 12, 2019 by Maestro Valle Rey in Categories EducationalPHILIPPINE FLAG – History Of The Creation Of The FlagPHILIPPINE FLAG – In this topic, we will now discuss about the history of the creation and changes of the national Philippine flag.

This is based on an article by the Manuel L. Quezon III, the descendant of the 2nd President Manuel L Quezon. The trace to search for its roots is surrounded by controversies and reliable sources. We will first begin in the Philippine Revolution, led by a movement called the Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangan Katipunan ng mga Anak Ng Bayan or Katipunan for short.

Their flag is commonly described as three Ks in a red field, where the red symbolizes the blood of where the members sign their oaths to be inducted in the society. There are two versions: One where the Ks are in a single line, and the other where the Ks from a triangle.by Jaume Ollé, 7 September 1996 | Photo uplifted from: CRWFlagsby Jaume Ollé, 7 September 1996 | Photo uplifted from: CRWFlagsBefore they declared independent, in May 28, 1898, Marcela Marino de Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad sew the first ever Philippine flag and was flown in battle. It was at June 12, 1898, now known as the Philippine Independence day, that the flag was unfurled by the first president Emilio Aguinaldo.

by Manuel L. Quezon III, 2 April 2002 | Photo uplifted from: CRWFlagsThe flag adapted the mythical sun with a face with eight rays representing the 8 provinces who revolted against the Spaniards: Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna and Batangas; the white triangle of masonry; the three stars; and the red and blue stripes, wherein if red is above the blue, it signifies war. The red and blue, according to history, is the same colors from the Cuban flag.In 1919 onwards, according to historians, the cloths containing the colors of the American flag was available in most stores. Thus, the flag adapted the colors of navy blue and red, with the design

by Manuel L. Quezon III, 2 April 2002 | Photo uplifted from: CRWFlagsOn March 25, 1936, Manuel L. Quezon issued Executive Order No. 23 which states that:Article XIII of the then-Constitution “prescribes what the Philippine National Flag should be without giving descriptions and specifications”; Act. 2928 described “the construction of the Philippine Flag without the necessary specifications of the different elements of the flag”; “[C]ompliance with this Act has not been uniformly carried out and has caused the making of Filipino flags in disproportionate sizes with different allegorical symbols of the flag.by Manuel L. Quezon III, 2 April 2002 | Photo uplifted from: CRWFlagsThe changes in the flag are as follows:The mythical sun was replaced by a standard sun and 8 raysThe colors are still American navy blue and redThe angle of the stars and the white triangle is codified.The ratio of the flag changed to 2:1In February 12, 1998, Republic Act 8491 was approved and changed the blue stripe of the flag from navy blue to royal blue, thus this is the flag that we use today.by Manuel L. Quezon III, 2 April 2002 | Photo uplifted from: CRWFlagsThe RA states that:SECTION 4. The flag of the Philippines shall be blue, white and red with an eight-rayed golden-yellow sun and three five-pointed stars, as consecrated and honored by the people.SECTION 26. The period from May 28 to June 12 of each year is declared as Flag Days, during which period all offices, agencies and instrumentalities of government, business establishments, institutions of learning and private homes are enjoined to display the flag.SECTION 27. The flag shall have the following proportions. The width of the flag, 1; the length of the flag, 2; and the sides of the white triangle, 1.SECTION 28. The technical specifications shall be as follows: The blue color shall bear Cable No. 80173; the white color, Cable No. 80001; the red color, Cable No. 80108; and the golden yellow, Cable No. 80068.READ ALSO: PHILIPPINE FOLK DANCES – List Of Filipino Dances

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Flag of the United States of America | History, Meaning, Facts, & Design | Britannica

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Also known as: Old Glory, Star-Spangled Banner, Stars and Stripes

Written by

Whitney Smith

Former Director, Flag Research Center, Winchester, Massachusetts. Author of Flags and Arms Across the World and others.

Whitney Smith,

Marc Leepson

Historian and journalist Marc Leepson is the author of nine books, including What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life; Saving Monticello; and Ballad of the Green Beret: The Life and...

Marc LeepsonSee All

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Last Updated:

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Article History

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national flag consisting of white stars (50 since July 4, 1960) on a blue canton with a field of 13 alternating stripes, 7 red and 6 white. The 50 stars stand for the 50 states of the union, and the 13 stripes stand for the original 13 states. The flag’s width-to-length ratio is 10 to 19.Grand Union FlagFirst Navy Jack flagAfter the American Revolution began, the first, unofficial national flag—known as the Continental Colours (or, sometimes, as the Grand Union Flag, the Cambridge Flag, the Somerville Flag, or the Union Flag)—was hoisted on a towering 76-foot (23-metre) liberty pole at Prospect Hill in Charlestown (now in Somerville), Massachusetts, on January 1, 1776; it was raised at the behest of Gen. George Washington, whose headquarters were nearby. The flag had 13 horizontal stripes (probably of red and white or of red, white, and blue) and, in the canton, the first version of the British Union Flag (Union Jack). As the flag of the Continental Army, it flew at forts and on naval vessels. Another popular early flag, that of the 1765 Sons of Liberty, had only nine red and white stripes. Various versions of “Don’t Tread on Me” coiled-rattlesnake flags appeared on many 18th-century American colonial banners, including the Gadsden flag and several others flown by military units during the Revolutionary War. The version carried by the Minutemen of Culpeper County, Virginia, for example, included not only the rattlesnake and the “Don’t Tread on Me” motto but also Virginia patriot Patrick Henry’s famous words “Liberty or Death.”U.S. flag commonly attributed to Betsy RossThe U.S. flag commonly attributed to Betsy Ross.(more)The first official national flag, formally approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, was the Stars and Stripes. That first Flag Resolution read, in toto, “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” The layout of the stars was left undefined, and many patterns were used by flag makers. The designer of the flag—most likely Congressman Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Philadelphia—may have had a ring of stars in mind to symbolize the new constellation. Today that pattern is popularly known as the “Betsy Ross flag,” although the widely circulated story that she made the first Stars and Stripes and came up with the ring pattern is unsubstantiated. Rows of stars (4-5-4 or 3-2-3-2-3) were common, but many other variations also existed. The new Stars and Stripes formed part of the military colours carried on September 11, 1777, at the Battle of the Brandywine, perhaps its first such use.

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United States, 1795–1818United States, 1818United States, 1912The Stars and Stripes changed on May 1, 1795, when Congress enacted the second Flag Resolution, which mandated that new stars and stripes be added to the flag when new states were admitted to the Union. The first two new states were Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792). (One such flag was the 1,260-square-foot [117-square-metre] “Star-Spangled Banner,” made by Mary Pickersgill, that Francis Scott Key saw at Fort McHenry in September 1814, which inspired him to write the patriotic poem that later supplied the lyrics of the national anthem.) In 1818, after five more states had been admitted, Congress enacted the third and last Flag Resolution, requiring that henceforth the number of stripes should remain 13, the number of stars should always match the number of states, and any new star should be added on the July 4 following a state’s admission. This has been the system ever since. In all, from 1777 to 1960 (after the admission of Hawaii in 1959), there were 27 versions of the flag—25 involving changes in the stars only. An executive order signed by Pres. William Howard Taft on October 29, 1912, standardized for the first time the proportions and relative sizes of the elements of the flag; in 1934 the exact shades of colour were standardized.There is no official assignment of meaning or symbolism to the colours of the flag. However, Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, in describing the proposed Great Seal of the United States, suggested the following symbolism: “White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue…signifies vigilence [sic], perseverence [sic] & justice.” As with many other national flags, the Stars and Stripes has long been a focus of patriotic sentiment. Since 1892, millions of children have recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag at the start of each school day, and the lyrics of the national anthem are also concerned with the flag. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that all flag desecration laws were unconstitutional, some veterans’ and patriotic groups pressured legislators to adopt laws or a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. Such legislation has been opposed on the grounds that it would infringe on the constitutionally guaranteed First Amendment freedom of expression.

First Confederate Flag, 1861Confederate Battle FlagThe “Southern Cross” version of the Confederate Battle Flag.(more)Stainless BannerThe Stainless Banner, first official national flag of the Confederate States of America.(more)During the American Civil War, the Confederate States of America began to use its first flag, the Stars and Bars, on March 5, 1861. Soon after, the first Confederate Battle Flag was also flown. The design of the Stars and Bars varied over the following two years. On May 1, 1863, the Confederacy adopted its first official national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. A modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865, about a month before the end of the war. In the latter part of the 20th century, many groups in the South challenged the practice of flying the Confederate Battle Flag on public buildings, including some state capitols. Proponents of the tradition argued that the flag recalled Southern heritage and wartime sacrifice, whereas opponents saw it as a symbol of racism and slavery, inappropriate for official display. Whitney Smith Marc Leepson

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Flag Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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Est. 1828

Dictionary

Definition

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noun (2)

verb (1)

verb (2)

noun (3)

verb (3)

noun

6

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb (1)

verb (2)

noun (3)

verb (3)

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flag

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈflag 

 also  ˈflāg

Synonyms of flag

: any of various monocotyledonous plants with long ensiform leaves: such as

a

: iris

especially

: a wild iris

b

: sweet flag

flag

2 of 6

noun (2)

often attributive

1

: a usually rectangular piece of fabric of distinctive design that is used as a symbol (as of a nation), as a signaling device, or as a decoration

2

a

: the tail of some dogs (such as a setter or hound)

also

: the long hair fringing a dog's tail

b

: the tail of a deer

3

a

: something used like a flag to signal or attract attention

b

: one of the cross strokes of a musical note less than a quarter note in value

4

: something represented by a flag: such as

a

: flagship

b

: an admiral functioning in his office of command

c

: nationality

especially

: the nationality of registration of a ship or aircraft

flag

3 of 6

verb (1)

flagged; flagging

transitive verb

1

: to signal with or as if with a flag

especially

: to signal to stop

flagged the train

—often used with down

2

: to mark or identify with or as if with a flag

flagged potential problems in the proposal

3

: to call a penalty on : penalize

a lineman flagged for being offside

flag

4 of 6

verb (2)

flagged; flagging

intransitive verb

1

: to hang loose without stiffness

2

a

: to become unsteady, feeble, or spiritless

b

: to decline in interest, attraction, or value

flagging stock prices

flag

5 of 6

noun (3)

: a hard evenly stratified stone that splits into flat pieces suitable for paving

also

: a piece of such stone

flag

6 of 6

verb (3)

flagged; flagging

transitive verb

: to lay (something, such as a pavement) with flags (see flag entry 5)

Synonyms

Noun (2)

banderole

banderol

banner

colors

ensign

guidon

jack

pendant [chiefly British]

pendent

pennant

pennon

standard

streamer

Verb (1)

beckon

gesture

motion

signal

wave

Verb (2)

droop

hang

loll

sag

swag

wilt

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of flag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the WebNoun

The president — who was sporting a flag pin on his lapel featuring the American and Ukrainian flags in the midst of a fight in Congress over further funding for the war in Ukraine — also sat on the couch with Poehler to reminisce about his guest spot on Parks and Recreation.

—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024

Bolsonaro was also seen waving an Israel flag during the rally Sunday in opposition to Lula da Silva, who has compared Israel’s offensive on Gaza to the Holocaust.

—Michael Rios, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024

One of the teams featured a guy known for holding a big American flag as a hurricane blew in.

—Patricia Mazzei Jason Andrew, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024

Trustee wished flags were raised earlier in the process

At the Feb. 13 village board meeting, Trustee Jennie Stoltz expressed disappointment at finding out about the potential issues so late in the process.

—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2024

Achievements of hers that have played well nationally—forcing transparency on lawmakers, taking down the Confederate flag from the State House—have alienated much of the conservative establishment in her state.

—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024

Dozens of tractors drove peacefully into Paris carrying flags from Rural Coordination, the farmers’ union that staged the protest.

—Sylvie Corbet, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024

Simon’s widow Juanita Simon sat in the first pew, with other members of her family, waiting to receive the flag.

—Graham Womack, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024

Wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass, hopped off his bus and ran with a giant Chiefs flag.

—The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2024

Verb

Vegas is going to be flagged more than the United Nations.

—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024

After that person was immediately flagged as a potential family member, other family members were encouraged to submit their DNA, and through interviews with the DNA donor’s family, a link was eventually found, per police.

—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2024

But in February 2023, amid opposition from some neighborhood groups, Gelber and the City Commission declined to support the Metromover project, instead flagging concerns to the county about its implications for development.

—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024

After checking his score, the American stands by – caddie in tow – as a rules official logs his scores into a computer in case an inconsistency is flagged.

—Jack Bantock, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024

Musgrove flagged down a passing driver to hold Ariel.

—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2024

The bureau flagged the message and launched an investigation.

—The Enquirer, 16 Feb. 2024

His net worth is estimated at $11 million, with some of that dough going to support outreach programs flagged by the Guy Fieri Foundation.

—Leslie Kelly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024

In the 1881 edition of Truth’s life story, Olive Gilbert described a time when Truth tried to flag down a streetcar, only to be ignored.

—Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024

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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English flagge reed, rush

Noun (2)

probably akin to fag end of cloth — more at fag end

Verb (2)

probably from flag entry 2

Noun (3)

Middle English flagge turf, perhaps from Old Norse flaga slab; akin to Old English flōh chip

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above Noun (2)

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb (1)

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb (2)

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun (3)

1604, in the meaning defined above Verb (3)

1615, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of flag was

in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing flag

blue flag

checkered flag

black flag

flag day

flag football

flag officer

blue flag iris

capture the flag

flag rank

false flag

flag of convenience

flag-waver

raise the white flag

flag stop

red flag law

flag of truce

flag-waving

red flag

white flag

took the checkered flag

sweet flag

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Dictionary Entries Near flag

flaff

flag

flag alarm

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“Flag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flag. Accessed 12 Mar. 2024.

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Kids Definition

flag

1 of 6

noun

ˈflag 

: any of various irises

especially

: a wild iris

flag

2 of 6

noun

1

: a piece of cloth with a special design that is used as a symbol (as of a nation) or for signaling

2

: something used like a flag to signal or attract attention

flag

3 of 6

verb

flagged; flagging

: to signal with or as if with a flag

especially

: to signal to stop

flag a taxi

flag

4 of 6

verb

flagged; flagging

1

: to be limp : droop

2

: to become weak

his hope flagged

flag

5 of 6

noun

1

: a hard stone that easily splits into flat pieces

2

: a piece of flag used for paving

flag

6 of 6

verb

flagged; flagging

: to pave (as a walk) with flags

Etymology

Noun

Middle English flagge "reed"

Noun

probably akin to fag "end of cloth"

Verb

probably from 2flag

Noun

Middle English flagge "a piece of turf, a flat paving stone"

More from Merriam-Webster on flag

Nglish: Translation of flag for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of flag for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flag

Last Updated:

1 Mar 2024

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Flag of the United States - Wikipedia

Flag of the United States - Wikipedia

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1History

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1.1First flag

1.2Flag Resolution of 1777

1.3Designer of the first stars and stripes

1.4Later flag acts

1.549- and 50-star unions

1.6"Flower Flag" arrives in Asia

1.7Civil War and the flag

1.8Historical progression of designs

2Symbolism

Toggle Symbolism subsection

2.1Color symbolism

3Design

Toggle Design subsection

3.1Specifications

3.2Colors

3.3Decoration

4Display and use

Toggle Display and use subsection

4.1Flag etiquette

4.2Display on vehicles

4.3Display on uniforms

4.4Postage stamps

4.5Display in museums

4.6Places of continuous display

4.7Particular days for display

4.8Display at half-staff

4.9Desecration

5Folding for storage

6Use in funerals

7Surviving historical flags

Toggle Surviving historical flags subsection

7.1Revolutionary War

7.2War of 1812

7.3Antebellum Period

7.4Civil War

7.5Reconstruction

7.6World War II

7.7Cold War

7.8Modern day

8Related flags

9Possible future design of the flag

10See also

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10.1Article sections

10.2Associated people

11References

12Bibliography

13Further reading

14External links

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Flag of the United States

93 languages

AfrikaansአማርኛالعربيةԱրեւմտահայերէնArpetanAsturianuAzərbaycancaتۆرکجهBasa BaliBân-lâm-gúБеларускаяБеларуская (тарашкевіца)Bikol CentralБългарскиBosanskiBrezhonegCatalàČeštinaCymraegDanskDeutschEestiΕλληνικάЭрзяньEspañolEsperantoEuskaraفارسیFøroysktFrançaisFryskGaeilgeGalego한국어Հայերենहिन्दीHrvatskiIdoIlokanoবিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরীBahasa Indonesiaᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ / inuktitutÍslenskaItalianoעבריתქართულიҚазақшаKurdîLadinoLatinaLatviešuLietuviųLingua Franca NovaLombardMagyarМакедонскиമലയാളംमराठीمصرىBahasa MelayuМонголမြန်မာဘာသာNederlandsनेपाली日本語Norsk bokmålNorsk nynorskOʻzbekcha / ўзбекчаپنجابیPolskiPortuguêsQırımtatarcaRomânăРусскийScotsShqipSimple EnglishSlovenčinaSlovenščinaСрпски / srpskiSrpskohrvatski / српскохрватскиSuomiSvenskaTagalogไทยTürkçeУкраїнськаVepsän kel’Tiếng Việt吴语Yorùbá粵語中文

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

National flag

"American Flag" redirects here. For other uses, see American Flag (disambiguation).For the flags of the U.S. states, and the flags of U.S. territories, see Flags of the U.S. states and territories.For historical and other flags, see List of flags of the United States.

United States of AmericaOther namesThe American flag,

The Stars and Stripes

Red, White, and Blue

Old Glory

The Star-Spangled Banner

United States (U.S.) flag

UseNational flag and ensign Proportion10:19AdoptedDecember 3, 1775(Grand Union Flag)June 14, 1777(13-star version)July 4, 1960(current 50-star version)DesignThirteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white; in the canton, 50 white stars of alternating numbers of six and five per horizontal row on a blue field

Pantone

The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton, referred to as the union and bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from Great Britain, which they obtained in their victory in the American Revolutionary War.[1]

During the Revolutionary War era, the "Rebellious Stripes" were considered as the most important element of United States flag designs, and were always mentioned before the stars. The "Stripes and Stars" was a popular phrase into the 19th century. Credit for the term "Stars and Stripes" has been given to the Marquis de Lafayette, a French soldier who volunteered his aid to the Continental Army, led by George Washington, in the Revolutionary War against Britain.[2]

Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes,[3] Old Glory, and The Star-Spangled Banner.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of the flag of the United States.

See also: List of flags of the United States

The current design of the U.S. flag is its 27th; the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777. The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4, 1959. The 50-star flag was ordered by then president Eisenhower on August 21, 1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the longest-used version of the U.S. flag and has been in use for over 63 years.[4]

First flag

Main article: Grand Union Flag

The flag of the East India Company, introduced in 1707 and flown at sea in the Indian Ocean

The Grand Union Flag, also known as the Continental Colors, used between 1775 and 1777

The first flag resembling the modern stars and stripes was an unofficial flag sometimes called the Grand Union Flag, or "the Continental Colors". It consisted of 13 red-and-white stripes, with the Union Jack in the upper left-hand-corner. It first appeared on December 3, 1775, when Continental Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones flew it aboard Captain Esek Hopkin's flagship Alfred in the Delaware River.[5] It remained the national flag until June 14, 1777.[6] At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, there were no flags with any stars on them; the Second Continental Congress did not adopt flags with "stars, white in a blue field" for another year. The "Grand Union Flag" has historically been referred to as the first national flag of the United States.[7]

The Continental Navy raised the Colors as the ensign of the fledgling nation in the American War for Independence – likely by the expedient of transforming their previous British red ensign by adding white stripes.[7][8] The name "Grand Union" was first applied to the Continental Colors by George Henry Preble in his 1872 book known as History of the American Flag.[8]

The flag very closely resembles the flag of the British East India Company in that era. Sir Charles Fawcett argued in 1937 that the company flag inspired the design of the U.S. flag.[9] Both flags could easily have been constructed by adding white stripes to a British Red Ensign, one of the three maritime flags used throughout the British Empire at the time. However, the East India Company flag could have from nine to 13 stripes and was not allowed to be flown outside the Indian Ocean.[10] Benjamin Franklin once gave a speech endorsing the adoption of the company's flag by the United States as their national flag. He said to George Washington, "While the field of your flag must be new in the details of its design, it need not be entirely new in its elements. There is already in use a flag, I refer to the flag of the East India Company."[11] This was a way of symbolizing American loyalty to the Crown as well as the United States' aspirations to be self-governing, as was the East India Company. Some colonists also felt that the company could be a powerful ally in the American War of Independence, as they shared similar aims and grievances against the British government's tax policies. Colonists, therefore, flew the company's flag to endorse the company.[12]

The theory that the Grand Union Flag was a direct descendant of the flag of the East India Company has been criticized as lacking written evidence;[13] on the other hand, the resemblance is obvious, and some of the Founding Fathers of the United States were aware of the East India Company's activities and of their free administration of India under Company rule.[13]

Flag Resolution of 1777

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."[14] Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment.[15]

Both the stripes (barry) and the stars (mullets) have precedents in classical heraldry. Mullets were comparatively rare in early modern heraldry. However, an example of mullets representing territorial divisions predating the U.S. flag is the Valais 1618 coat of arms, where seven mullets stood for seven districts.

Another widely repeated theory is that the design was inspired by the coat of arms of George Washington's family, which includes three red stars over two horizontal red bars on a white field.[16] Despite the similar visual elements, there is "little evidence"[17] or "no evidence whatsoever"[18] to support the claimed connection with the flag design. The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington, published by the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, calls it an "enduring myth" backed by "no discernible evidence."[19] The story seems to have originated with the 1876 play Washington: A Drama in Five Acts, by the English poet Martin Farquhar Tupper, and was further popularized through repetition in the children's magazine St. Nicholas.[17][18]

The first official U.S. flag flown during battle was on August 3, 1777, at Fort Schuyler (Fort Stanwix) during the Siege of Fort Stanwix. Massachusetts reinforcements brought news of the adoption by Congress of the official flag to Fort Schuyler. Soldiers cut up their shirts to make the white stripes; scarlet material to form the red was secured from red flannel petticoats of officers' wives, while material for the blue union was secured from Capt. Abraham Swartwout's blue cloth coat. A voucher is extant that Congress paid Capt. Swartwout of Dutchess County for his coat for the flag.[20]

The 1777 resolution was probably meant to define a naval ensign. In the late 18th century, the notion of a national flag did not yet exist or was only nascent. The flag resolution appears between other resolutions from the Marine Committee. On May 10, 1779, Secretary of the Board of War Richard Peters expressed concern that "it is not yet settled what is the Standard of the United States."[21] However, the term "Standard" referred to a national standard for the Army of the United States. Each regiment was to carry the national standard in addition to its regimental standard. The national standard was not a reference to the national or naval flag.[22]

The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement, number of points, nor orientation for the stars and the arrangement or whether the flag had to have seven red stripes and six white ones or vice versa.[23] The appearance was up to the maker of the flag. Some flag makers arranged the stars into one big star, in a circle or in rows and some replaced a state's star with its initial.[24] One arrangement features 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, with the stars arranged pointing outwards from the circle (as opposed to up), the Betsy Ross flag. Experts have dated the earliest known example of this flag to be 1792 in a painting by John Trumbull.[25]

Despite the 1777 resolution, the early years of American independence featured many different flags. Most were individually crafted rather than mass-produced. While there are many examples of 13-star arrangements, some of those flags included blue stripes[26] as well as red and white. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, in an October 3, 1778, letter to Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, described the American flag as consisting of "13 stripes, alternately red, white, and blue, a small square in the upper angle, next to the flagstaff, is a blue field, with 13 white stars, denoting a new Constellation."[27] John Paul Jones used a variety of 13-star flags on his U.S. Navy ships including the well-documented 1779 flags of the Serapis and the Alliance. The Serapis flag had three rows of eight-pointed stars with red, white, and blue stripes. However, the flag for the Alliance had five rows of eight-pointed stars with 13 red and white stripes, and the white stripes were on the outer edges.[28] Both flags were documented by the Dutch government in October 1779, making them two of the earliest known flags of 13 stars.[29]

Designer of the first stars and stripes

Francis Hopkinson's flag for the U.S., an interpretation, with 13 six-pointed stars arranged in five rows[30]

Hopkinson Flag for the U.S. Navy, an interpretation[31]

Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a naval flag designer and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, designed a flag in 1777[32] while he was the chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department, sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777. The Navy Board was under the Continental Marine Committee.[33] Not only did Hopkinson claim that he designed the U.S. flag, but he also claimed that he designed a flag for the U.S. Navy. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own life when he sent a letter and several bills to Congress for his work. These claims are documented in the Journals of the Continental Congress and George Hasting's biography of Hopkinson. Hopkinson initially wrote a letter to Congress, via the Continental Board of Admiralty, on May 25, 1780.[34] In this letter, he asked for a "Quarter Cask of the Public Wine" as payment for designing the U.S. flag, the seal for the Admiralty Board, the seal for the Treasury Board, Continental currency, the Great Seal of the United States, and other devices. However, in three subsequent bills to Congress, Hopkinson asked to be paid in cash, but he did not list his U.S. flag design. Instead, he asked to be paid for designing the "great Naval Flag of the United States" in the first bill; the "Naval Flag of the United States" in the second bill; and "the Naval Flag of the States" in the third, along with the other items. The flag references were generic terms for the naval ensign that Hopkinson had designed: a flag of seven red stripes and six white ones. The predominance of red stripes made the naval flag more visible against the sky on a ship at sea. By contrast, Hopkinson's flag for the United States had seven white stripes and six red ones – in reality, six red stripes laid on a white background.[35] Hopkinson's sketches have not been found, but we can make these conclusions because Hopkinson incorporated different stripe arrangements in the Admiralty (naval) Seal that he designed in the Spring of 1780 and the Great Seal of the United States that he proposed at the same time. His Admiralty Seal had seven red stripes;[36] whereas his second U.S. Seal proposal had seven white ones.[37] Remnants of Hopkinson's U.S. flag of seven white stripes can be found in the Great Seal of the United States and the President's seal.[35] The stripe arrangement would have been consistent with other flags of the period that had seven stripes below the canton, or blue area with stars. For example, two of the earliest known examples of Stars and Stripes flags were painted by a Dutch artist who witnessed the arrival of Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones' squadron in Texel, The Netherlands, in 1779. The two flags have seven stripes below the canton.[38]

When Hopkinson was chairman of the Navy Board, his position was like that of today's Secretary of the Navy.[39] The payment was not made, most likely, because other people had contributed to designing the Great Seal of the United States,[40] and because it was determined he already received a salary as a member of Congress.[41][42] This contradicts the legend of the Betsy Ross flag, which suggests that she sewed the first Stars and Stripes flag at the request of the government in the Spring of 1776.[43][44]

On 10 May 1779, a letter from the War Board to George Washington stated that there was still no design established for a national standard, on which to base regimental standards, but also referenced flag requirements given to the board by General von Steuben.[45] On 3 September, Richard Peters submitted to Washington "Drafts of a Standard" and asked for his "Ideas of the Plan of the Standard," adding that the War Board preferred a design they viewed as "a variant for the Marine Flag." Washington agreed that he preferred "the standard, with the Union and Emblems in the center."[45] The drafts are lost to history but are likely to be similar to the first Jack of the United States.[45]

13-star Betsy Ross variant

13-star Cowpens flag variant The origin of the stars and stripes design has been muddled by a story disseminated by the descendants of Betsy Ross. The apocryphal story credits Betsy Ross for sewing one of the first flags from a pencil sketch handed to her by George Washington. No such evidence exists either in George Washington's diaries or the Continental Congress's records. Indeed, nearly a century passed before Ross's grandson, William Canby, first publicly suggested the story in 1870.[46] By her family's own admission, Ross ran an upholstery business, and she had never made a flag as of the supposed visit in June 1776.[47] Furthermore, her grandson admitted that his own search through the Journals of Congress and other official records failed to find corroborating evidence for his grandmother's story.[48]

George Henry Preble states in his 1882 text that no combined stars and stripes flag was in common use prior to June 1777,[49] and that no one knows who designed the 1777 flag.[50] Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich argues that there was no "first flag" worth arguing over.[51] Researchers accept that the United States flag evolved, and did not have one design. Marla Miller writes, "The flag, like the Revolution it represents, was the work of many hands."[52]

The family of Rebecca Young claimed that she sewed the first flag.[53] Young's daughter was Mary Pickersgill, who made the Star-Spangled Banner Flag.[54][55] She was assisted by Grace Wisher, a 13-year-old African American girl.[56]

Later flag acts

See also: Flag Acts

15-star, 15-stripe Star-Spangled Banner FlagThe 48-star flag was in use from 1912 to 1959, the second longest-used U.S. flag. The current U.S. flag is the longest-used flag, having surpassed the 1912 version in 2007.

Oil painting depicting the 39 historical U.S. flags.

In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the Union). For a time the flag was not changed when subsequent states were admitted, probably because it was thought that this would cause too much clutter. It was the 15-star, 15-stripe flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "Defence of Fort M'Henry", later known as "The Star-Spangled Banner", which is now the American national anthem. The flag is currently on display in the exhibition "The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem" at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in a two-story display chamber that protects the flag while it is on view.[57]

On April 4, 1818, a plan was passed by Congress at the suggestion of U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C. Reid[58] in which the flag was changed to have 20 stars, with a new star to be added when each new state was admitted, but the number of stripes would be reduced to 13 so as to honor the original colonies. The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4 (Independence Day) following the admission of one or more new states.[59]

In 1912, the 48-star flag was adopted. This was the first time that a flag act specified an official arrangement of the stars in the canton, namely six rows of eight stars each, where each star would point upward.[59] The U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, however, has already been using standardized designs. Throughout the 19th century, different star patterns, both rectangular and circular, had been abundant in civilian use.[citation needed]

In 1960, the current 50-star flag was adopted, incorporating the most recent change, from 49 stars to 50, when the present design was chosen, after Hawaii gained statehood in August 1959. Before that, the admission of Alaska in January 1959 had prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag.[59]

49- and 50-star unions

A U.S. flag with gold fringe and a gold eagle on top of the flag pole

When Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for statehood in the 1950s, more than 1,500 designs were submitted to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although some were 49-star versions, the vast majority were 50-star proposals. At least three of these designs were identical to the present design of the 50-star flag.[60] At the time, credit was given by the executive department to the United States Army Institute of Heraldry for the design.[citation needed] The 49- and 50-star flags were each flown for the first time at Fort McHenry on Independence Day, in 1959 and 1960 respectively.[61]

On July 4, 2007, the 50-star flag became the version of the flag in the longest use, surpassing the 48-star flag that was used from 1912 to 1959.[62]

"Flower Flag" arrives in Asia

The U.S. flag was brought to the city of Canton (Guǎngzhōu) in China in 1784 by the merchant ship Empress of China, which carried a cargo of ginseng.[63] There it gained the designation "Flower Flag" (Chinese: 花旗; pinyin: huāqí; Cantonese Yale: fākeì).[64] According to a pseudonymous account first published in the Boston Courier and later retold by author and U.S. naval officer George H. Preble:

When the thirteen stripes and stars first appeared at Canton, much curiosity was excited among the people. News was circulated that a strange ship had arrived from the further end of the world, bearing a flag "as beautiful as a flower". Every body went to see the kwa kee chuen [花旗船; Fākeìsyùhn], or "flower flagship". This name at once established itself in the language, and America is now called the kwa kee kwoh [花旗國; Fākeìgwok], the "flower flag country"—and an American, kwa kee kwoh yin [花旗國人; Fākeìgwokyàhn]—"flower flag countryman"—a more complimentary designation than that of "red headed barbarian"—the name first bestowed upon the Dutch.[65][66]

In the above quote, the Chinese words are written phonetically based on spoken Cantonese. The names given were common usage in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.[67]

Chinese now refer to the United States as Měiguó from Mandarin (simplified Chinese: 美国; traditional Chinese: 美國). Měi is short for Měilìjiān (simplified Chinese: 美利坚; traditional Chinese: 美利堅, phono-semantic matching of "American") and "guó" means "country", so this name is unrelated to the flag. However, the "flower flag" terminology persists in some places today: for example, American ginseng is called flower flag ginseng (simplified Chinese: 花旗参; traditional Chinese: 花旗參) in Chinese, and Citibank, which opened a branch in China in 1902, is known as Flower Flag Bank (花旗银行).[67]

Similarly, Vietnamese also uses the borrowed term from Chinese with Sino-Vietnamese reading for the United States, as Hoa Kỳ from 花旗 ("Flower Flag"). Even though the United States is also called nước Mỹ (or simpler Mỹ) colloquially in Vietnamese before the name Měiguó was popular amongst Chinese, Hoa Kỳ is always recognized as the formal name for the United States with the Vietnamese state officially designates it as Hợp chúng quốc Hoa Kỳ (chữ Hán: 合眾國 花旗, lit. 'United states of the Flower Flag').[68] By that, in Vietnam, the U.S. is also nicknamed xứ Cờ Hoa ("land of Flower Flag") based on the Hoa Kỳ designation.[69]

Additionally, the seal of Shanghai Municipal Council in Shanghai International Settlement from 1869 included the U.S. flag as part of the top left-hand shield near the flag of the U.K., as the U.S. participated in the creation of this enclave in the Chinese city of Shanghai. It is also included in the badge of the Gulangyu Municipal Police in the International Settlement of Gulangyu, Amoy.[70]

President Richard Nixon presented a U.S. flag and Moon rocks to Mao Zedong during his visit to China in 1972. They are now on display at the National Museum of China.[citation needed]

The U.S. flag took its first trip around the world in 1787–1790 on board the Columbia.[64] William Driver, who coined the phrase "Old Glory", took the U.S. flag around the world in 1831–32.[64] The flag attracted the notice of the Japanese when an oversized version was carried to Yokohama by the steamer Great Republic as part of a round-the-world journey in 1871.[71]

Civil War and the flag

Our Banner in the Sky (1861) by Frederic Edwin Church

Prior to the Civil War, the American flag was rarely seen outside of military forts, government buildings and ships. This changed following the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861. The flag flying over the fort was allowed to leave with the Union troops as they surrendered. It was taken across Northern cities, which spurred a wave of "Flagmania". The Stars and Stripes, which had had no real place in the public conscious, suddenly became a part of the national identity. The flag became a symbol of the Union, and the sale of flags exploded at this time.

Historian Adam Goodheart wrote:

For the first time American flags were mass-produced rather than individually stitched and even so, manufacturers could not keep up with demand. As the long winter of 1861 turned into spring, that old flag meant something new. The abstraction of the Union cause was transfigured into a physical thing: strips of cloth that millions of people would fight for, and many thousands die for.[72]

In the Civil War, the flag was allowed to be carried into battle, reversing the 1847 regulation which prohibited this. (During the American War of Independence and War of 1812 the army was not officially sanctioned to carry the United States flag into battle. It was not until 1834 that the artillery was allowed to carry the American flag; the army would be granted to do the same in 1841. However, in 1847, in the middle of the war with Mexico, the flag was limited to camp use and not allowed to be brought into battle.)[73] Some wanted to remove the stars of the states which had seceded but Abraham Lincoln was opposed, believing it would give legitimacy to the Confederate states.[74]

Historical progression of designs

Main article: History of the flags of the United States

See also: List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union

In the following table depicting the 28 various designs of the United States flag, the star patterns for the flags are merely the usual patterns, often associated with the United States Navy. Canton designs, prior to the proclamation of the 48-star flag, had no official arrangement of the stars. Furthermore, the exact colors of the flag were not standardized until 1934.[75][76]

Number ofstars

Number ofstripes

Design(s)

States representedby new stars

Dates in use

Duration

0

13

King's Colours before stars, red and white stripes represent Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia

December 3, 1775[77] – June 14, 1777

1+1⁄2 years

13

13

Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia

June 14, 1777 – May 1, 1795

18 years

15

15

Vermont, Kentucky

May 1, 1795 – July 3, 1818

23 years

20

13

Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi

July 4, 1818 – July 3, 1819

1 year

21

13

Illinois

July 4, 1819 – July 3, 1820

1 year

23

13

Alabama, Maine

July 4, 1820 – July 3, 1822

2 years

24

13

Missouri

July 4, 1822 – July 3, 18361831 term "Old Glory" coined

14 years

25

13

Arkansas

July 4, 1836 – July 3, 1837

1 year

26

13

Michigan

July 4, 1837 – July 3, 1845

8 years

27

13

Florida

July 4, 1845 – July 3, 1846

1 year

28

13

Texas

July 4, 1846 – July 3, 1847

1 year

29

13

Iowa

July 4, 1847 – July 3, 1848

1 year

30

13

Wisconsin

July 4, 1848 – July 3, 1851

3 years

31

13

California

July 4, 1851 – July 3, 1858

7 years

32

13

Minnesota

July 4, 1858 – July 3, 1859

1 year

33

13

Oregon

July 4, 1859 – July 3, 1861

2 years

34

13

Kansas

July 4, 1861 – July 3, 1863

2 years

35

13

West Virginia

July 4, 1863 – July 3, 1865

2 years

36

13

Nevada

July 4, 1865 – July 3, 1867

2 years

37

13

Nebraska

July 4, 1867 – July 3, 1877

10 years

38

13

Colorado

July 4, 1877 – July 3, 1890

13 years

43

13

North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho

July 4, 1890 – July 3, 1891

1 year

44

13

Wyoming

July 4, 1891 – July 3, 1896

5 years

45

13

Utah

July 4, 1896 – July 3, 1908

12 years

46

13

Oklahoma

July 4, 1908 – July 3, 1912

4 years

48

13

New Mexico,[78] Arizona

July 4, 1912 – July 3, 1959

47 years

49

13

Alaska

July 4, 1959 – July 3, 1960

1 year

50

13

Hawaii

July 4, 1960 – present

63 years

Symbolism

The flag of the United States is the nation's most widely recognized symbol.[79] Within the United States, flags are frequently displayed not only on public buildings but on private residences. The flag is a common motif on decals for car windows, and on clothing ornamentation such as badges and lapel pins. Owing to the United States's emergence as a superpower in the 20th century, the flag is among the most widely recognized symbols in the world, and is used to represent the United States.[80]

The flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism, and is flown on many occasions, with giant outdoor flags used by retail outlets to draw customers. Reverence for the flag has at times reached religion-like fervor: in 1919 William Norman Guthrie's book The Religion of Old Glory discussed "the cult of the flag"[81]

and formally proposed vexillolatry.[82]

Despite a number of attempts to ban the practice, desecration of the flag remains protected as free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Scholars have noted the irony that "[t]he flag is so revered because it represents the land of the free, and that freedom includes the ability to use or abuse that flag in protest".[83] Comparing practice worldwide, Testi noted in 2010 that the United States was not unique in adoring its banner, for the flags of Scandinavian countries are also "beloved, domesticated, commercialized and sacralized objects".[84]

Color symbolism

When the flag was officially adopted in 1777, the colors of red, white and blue were not given an official meaning. However, when Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, presented a proposed U.S. seal in 1782, he explained its center section in this way: The colours of the pales are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the colour of the Chief signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.[85]

These meanings have broadly been accepted as official, with some variation,[85] but there are other extant interpretations as well:

In 1986, president Ronald Reagan gave his own interpretation, saying, The colors of our flag signify the qualities of the human spirit we Americans cherish. Red for courage and readiness to sacrifice; white for pure intentions and high ideals; and blue for vigilance and justice."[85]

Additionally, an interpretation attributed to George Washington claims that We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty.[86]

Design

Specifications

The basic design of the current flag is specified by 4 U.S.C. § 1 (1947): "The flag of the United States shall be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; and the union of the flag shall be forty-eight stars, white in a blue field." 4 U.S.C. § 2 outlines the addition of new stars to represent new states, with no distinction made for the shape, size, or arrangement of the stars. Executive Order 10834 (1959) specifies a 50-star design for use after Hawaii was added as a state, and Federal Specification DDD-F-416F (2005) provides additional details about the production of physical flags for use by federal agencies.[87]

Hoist (height) of the flag: A = 1.0

Fly (width) of the flag: B = 1.9[88]

Hoist (height) of the canton ("union"): C = 0.5385 (A × 7/13, spanning seven stripes)

Fly (width) of the canton: D = 0.76 (B × 2/5, two-fifths of the flag width)

E = F = 0.0538 (C/10, one-tenth of the height of the canton)

G = H = 0.0633 (D/12, one twelfth of the width of the canton)

Diameter of star: K = 0.0616 (approximately L × 4/5, four-fifths of the stripe width)

Width of stripe: L = 0.0769 (A/13, one thirteenth of the flag height)

Strictly speaking, the executive order establishing these specifications governs only flags made for or by the federal government.[89] In practice, most U.S. national flags available for sale to the public follow the federal star arrangement, but have a different width-to-height ratio; common sizes are 2 × 3 ft. or 4 × 6 ft. (flag ratio 1.5), 2.5 × 4 ft. or 5 × 8 ft. (1.6), or 3 × 5 ft. or 6 × 10 ft. (1.667). Even flags flown over the U.S. Capitol for sale to the public through Representatives or Senators are provided in these sizes.[90] Flags that are made to the prescribed 1.9 ratio are often referred to as "G-spec" (for "government specification") flags.

Colors

Federal Specification DDD-F-416F specifies the exact red, white, and blue colors to be used for physical flags procured by federal agencies with reference to the Standard Color Reference of America, 10th edition, a set of dyed silk fabric samples produced by The Color Association of the United States. The colors are "White", No. 70001; "Old Glory Red", No. 70180; and "Old Glory Blue", No. 70075.

CIE coordinates for the colors of the 9th edition of the Standard Color Reference were carefully measured and cross-checked by color scientists from the National Bureau of Standards in 1946, with the resulting coordinates adopted as a formal specification.[91] These colors form the standard for cloth, and there is no perfect way to convert them to RGB for display on screen or CMYK for printing. The "relative" coordinates in the following table were found by scaling the luminous reflectance relative to the flag's white.

Federal Specification DDD-F-416F cloth color specifications[92]

Name

Absolute

Relative

CIELAB D65

Munsell

sRGB

GRACoL 2006

L*

a*

b*

H

V/C

R

G

B

8-bit hex

C

M

Y

K

White

88.7

−0.2

5.4

2.5Y

8.8/0.7

1.000

1.000

1.000

#FFFFFF

.000

.000

.000

.000

Old Glory Red

33.9

51.2

24.7

5.5R

3.3/11.1

.698

.132

.203

#B22234

.196

1.000

.757

.118

Old Glory Blue

23.2

13.1

−26.4

8.2PB

2.3/6.1

.234

.233

.430

#3C3B6E

.886

.851

.243

.122

As with the design, the official colors are only officially required for flags produced for the U.S. federal government, and other colors are often used for mass-market flags, printed reproductions, and other products intended to evoke flag colors. The practice of using more saturated colors than the official cloth is not new. As Taylor, Knoche, and Granville wrote in 1950: "The color of the official wool bunting [of the blue field] is a very dark blue, but printed reproductions of the flag, as well as merchandise supposed to match the flag, present the color as a deep blue much brighter than the official wool."[93]

Sometimes, Pantone Matching System (PMS) alternatives to the dyed fabric colors are recommended by US government agencies for use in websites or printed documents. One set was given on the website of the U.S. embassy in London as early as 1996; the website of the U.S. embassy in Stockholm claimed in 2001 that those had been suggested by Pantone, and that the U.S. Government Printing Office preferred a different set. A third red was suggested by a California Military Department document in 2002.[94] In 2001, the Texas legislature specified that the colors of the Texas flag should be "(1) the same colors used in the United States flag; and (2) defined as numbers 193 (red) and 281 (dark blue) of the Pantone Matching System."[95] The current internal style guide of the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs specifies PMS 282C blue and PMS 193C red, and gives RGB and CMYK conversions generated by Adobe InDesign.[96]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs style guidelines[96]

Pantone Identifier

RGB

CMYK

R

G

B

8-bit hex

C

M

Y

K

White

1.00

1.00

1.00

#FFFFFF

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

PMS 193C

0.72

0.10

0.26

#B31942

0.00

1.00

0.66

0.13

PMS 282C

0.04

0.19

0.38

#0A3161

1.00

0.68

0.00

0.54

Decoration

Traditionally, the flag may be decorated with golden fringe surrounding the perimeter of the flag as long as it does not deface the flag proper. Ceremonial displays of the flag, such as those in parades or on indoor posts, often use fringe to enhance the flag's appearance. Traditionally, the Army and Air Force use a fringed flag for parades, color guard and indoor display, while the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard use a fringeless flag for all occasions.[citation needed]

The first recorded use of fringe on a flag dates from 1835, and the Army used it officially in 1895. No specific law governs the legality of fringe. Still, a 1925 opinion of the attorney general addresses the use of fringe (and the number of stars) "... is at the discretion of the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy ..." as quoted from a footnote in previous volumes of Title 4 of the United States Code law books. This opinion is a source for claims that a flag with fringe is a military ensign rather than a civilian. However, according to the Army Institute of Heraldry, which has official custody of the flag designs and makes any change ordered, there are no implications of symbolism in using fringe.[97]

Individuals associated with the sovereign citizen movement and tax protester conspiracy arguments have claimed, based on the military usage, that the presence of a fringed flag in a civilian courtroom changes the nature or jurisdiction of the court.[98][99] Federal and state courts have rejected this contention.[99][100][101]

Display and use

The flag is customarily flown year-round at most public buildings, and it is not unusual to find private houses flying full-size (3 by 5 feet (0.91 by 1.52 m)) flags. Some private use is year-round, but becomes widespread on civic holidays like Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Presidents' Day, Flag Day, and on Independence Day. On Memorial Day, it is common to place small flags by war memorials and next to the graves of U.S. war veterans. Also, on Memorial Day, it is common to fly the flag at half staff until noon to remember those who lost their lives fighting in U.S. wars.

An American flag on the U.S. embassy in Warsaw during a German air raid in September 1939

The NASA Vehicle Assembly Building in 1977. The VAB has the largest U.S. flag ever used on a building, with the Bicentennial Star opposite the flag.

Gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery decorated with U.S. flags on Memorial Day.

A dumpster in Chicago painted to resemble the American flag.

Flag etiquette

Main article: United States Flag Code

The proper stationary vertical display. The union (blue box of stars) should always be in the upper-left corner.

A tattered flag at Spokane Valley Police Headquarters, Spokane, Washington

A proper and respectful manner of disposing of a damaged flag is a ceremonial burning (as seen here at Misawa Air Base)

The United States Flag Code outlines certain guidelines for the flag's use, display, and disposal. For example, the flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. This tradition may come from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to King Edward VII: the American flag bearer did not. Team captain Martin Sheridan is famously quoted as saying, "this flag dips to no earthly king", though the true provenance of this quotation is unclear.[102][103]

The flag should never be allowed to touch the ground and should be illuminated if flown at night. The flag should be repaired or replaced if the edges become tattered through wear. When a flag is so tattered that it can no longer serve as a symbol of the United States, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning.[104] The American Legion and other organizations regularly conduct flag retirement ceremonies, often on Flag Day, June 14. (The Boy Scouts of America recommends that modern nylon or polyester flags be recycled instead of burned due to hazardous gases produced when such materials are burned.)[105]

The Flag Code prohibits using the flag "for any advertising purpose" and also states that the flag "should not be embroidered, printed, or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use".[106] Both of these codes are generally ignored, almost always without comment.

Section 8, entitled "Respect For Flag", states in part: "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery", and "No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform". Section 3 of the Flag Code[107] defines "the flag" as anything "by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag of the United States of America". An additional provision that is frequently violated at sporting events is part (c) "The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free."[108]

Although the Flag Code is U.S. federal law, there is no penalty for a private citizen or group failing to comply with the Flag Code, and it is not widely enforced—punitive enforcement would conflict with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.[109] Passage of the proposed Flag Desecration Amendment would overrule the legal precedent that has been established.

Display on vehicles

Truck with backward flag sticker

When the flag is affixed to the right side of a vehicle of any kind (e.g., cars, boats, planes, any physical object that moves), it should be oriented so that the canton is towards the front of the vehicle, as if the flag were streaming backward from its hoist as the vehicle moves forward. Therefore, U.S. flag decals on the right sides of vehicles may appear to be reversed, with the union to the observer's right instead of left as more commonly seen.[citation needed]

The flag has been displayed on every U.S. spacecraft designed for crewed flight starting from John Glenn's Friendship 7 flight in 1962, including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo Command/Service Module, Apollo Lunar Module, and the Space Shuttle.[110] The flag also appeared on the S-IC first stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle used for Apollo. Nevertheless, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo were launched and landed vertically and could not horizontal atmospheric flight as the Space Shuttle did on its landing approach, so the streaming convention was not followed. These flags were oriented with the stripes running horizontally, perpendicular to the direction of flight.

Display on uniforms

On some U.S. military uniforms, flag patches are worn on the right shoulder, following the vehicle convention with the union toward the front. This rule dates back to the Army's early history when mounted cavalry and infantry units would designate a standard-bearer who carried the Colors into battle. As he charged, his forward motion caused the flag to stream back. Since the Stars and Stripes are mounted with the canton closest to the pole, that section stayed to the right, while the stripes flew to the left.[111] Several U.S. military uniforms, such as flight suits worn by members of the United States Air Force and Navy, have the flag patch on the left shoulder.[112][113]

Other organizations that wear flag patches on their uniforms can have the flag facing in either direction. The congressional charter of the Boy Scouts of America stipulates that Boy Scout uniforms should not imitate U.S. military uniforms; consequently, the flags are displayed on the right shoulder with the stripes facing front, the reverse of the military style.[114] Law enforcement officers often wear a small flag patch, either on a shoulder or above a shirt pocket.

Every U.S. astronaut since the crew of Gemini 4 has worn the flag on the left shoulder of his or her space suit, except for the crew of Apollo 1, whose flags were worn on the right shoulder. In this case, the canton was on the left.

A subdued-color flag patch, similar to the style worn on the United States Army's ACU uniform. The patch is customarily worn reversed on the right upper sleeve.

Flag of the United States on American astronaut Neil Armstrong's space suit

Patch with the union to the front, as seen on a Navy uniform.

Postage stamps

Flags depicted on U.S. postage stamp issues

Image of the Star-spangled-banner flag in the National Museum of American History, being observed by George W. Bush

The flag did not appear on U.S. postal stamp issues until the Battle of White Plains Issue was released in 1926, depicting the flag with a circle of 13 stars. The 48-star flag first appeared on the General Casimir Pulaski issue of 1931, though in a small monochrome depiction. The first U.S. postage stamp to feature the flag as the sole subject was issued July 4, 1957, Scott catalog number 1094.[115] Since then, the flag has frequently appeared on U.S. stamps.

Display in museums

In 1907 Eben Appleton, New York stockbroker and grandson of Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead (the commander of Fort McHenry during the 1814 bombardment), loaned the Star-Spangled Banner Flag to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1912 he converted the loan into a gift. Appleton donated the flag with the wish that it would always be on view to the public. In 1994, the National Museum of American History determined that the Star-Spangled Banner Flag required further conservation treatment to remain on public display. In 1998 teams of museum conservators, curators, and other specialists helped move the flag from its home in the Museum's Flag Hall into a new conservation laboratory. Following the reopening of the National Museum of American History on November 21, 2008, the flag is now on display in a special exhibition, "The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem," where it rests at a 10-degree angle in dim light for conservation purposes.[57]

Places of continuous display

Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, Virginia

Flags covering the National Mall

Astronaut James Irwin salutes the flag during the 1971 Apollo 15 lunar mission

U.S. flags are displayed continuously at certain locations by presidential proclamation, acts of Congress, and custom.

Replicas of the Star-Spangled Banner Flag (15 stars, 15 stripes) are flown at two sites in Baltimore, Maryland: Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine[116] and Flag House Square.[117]

Marine Corps War Memorial (Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia.[118]

The Battle Green in Lexington, Massachusetts, site of the first shots fired in the Revolution[119]

The White House, Washington, D.C.[120]

Fifty U.S. flags are displayed continuously at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.[121]

At continuously open U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ports of Entry.[122]

A Civil War era flag (for the year 1863) flies above Pennsylvania Hall (Old Dorm) at Gettysburg College.[123] This building, occupied by both sides at various points of the Battle of Gettysburg, served as a lookout and battlefield hospital.

Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge NHP, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania[124]

By custom, at the Maryland home, birthplace, and grave of Francis Scott Key; at the Worcester, Massachusetts war memorial; at the plaza in Taos, New Mexico (since 1861); at the United States Capitol (since 1918); and at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Newark Liberty International Airport's Terminal A, Gate 17 (2001–2021)[125] and Boston Logan Airport's Terminal B, Gate 32, and Terminal C, Gate 19 in memoriam of the events of September 11, 2001.[126]

Slover Mountain (Colton Liberty Flag), in Colton, California. July 4, 1917, to c. 1952 & 1997 to 2012.[127][128][129][130]

At the ceremonial South Pole as one of the 12 flags representing the signatory countries of the original Antarctic Treaty.

On the Moon: six crewed missions successfully landed at various locations and each had a flag raised at the site. Exhaust gases when the Ascent Stage launched to return the astronauts to their Command Module Columbia for return to Earth blew over the flag the Apollo 11 mission had placed.[131]

Particular days for display

The New York Stock Exchange at Christmas time

The flag should especially be displayed at full staff on the following days:[132]

January: 1 (New Year's Day), third Monday of the month (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), and 20 (Inauguration Day, once every four years, which, by tradition, is postponed to the 21st if the 20th falls on a Sunday)

February: 12 (Lincoln's birthday) and the third Monday (legally known as Washington's Birthday but more often called Presidents' Day)

March–April: Easter Sunday (date varies)

May: Second Sunday (Mothers Day), third Saturday (Armed Forces Day), and last Monday (Memorial Day; half-staff until noon)

June: 14 (Flag Day), third Sunday (Father's Day)

July: 4 (Independence Day)

September: First Monday (Labor Day), 17 (Constitution Day), and last Sunday (Gold Star Mother's Day)[133]

October: Second Monday (Columbus Day) and 27 (Navy Day)

November: 11 (Veterans Day) and fourth Thursday (Thanksgiving Day)

December: 25 (Christmas Day)

and such other days as may be proclaimed by the president of the United States; the birthdays of states (date of admission); and on state holidays.[134]

Display at half-staff

An American flag now flies over Gate 17 of Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, departure gate of United Airlines Flight 93 on 9/11.

The flag is displayed at half-staff (half-mast in naval usage) as a sign of respect or mourning. Nationwide, this action is proclaimed by the president; statewide or territory-wide, the proclamation is made by the governor. In addition, there is no prohibition against municipal governments, private businesses, or citizens flying the flag at half-staff as a local sign of respect and mourning. However, many flag enthusiasts feel this type of practice has somewhat diminished the meaning of the original intent of lowering the flag to honor those who held high positions in federal or state offices. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first proclamation on March 1, 1954, standardizing the dates and periods for flying the flag at half-staff from all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels; other congressional resolutions and presidential proclamations ensued. However, they are only guidelines to all other entities: typically followed at state and local government facilities and encouraged of private businesses and citizens.[citation needed]

To properly fly the flag at half-staff, one should first briefly hoist it top of the staff, then lower it to the half-staff position, halfway between the top and bottom of the staff. Similarly, when the flag is to be lowered from half-staff, it should be first briefly hoisted to the top of the staff.[135]

Federal statutes provide that the flag should be flown at half-staff on the following dates:

May 15: Peace Officers Memorial Day (unless it is the third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day, then full-staff)[136]

Last Monday in May: Memorial Day (until noon)

September 11: Patriot Day[137]

First Sunday in October: Start of Fire Prevention Week, in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.[138][139]

December 7: National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day[140]

For 30 days: Death of a president or former president

For 10 days: Death of a vice president, Supreme Court chief justice/retired chief justice, or speaker of the House of Representatives.

From death until the day of interment: Supreme Court associate justice, member of the Cabinet, former vice president, president pro tempore of the Senate, or the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives. Also, for federal facilities within a state or territory, for the governor.

On the day after the death: Senators, members of Congress, territorial delegates, or the resident commissioner of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

Desecration

U.S. flag being burned in protest on the eve of the 2008 election

The flag of the United States is sometimes burned as a cultural or political statement, in protest of the policies of the U.S. government, or for other reasons, both within the U.S. and abroad. The United States Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), and reaffirmed in U.S. v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990), has ruled that due to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, it is unconstitutional for a government (whether federal, state, or municipal) to prohibit the desecration of a flag, due to its status as "symbolic speech." However, content-neutral restrictions may still be imposed to regulate the time, place, and manner of such expression. If the flag that was burned was someone else's property (as it was in the Johnson case, since Johnson had stolen the flag from a Texas bank's flagpole), the offender could be charged with petty larceny (a flag usually sells at retail for less than US$20), or with destruction of private property, or possibly both. Desecration of a flag representing a minority group may also be charged as a hate crime in some jurisdictions.[141]

Folding for storage

Folding the U.S. flag

Though not part of the official Flag Code, according to military custom, flags should be folded into a triangular shape when not in use. To properly fold the flag:

Begin by holding it waist-high with another person so that its surface is parallel to the ground.

Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely.

Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside.

Make a rectangular fold then a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open top edge of the flag, starting the fold from the left side over to the right.

Turn the outer end point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a second triangle.

The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in this manner (usually thirteen triangular folds, as shown at right). On the final fold, any remnant that does not neatly fold into a triangle (or in the case of exactly even folds, the last triangle) is tucked into the previous fold.

When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars should be visible.

There is also no specific meaning for each fold of the flag. However, there are scripts read by non-government organizations and also by the Air Force that are used during the flag folding ceremony. These scripts range from historical timelines of the flag to religious themes.[142][143]

Use in funerals

A flag prepared for presentation to the next of kin

Traditionally, the flag of the United States plays a role in military funerals,[144] and occasionally in funerals of other civil servants (such as law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and U.S. presidents). A burial flag is draped over the deceased's casket as a pall during services. Just prior to the casket being lowered into the ground, the flag is ceremonially folded and presented to the deceased's next of kin as a token of respect.[145]

Surviving historical flags

This is a list of surviving flags that have been displayed at or otherwise associated with notable historical battles or events.

Revolutionary War

Forster Flag (1775) – Historians believe the Manchester Company of the First Essex County Militia Regiment carried this flag during the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The militia unit was activated but was not involved in the day's fighting. This flag is historic because it is the oldest surviving flag depicting the 13 colonies. This flag may have been a British ensign flag that had its Union Jack removed and replaced with 13 white stripes before or after the battles of Lexington and Concord. The slight variation in the canton area suggests something else might have been sewn into place before.[146] The flag gets its name from Samuel Forster, a First Lieutenant in the Manchester Company. He took possession of the flag, and his descendants passed it down until donating it to the American Flag Heritage Foundation in 1975, two hundred years later.[147] In April 2014, the foundation sold the flag at auction.[148][149]

Westmoreland Flag (1775?) – Flag used by the 1st Battalion of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In 1774 the town of Hanna, the county seat of Westmoreland County, began preparations for a conflict with the mother country as tensions between the two sides began to heat up. The town decided in May 1775, following the battles of Lexington and Concord, to create two battalions. The town sheriff, John Proctor, would have command over the 1st, and the unit would see action at Trenton and Princeton. Due to the flag's remarkable condition, it is speculated that it never flew in many battles, if at all. The flag is said to have been made in the fall of 1775 from a standard British red ensign. This flag is one of two surviving revolutionary flags that feature a coiled rattlesnake, along with the flag of the United Company of the Train of Artillery. After the war in 1810, Alexander Craig, a captain in the 2nd battalion, was given the flag. It would stay with the Craig family until donated to the Pennsylvania State Library in 1914.[150][151]

Brandywine Flag (1777) – This flag is stated in most research as being the flag of the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment. However, the Independence National Historical Park, which currently owns the flag, states it is the flag of the Chester County Militia.[152] The flags gets its name for being used at the Battle of Brandywine which took place on September 11, 1777, less than three months after the passage of the first flag act making it one of the earliest stars and stripes.[153][154]

Dansey Flag (1777) – Flag used by a Delaware militia early in the war. Before the Battle of Brandywine, a soldier with the British 33rd Regiment of foote named William Dansey captured the militia's flag during a skirmish in Newark, Delaware. Dansey would take the flag back to England as a war trophy. It would remain in his family until 1927, after being auctioned off to the Delaware Historical Society. This flag would have been one of the earliest to use 13 stripes to represent the united colonies. Another interesting note about this flag is that it was most likely a Division color instead of being used by one militia regiment.[155][156]

First Pennsylvania Rifles Flag (1776?) – Battle colors for the First Pennsylvania Regiment This regiment, also known as the First Pennsylvania Rifles, was formed in 1775 following an act passed by the Continental Congress calling for ten companies of marksmen. The regiment would participate in many significant battles during the Revolution, such as the siege of Boston, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Monmouth. They would be dissolved in November 1783 following the treaty of Paris. The earliest mention of this flag was mentioned in a 1776 letter by one of its soldiers. The flag would be with the unit until the end of the war.[157]

Third New York Regiment Flag (1779) – The Third New York was formed in 1775 on five-month enlistments that expired later that year. In 1776 however, the regiment would be re-established twice, once in January and the other in December. During the war, the Third New York saw action in Canada, White Plains, and New York, during which it participated in the defense of Fort Stanwix. In 1780 the soldiers of the third were transferred over to the 1st New York Regiment. While not the most famous of regiments in turns of battles fought, it does leave behind a legacy that can be seen in the flag of New York. In 1778 New York adopted a coat of arms for the state. The following year, the regiment's colonel Peter Gansevoort gifted the unit a blue regimental flag bearing the newly adopted arms. This flag would serve as the basis of the current flag of New York.[158][159]

War of 1812

Star Spangled Banner Flag (1814) – Flag that flew over Fort McHenry during a British bombardment in the War of 1812. This flag is depicted by Francis Scott Key in the song "Star-Spangled Banner" which would later become the national anthem of the United States.[160] Details : 30 x 34 ft. (Currently) 15 horizontal stripes alternating red and white stripes 14 stars (one missing) Stars arranged in a staggered 3-3-3-3-3 pattern

Antebellum Period

Fillmore Flag — A historic Bennington flag currently maintained by the Bennington Museum, held to be an heirloom from president Millard Fillmore's family. Though it is sometimes taken to be an authentic artifact of the Battle of Bennington, curators date it no earlier than the 19th century based on its construction. The Bennington Museum estimates it was made sometime between 1812 and 1820, though one estimate places it as late as 1876.[161][162]

Old Glory Flag – This flag was the first American Flag to be given the name "Old Glory". The flag was made in 1824 and was a gift to William Driver, a sea captain, by his mother. He named the flag 'Old Glory' and took it with him during his time at sea. In 1861 the flag's original stars were replaced with 34 new ones, and an anchor was added to the corner of the canton. During the Civil war, Driver hid his flag until Nashville became under union hands, to which he flew the flag above the Tennessee capitol building.[163]

Matthew Perry Expedition Flag (1853) – On July 14, 1853, this flag was raised over Uraga, Japan, during the Perry Expedition, in doing so it became the first American Flag to officially fly in mainland Japan. In 1855 it was presented to the US Naval Academy. In 1913 it received a linen backing during preservation treatments by Amelia Fowler, who would also work on restoring the Star-Spangled Banner. Nearly a century after its historic voyage to Japan, in 1945, the flag once again returned and was present at the formal surrender of Japan on board the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. Owing to its condition, it had to be presented on its reverse side. As of 2021, the U.S. Naval Academy possesses the flag.[164]

Civil War

Fort Sumter Flag (1861) – During the bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861, the flagpole was hit by artillery fire. The flag was raised again from a makeshift pole and was taken down after the Union garrison surrendered. The terms of surrender allowed the U.S. artillery to fire a salute for the flag. The flag was taken by the departing commander of the fort and was displayed to the public on a tour of the northern states. From this point, private citizens' display of the United States flag became much more common. Four years after the flag was lowered at Fort Sumter, it flew over the fort again on April 14, 1865, following the Confederate surrender. Later that day, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.[165]

Abraham Lincoln Assassination Flag (1865) – Flag that was placed under the head of President Abraham Lincoln following his fatal shooting while he was still in the presidential box.[166]

Reconstruction

Little Big Horn Guidon – Guidon used by the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. The battle is infamous, for all U.S. cavalry troops engaged in battle were killed, including Lt. Col George A. Custer. Sgt. Ferdinand Culbertson discovered this flag under the body of one of the slain soldiers. In 2010, this flag was sold for $2.2 million.[167]

World War II

Iwo Jima Flag (1945) – American flag that was raised above Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in WW2. The photo of this flag being raised by U.S. Marines was captured in the 1945 Pulitzer Prize-winning photo Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.[168]

Cold War

Freedom 7 Flag (1961) – This American Flag flew on the Freedom 7 mission to space, becoming the first American flag to leave the Earth's atmosphere. The flag was a last-minute addition after a local student council president asked a reporter if this flag could be taken on board. The reporter took it to the head of the NASA space task group, to which he agreed. In 1995, the flag was again taken to space to commemorate the 100th American crewed space mission.[169]

Modern day

9/11 Flag (2001) – Flag is believed to have been from a yacht called the "Star of America" owned by Shirley Dreifus and her late husband Spiros E. Kopelakis. The Yacht and its flag were docked in the Hudson River on the morning of 9/11. The flag was later found by three members of the New York Fire Department, George Johnson, Billy Eisengrein, and Dan McWilliams, who raised it over the rubble on a tilted flag pole (thought to be from the grounds of the Marriot hotel). This was captured in a photograph taken by Thomas Franklin, who worked for the New Jersey-based newspaper The Record. The photograph soon made its way to the Associated Press, and from there, it became shown worldwide on many newspapers' front pages. The photo has been compared to Joe Rosenthal's WW2 "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima". Lori Ginker and Ricky Flores captured other photos of the same event from different angles. Shortly after the famous photograph was taken, the flag disappeared. Another flag, thought to be the real one, was toured around the country, but it was later found that the size of this flag was not the same as the one in the photograph. The one in the photo was 3x5, while the one the city possessed was larger. The flag would remain missing for nearly 15 years until a man named Brian turned an American flag into a fire station along with its halyard. Investigators determined that his flag was genuine after comparing dust samples and event photographs.[170] Today the 9/11 Memorial Museum possesses the flag.[171]

Related flags

The U.S. flag has inspired many other flags for regions, political movements, and cultural groups, resulting in a stars and stripes flag family. The other national flags belonging to this family are: Chile, Cuba, Greece, Liberia, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Togo, and Uruguay.[172]

The flag of Bikini Atoll is symbolic of the islanders' belief that a great debt is still owed to the people of Bikini because in 1954 the United States government detonated a thermonuclear bomb on the island as part of the Castle Bravo test.[173]

The Republic of the United States of Brazil briefly used a flag inspired by the U.S. flag between 15 and 19 November 1889, proposed by the lawyer Ruy Barbosa. The flag had 13 green and yellow stripes, as well as a blue square with 21 white stars for the canton. The flag was vetoed by the then provisional president Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca citing concerns that it looked too similar to the American flag.[174]

The flag of Liberia bears a close resemblance, showing the origin of the country in free people of color from North America and primarily the United States.[175] The Liberian flag has 11 similar red and white stripes, which stand for the 11 signers of the Liberian Declaration of Independence, as well as a blue square with only a single large white star for the canton. The flag is the only current flag in the world modeled after and resembling the American flag, as Liberia is the only nation in the world that was founded, colonized, established, and controlled by settlers who were free people of color and formerly enslaved people from the United States and the Caribbean aided and supported by the American Colonization Society beginning in 1822.[176]

Despite Malaysia having no historical connections with the U.S., the flag of Malaysia greatly resembles the U.S. flag. Some theories posit that the flag of the British East India Company influenced both the Malaysian and U.S. flag.[9]

The flag of El Salvador from 1865 to 1912. El Salvador's flag at that time was based on the flag of the United States, with a field of alternating blue and white stripes and a red canton containing white stars.[177]

The flag of Brittany was inspired in part by the American flag.[178]

The flag of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, an unrecognized state that existed from 1917 to 1922, during the Russian Civil War, was divided into seven horizontal stripes that altered between green and white. In the right top corner was placed a blue canton with seven five-pointed yellow stars. Six of those were placed in two horizontal rows, each containing three stars. Next to them, on the right, was placed another star, in the middle of the height of two rows. The stars were slightly sued to the left. The seven stars and seven stripes represented the seven regions of the country.[179]

Possible future design of the flag

See also: 51st state

An artist's rendering of one possible design for a 51-star flag, composed of 6 alternating rows of 9 and 8 stars

An artist's rendering of a possible design for a 52-star flag, comprising 8 alternating rows of 7 and 6 stars, such as might accommodate the admission of two additional states into the Union

If a new U.S. state were to be admitted, it would require a new design of the flag to accommodate an additional star for a 51st state.[180] 51-star flags have been designed and used as a symbol by supporters of statehood in various jurisdictions.

According to the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, the United States flag never becomes obsolete. Any approved American flag may continue to be used and displayed until no longer serviceable.[181]

See also

Heraldry portalUnited States portal

Ensign of the United States

Flag Day

Flags of the Confederate States of America

Flags of the United States Armed Forces

Flags of the U.S. states

Flag Desecration Amendment

Fort Sumter Flag

List of flags of the United States

Nationalism in the United States

Article sections

Colors, standards and guidons § United States

Flag desecration § United States

Associated people

Robert Anderson (1805–1871), lowered the Fort Sumter Flag, which became a national symbol, and he a hero

Francis Bellamy (1855–1931), creator of the Pledge of Allegiance

Thomas E. Franklin (1966–present), photographer of Ground Zero Spirit, better known as Raising the Flag at Ground Zero

Christopher Gadsden (1724–1805), after whom the Gadsden flag is named

Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791), designed the U.S. flag in 1777

Jasper Johns (born 1930), painter of Flag (1954–55), inspired by a dream of the flag

Katha Pollitt (1949–present), author of a controversial essay on post-9/11 America and her refusal to fly a U.S. flag

George Preble (1816–1885), author of History of the American Flag (1872) and photographer of the Fort McHenry flag

Joe Rosenthal (1911–2006), photographer of Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

Betsy Ross (1752–1836), said to have sewn the first U.S. flag in a popular legend, and after whom the Betsy Ross flag is named

References

^ Warner, John (1998). "Senate Concurrent Resolution 61" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2014.

^ "USFlag.org: A website dedicated to the Flag of the United States of America – "OLD GLORY!"". www.usflag.org. Retrieved December 13, 2015.

^ "History of the American Flag". www.infoplease.com. Retrieved December 13, 2015.

^ Streufert, Duane. "A website dedicated to the Flag of the United States of America – The 50 Star Flag". USFlag.org. Retrieved September 12, 2013.

^ "The Administration of the Continental Navy of the American Revolution". U.S. Naval Institute. July 1, 1905. Retrieved June 24, 2023.

^ Joint Committee on Printing, United States Congress (1989). Our Flag. H. Doc. 100-247. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 3.

^ a b Leepson, Marc (2004). Flag: An American Biography.

^ a b Ansoff, Peter (2006). "The Flag on Prospect Hill" (PDF). Raven: A Journal of Vexillology. 13: 91–98. doi:10.5840/raven2006134. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 5, 2015.

^ a b The Striped Flag of the East India Company, and its Connexion with the American "Stars and Stripes" at Flags of the World

^ East India Company (United Kingdom) at Flags of the World

^ Johnson, Robert (2006). Saint Croix 1770–1776: The First Salute to the Stars and Stripes. AuthorHouse. p. 71. ISBN 978-1425970086.

^ Horton, Tom (2014). "Exposing the Origins of Old Glory's stripes". History's Lost Moments: The Stories Your Teacher Never Told You. Vol. 5. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1490744698.

^ a b "Saltires and Stars & Stripes". The Economic Times. September 22, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2017.

^ "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875". American Memory - Library of Congress.

^ Guenter (1990).

^ "Washington Window". Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.

^ a b Vile, John R. (2018). The American Flag: An Encyclopedia of the Stars and Stripes in U.S. History, Culture, and Law. ABC-CLIO. p. 342. ISBN 978-1-4408-5789-8.

^ a b Leepson, Marc (2007). "Chapter Ten: The Hundredth Anniversary". Flag: An American Biography. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4299-0647-0.

^ Capps, Alan. "Coat of Arms". The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved January 8, 2020.

^ Connell, R.W.; Mack, W.P. (2004). Naval Ceremonies, Customs, and Traditions. Naval Institute Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-55750-330-5. Retrieved October 27, 2014.

^ Mastai, 60.

^ Furlong, Rear Admiral William Rea; McCandless, Commodore Byron (1981). So Proudly We Hail. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 115–116.

^ Williams, Earl P. Jr. (October 2012). "Did Francis Hopkinson Design Two Flags?" (PDF). NAVA News (216): 7–9. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.

^ Lane, Megan (November 14, 2011). "Five hidden messages in the American flag". BBC News. Retrieved October 30, 2013.

^ Cooper, Grace Rogers (1973). Thirteen-Star Flags. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.

^ Cooper, Grace Rogers (1973). Thirteen-Star Flags. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 9 (in paper), pp. 21/80 (in pdf). CiteSeerX 10.1.1.639.8200. In 1792, Trumbull painted thirteen stars in a circle in his General George Washington at Trenton in the Yale University Art Gallery. In his unfinished rendition of the Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, dates not established, the circle of stars is suggested and one star shows six points while the thirteen stripes are red, white, and blue. How accurately the artist depicted the star design that he saw is not known. At times, he may have offered a poetic version of the flag he was interpreting which was later copied by the flag maker. The flag sheets and the artists do not agree.

^ Cooper, Grace Rogers (1973). Thirteen-Star Flags. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 3.

^ Furlong, p. 130.

^ Moeller, Henry W (1992). Unfurling the History of the Stars and Stripes. Mattituck, NY: Amereon House. pp. 25–26, color plates 5A, 5B.

^ Williams, Earl P. Jr. (October 2012). "Did Francis Hopkinson Design Two Flags?" (PDF). NAVA News (216): 7–9. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2016.

^ Williams (2012), p.7.

^ Hess, Debra (2008). The American Flag. Benchmark Books. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7614-3389-7.

^ Hastings, George E. (1926). The Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 218.

^ Hastings, p. 240.

^ a b Williams, pp. 7–9.

^ Moeller, Henry W., Ph.D. (January 2002). "Two Early American Ensigns on the Pennsylvania State Arms". NAVA News (173): 4.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

^ Patterson, Richard Sharpe; Dougall, Richardson (1978) [1976 i.e. 1978]. The Eagle and the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the United States. Department and Foreign Service series; 161 Department of State publication; 8900. Washington: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, Dept. of State: for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off. p. 37. LCCN 78602518. OCLC 4268298.

^ Furlong, William Rea; McCandless, Byron (1961). So Proudly We Hail: The History of the Unites States Flag. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 130.

^ Zall, Paul M. (1976). Comical Spirit of Seventy-Six: The Humor of Francis Hopkinson. San Marino, California: Huntington Library. p. 10.

^ Williams, Earl P. Jr. (Spring 1988). "The 'Fancy Work' of Francis Hopkinson: Did He Design the Stars and Stripes?". Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives. 20 (1): 47–48.

^ "Journals of the Continental Congress – Friday, October 27, 1780". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 3, 2010.

^ Furlong, William Rea; McCandless, Byron (1981). So Proudly We Hail : The History of the United States Flag. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 98–101. ISBN 978-0-87474-448-4.

^ Federal Citizen Information Center: The History of the Stars and Stripes Archived September 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 7, 2008.

^ Embassy of the United States of America [1]. Retrieved April 11, 2008.

^ a b c Furlong, William Rea; McCandless, Byron (1981). So Proudly We Hail: The History of the United States Flag. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 978-0-87474-448-4.

^ Crews, Ed. "The Truth About Betsy Ross". Retrieved June 27, 2009.

^ Canby, George; Balderston, Lloyd (1917). The Evolution of the American flag. Philadelphia: Ferris and Leach. pp. 48, 103.

^ Canby, William J. "The History of the Flag of the United States: A Paper read before the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (March 1870)". Independence Hall Association. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.

^ Preble 1880, p. 244.

^ Preble 1880, p. 256.

^ Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher (October 2007). "How Betsy Ross Became Famous". Common-Place. Vol. 8, no. 1. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2009.

^ Miller, Marla R. (2010). Betsy Ross and the Making of America. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-8050-8297-5.

^ Schaun, George and Virginia. "Historical Portrait of Mrs. Mary Young Pickersgill". The Greenberry Series on Maryland. Annapolis, MD: Greenberry Publications. 5: 356.

^ Furlong, William Rea; McCandless, Byron (1981). So Proudly We Hail : The History of the United States Flag. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-87474-448-4.

^ "The Star-Spangled Banner: Making the Flag". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 5, 2009.

^ Yuen, Helen and Asantewa Boakyewa (May 30, 2014). "The African American girl who helped make the Star-Spangled Banner". O Say Can You See?. Smithsonian. Retrieved October 9, 2018.

^ a b "The Star-Spangled Banner Online Exhibition". National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved April 4, 2012.

^ United States Government (1861). Our Flag (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. S. Doc 105-013.

^ a b c United States Embassy Stockholm (October 5, 2005). "United States Flag History". United States Embassy. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2009.

^ These designs are in the Eisenhower Presidential Archives in Abilene, Kansas. Only a small fraction of them have ever been published.

^ Rasmussen, Frederick. "A half-century ago, new 50-star American flag debuted in Baltimore". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019.

^ Institution, Smithsonian. "Facts about the United States Flag". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved May 20, 2023.

^ Preble, George Henry (1880). History of the Flag of the United States of America (second revised ed.). Boston: A. Williams and Co. p. 298.

^ a b c March, Eva (1917). The Little Book of the Flag. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 92.

^ "Curiosa Sinica". Boston Courier. June 15, 1843.

^ "Chinese Etymologies". Kendall's Expositor. Vol. 3, no. 14. Washington, D.C.: William Greer. June 27, 1843. p. 222 – via Google Books.

^ a b See Chinese English Dictionary Archived April 26, 2011, at the Wayback MachineOlsen, Kay Melchisedech, Chinese Immigrants: 1850–1900 (2001), p. 7."Philadelphia's Chinatown: An Overview Archived June 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.Leonard, George, "The Beginnings of Chinese Literature in America: the Angel Island Poems".[dead link]

^ Phương Lan (July 10, 2007). "Bộ Ngoại giao: Đề nghị thống nhất sử dụng tên gọi "Hợp chúng quốc Hoa Kỳ"" [Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Request to unify the use of the name "Hợp chúng quốc Hoa Kỳ"]. Viet Nam Government Portal (in Vietnamese). Government of Vietnam. Retrieved September 14, 2023.

^ Đ, N.C.T. "Xứ Cờ Hoa" [Land of Flag Flower?]. Đà Nẵng Online (in Vietnamese). Retrieved September 14, 2023.

^ International Settlement of Kulangsu (Gulangyu, China) at Flags of the World

^ "American Flag Raised Over Buddhist Temple in Japan on July 4, 1872" Archived February 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

^ Goodheart, Adam (2011). Prologue. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-59666-6. Retrieved July 31, 2015 – via adamgoodheart.com. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

^ The American Flag : Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. VZ Publications. 2006. p. 68.

^ Leepson, Marc (2005). Flag : An American Biography. Thomas Dunne Books. pp. 94–109.

^ (For alternate versions of the flag of the United States, see the Stars of the U.S. Flag page Archived February 22, 2005, at the Wayback Machine at the Flags of the World website.)

Further information: Territorial evolution of the United States

^ "Facts about the United States Flag". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved April 22, 2022.

^ Leepson, Marc. (2005). Flag: An American Biography. New York: St. Martin's Press.

^ "The Officially Unofficial Kind of Illegal 47-Star Flag Comes in for Repairs". September 8, 2011. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.

^ Marmo, Jennifer (2010). "The American flag and the body: How the flag and the body create an American meaning". Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research. 9.

^ "What the American Flag Symbolizes Around The World". December 28, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.

^

Guthrie, William Norman (1919). The Religion of Old Glory (reprint ed.). New York: George H. Doran Company. p. 370. ISBN 978-1178236354. Retrieved April 27, 2018.

^

The Flag Bulletin. Vol. 23. Winchester, Massachusetts: Flag Research Center. 1984. p. 107. Retrieved April 27, 2018. [...] a formal book-length proposal for vexillolatry was made by William Norman Guthrie in his The Religion of Old Glory (New York: Doran, l9l9).

^ [2] Archived August 6, 2017, at the Wayback Machine This Is Why It's Legal to Burn the American Flag

^

Arnaldo Testi, Capture the Flag: The Stars and Stripes in American History (New York University Press, 2010), p. 2, ISBN 978-0-8147-8322-1.

^ a b c Greenstein, Nicole (July 4, 2013). "Why the U.S. Flag is Red, White and Blue". Time – via time.com.

^ Telfair Marriott Minton (April 1929). "The Origin of the American Flag". Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. Society for Army Historical Research. 8 (32): 114–120. JSTOR 44220286.

^ General Services Administration "Federal Specification DDD-F-416F: Flag, National, United States of America and Flag, Union Jack". March 31, 2005. PDF available from everyspec.com.

^ The flag ratio (B/A in the diagram) is not absolutely fixed. Although the diagram in Executive Order 10834 gives a ratio of 1.9, earlier in the order is a list of flag sizes authorized for executive agencies. This list permits eleven specific flag sizes (specified by height and width) for such agencies: 20.00 × 38.00; 10.00 × 19.00; 8.95 × 17.00; 7.00 × 11.00; 5.00 × 9.50; 4.33 × 5.50; 3.50 × 6.65; 3.00 × 4.00; 3.00 × 5.70; 2.37 × 4.50; and 1.32 × 2.50. Eight of these sizes conform to the 1.9 ratio, within a small rounding error (less than 0.01). However, three of the authorized sizes vary significantly: 1.57 (for 7.00 × 11.00), 1.27 (for 4.33 × 5.50) and 1.33 (for 3.00 × 4.00).

^ Ex. Ord. No. 10834, August 21, 1959, 24 F.R. 6865 (governing flags "manufactured or purchased for the use of executive agencies", Section 22). Section 32 explains that, "As used in this order, the term 'executive agencies' means the executive departments and independent establishments in the executive branch of the Government, including wholly owned Government corporations."

^ Architect of the Capitol: "Flag Request Form" Archived April 28, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved on July 1st, 2017.

^ Reimann, Genevieve; Judd, Deane B.; Keegan, Harry J. (1946). "Spectrophotometric and Colorimetric Determination of the Colors of the TCCA Standard Color Cards". Journal of the Optical Society of America. 36 (3): 128–159. doi:10.1364/JOSA.36.000128. PMID 21023091.

^ In the 9th edition of the Standard Color Card of America, "White", "Old Glory Red", and "Old Glory Blue" were, respectively, Cable No. 70001, Cable No. 70180, and Cable No. 70075. The Munsell renotation coordinates for these were taken directly from the Reimann et al. paper, the CIELAB D65 coordinates were found by converting the xyY values in that paper to be relative to CIE Illuminant D65 from Illuminant C using the CAT02 chromatic adaptation transform, and relative to a perfect diffuse reflector as white. The "relative" values in the table were found by taking Cable No. 70001's luminosity to be that of the white point and were converted to D65 or D50 also using the CAT02 transformation. The values for CMYK were found by converting from the CIELAB D50 values using the Adobe CMM and the GRACoL 2006 ICC profile in Adobe Photoshop.

^ Helen Taylor, Lucille Knoche, and Walter Granville, eds. (1950), Descriptive Color Names Dictionary. Container Corporation of America.

^ In 1996, "U.S. Flag Facts" at the website of the U.S. embassy in London listed the colors red PMS 193 and blue PMS 282 (presumably PMS solid coated colors). By October 2002, these had changed to red PMS 193 and blue PMS 281. These latter PMS equivalents are listed on many websites including various other U.S. Government organizations, such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation's website Archived May 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. See also "United States of America" Archived July 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Flags of the World.The website of the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm instead lists PMS 186 and PMS 288 as the colors specified by the U.S. Government Printing Office: "Colors of the U.S. Flag". United States Embassy Stockholm. November 2001.The Military Department of the State of California suggested PMS 200 for red in a 2002 document, "Flags over California, a history and guide".

^ The Government Code; Title 11. State Symbols and Honors; Subtitle A; Chapter 3100. Statutes.legis.state.tx.us. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ a b

ECA Design Guidelines (PDF) (Report). Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of Public Affairs and Strategic Communications. January 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2023.

^ "Fringe on the American Flag". Archived from the original on September 11, 2006. Retrieved June 27, 2006.

^ Ross, Winston (December 30, 2012). "Sovereign Citizens Are a Sometimes Violent Fringe Group Rejecting All Government". Retrieved July 8, 2019.

^ a b Rebuttal of "martial law flag" claims by tax protesters Archived May 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Evans-legal.com. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ See McCann v. Greenway, 952 F. Supp. 647 (W.D. Mo. 1997), which discusses various court opinions denying any significance related to trim used on a flag.

^ "state.co.us: "Colorado Court of Appeals – Order Order Affirmed: Colorado v Drew" (Munsinger) 13 May 2010" (PDF). courts.state.co.us. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

^ LA84 Foundation Archived September 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. (PDF). Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ London Olympics 1908 & 1948. BBC. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ "How to Properly Dispose of Worn-Out U.S. Flags". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved October 22, 2023.

^ "Consider Recycling, not Burning, a Retired Flag". Boy Scouts of America. 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.

^ 4 U.S.Code Sec. 8(i).

^ 4 U.S.Code Chapter 1 Sec. 3.

^ Green, Michael (June 13, 2019). "What Does It Mean To Disrespect The U.S. Flag". brandingthenations.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.

^ Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989); United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990).

^ "Flag Day – Flying High: The Stars and Stripes in Space". NASA. June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2020.

^ Smith, Stewart (September 23, 2019). "Why the U.S. Flag Is Worn Backward on Army Uniforms". The Balance. Dotdash. Retrieved April 20, 2020.

^ "SUBJECT: Air Force Guidance Memorandum to AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel" (PDF). Static.e-publishing.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2017.

^ "Navy aviators ditch new flight suit wear rules". Navytimes.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.

^ Self, Peter (March 11, 2014). "Is the American flag 'backward' on Scout uniforms?". Scoutingmagazine.org. Scouting. Retrieved November 18, 2014. Imitation of United States Army, Navy or Marine Corps uniforms is prohibited, in accordance with the provisions of the organization's Congressional Charter.

^ Scott's Specialized Catalogue of United States Postage Stamps.

^ Presidential Proclamation No. 2795, July 2, 1948 Code of Federal Regulations of the United States, Title 3 Compilation (1943–1948), HathiTrust, Google Books/University of Michigan scan, pages 212–213.

^ Public Law 83-319, approved March 26, 1954.

^ Presidential Proclamation No. 3418, June 12, 1961.

^ Public Law 89-335, approved November 8, 1965.

^ Presidential Proclamation No. 4000, September 4, 1970.

^ Presidential Proclamation No. 4064, July 6, 1971, effective July 4, 1971.

^ Presidential Proclamation No. 4131, May 5, 1972.

^ Gettysburg College – News Detail Archived June 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Gettysburg.edu. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ Pub. L. 94−53, 89 Stat. 259, S.J.Res. 98, approved July 4, 1975.

^ "Flag Flying at Newark Airport Terminal Honoring Flight 93 Victims Retired Today After 20 Years". Ocean County Scanner News. September 11, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2023.

^ Guzman, Dan (September 8, 2016). "At Logan, Some 9/11 Tributes Go Unnoticed By Most Of The Flying Public". wbur.org. Retrieved March 22, 2023.

^ With the consent of Congress, Old Glory kept perpetual shine Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, PE Press Archive.

^ With the consent of Congress, Slover Mountain, The Sun, May 14, 2008 Archived May 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

^ By Act of Congress. California Portland Cement Co

^ "Calportland Media Center". Calportland.com. Retrieved October 15, 2017.

^ Moskowitz, Clara (July 27, 2012). "Apollo Moon Landing Flags Still Standing, Photos Reveal". Space.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.

^ "4 U.S. Code § 6 – Time and occasions for display". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved October 15, 2017.

^ "36 U.S. Code § 111 – Gold Star Mother's Day". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved October 15, 2017.

^ MDVA: Flag Information Archived April 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Mdva.state.mn.us. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, §7 Archived November 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.

^ 36 U.S.C. Sec. 136 Archived December 30, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. None. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ Patriot Day, 2005 Archived July 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ Public Law 107-51 Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Ushistory.org. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ Presidential Proclamation Fire Prevention Week | The White House Archived October 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2007 Archived July 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved on May 27, 2011.

^ Sahouri, Andrea May; Miskimen, Gage; Gehr, Danielle (December 20, 2019). "Iowa man sentenced to 16 years for setting LGBTQ flag on fire". Des Moines Register.

^ "Flag Folding Ceremony Air Force Script" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2012.

^ "Flag-Folding Procedures | The American Legion". Legion.org. Retrieved September 8, 2013.

^ "Sequence of Events for an Army Honors Funeral At Arlington National Cemetery". Arlington National Cemetery. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.

^ "Flag Presentation Protocol". Virginia Army National Guard. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.

^ Studio, Inside The Conservator's (April 2, 2014). "The Forster Flag, and the conservation of a Revolutionary War textile". Inside the Conservator's Studio. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "The Historic Forster Flag Auction in New York". Doyle Auction House. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Forster Flag sold". The Flag Heritage Foundation. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "The Forster Flag". Manchester Historical Museum. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ Burke, Mike (June 14, 2018). "Don't Tread on Me: The Flag of Colonel John Proctor's 1st Battalion of Westmoreland County, Pa". Home. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (U.S.) Colonel John Proctor's 1st Battalion Flag 1791–1793". American Relic Hysteries. July 23, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "In honor of #FlagDay". Twitter. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "The Brandywine flag used by the Chester County Militia". Twitter. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Textile Conservation of the Brandywine Flag". Inside the Conservator's Studio. July 4, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ Byrne, Tom (August 30, 2019). "Enlighten Me: Reuniting pieces of the First State's Revolutionary history". www.delawarepublic.org. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Object Record". Delaware Historical Society.

^ "Weathered Revolutionary War flag to unfold its story | The State Museum of Pennsylvania". statemuseumpa.org. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "The 3rd New York Regiment of the Continental Line 1777–1781 – Fort Stanwix National Monument". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "The 3rd New York Regiment of the Continental Line 1777–1781 (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Star-Spangled Banner". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "A60 Flag". Highlights From The Collection. Bennington Museum. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 14, 2008. Early Date 1812, Late Date 1820

^ Cooper, Grace Rogers (November 6, 1973). Thirteen-Star Flags: Keys to identification. Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology • Number 21. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 29–30. hdl:10088/2420. (GR113.072 929.9'0973 72-8229). Retrieved March 14, 2008.

^ "Old Glory flag". National Museum of American History. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Object 89: Perry's Flag, Present at Japanese 1853 Opening & WWII Surrender". www.usna.edu. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Battle of Fort Sumter, April 1861 (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Artifact of the Assassination: The Lincoln Flag and the Gourlay Family". Fords Theatre. May 21, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ Brown, Matthew (December 10, 2010). "Custer's 'Last Flag' sells for $2.2 million". NBC News. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Iconic Artifacts". National Museum of the Marine Corps. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

^ "Flag, United States, Freedom 7 Flight". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

^ "Returning the Ground Zero flag: How detectives solved the mystery of the missing Stars and Stripes". Police1. September 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

^ "Iconic Ground Zero Flag Donated to 9/11 Memorial Museum | National September 11 Memorial & Museum". 911memorial.org. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

^ Znamierowski, Alfred (2013). The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns, with Over 1400 Illustration. Lorenz Books. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-7548-2629-3.

^ "Bikinian Anthem & Flag". Bikiniatoll.com. March 1, 1954. Retrieved September 8, 2013.

^ Um estudo histórico perceptual: A Bandeira Brasileira sem Brasil Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine Seysell, Ricardo. Universidade Estadual Paulista, 2006. Retrieved on 10 October 2010. (in Portuguese).

^ "President Sirleaf Worships at Abyssinian Baptist Church; Pleads with African Americans to Serve as Ambassadors for Liberia". Ministry of State Presidential Affairs, Executive Mansion, Government of Liberia. September 23, 2012. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.

^ Burin, Eric (2008). Slavery and the Peculiar Solution: A History of the American Colonization Society. University Press of Florida. pp. 20–28. ISBN 978-0813032733.

^

Arbizú, Gregorio (May 4, 1865). "Decreto del Gobierno designado los colores del pabellón nacional y atributos del escudo de armas de la república" (PDF). El Constitucional (Diario Oficial) (in Spanish). 1 (82): 1 (14 in Archives). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

^ Regionalism after Regionalisation (AUP Dissertation Series). Amsterdam University Press. 2014. p. 223. ISBN 978-9056294281.

^ The Flag Bulletin, vol. 148. The Flag Research Center. 1992. p. 184.

^ "4 U.S. Code § 2 – Same; additional stars". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

^ "'Top Ten' American Flag Myths". The American Legion. Retrieved July 8, 2019.

Bibliography

Allentown Art Museum. The American Flag in the Art of Our Country. Allentown Art Museum, 1976.

Herbert Ridgeway Collins. Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth 1775 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979.

Grace Rogers Cooper. Thirteen-star Flags: Keys to Identification. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1973.

David D. Crouthers. Flags of American History. Hammond, 1978.

Louise Lawrence Devine. The Story of Our Flag. Rand McNally, 1960.

William Rea Furlong, Byron McCandless, and Harold D. Langley. So Proudly We Hail: The History of the United States Flag. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981.

Scot M. Guenter, The American Flag, 1777–1924: Cultural Shifts from Creation to Codification. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. 1990. online Archived May 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

George E. Hastings. The Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson. University of Chicago Press, 1926.

Kevin Keim & Peter Keim. A Grand Old Flag: A History of the United States through its Flags. DK Publishing. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7566-2847-5.

Flag: An American Biography. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2005.

David Roger Manwaring. Render Unto Caesar: The Flag-Salute Controversy. University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Boleslaw Mastai and Marie-Louise D'Otrange Mastai. The Stars and the Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present. Knopf, 1973.

Henry W. Moeller, Ph.D. "Two Early American Ensigns on the Pennsylvania State Arms." NAVA News, Issue 173, Jan.–Mar. 2002.

Milo Milton Quaife. The Flag of the United States. 1942.

Milo Milton Quaife, Melvin J. Weig, and Roy Applebaum. The History of the United States Flag, from the Revolution to the Present, Including a Guide to Its Use and Display. Harper, 1961.

Richard S. Patterson and Richardson Dougall. The Eagle and the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978 [1976 i.e. 1978].

Albert M. Rosenblatt. "Flag Desecration Statutes: History and Analysis Archived August 11, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", Washington University Law Quarterly 1972: 193–237.

George and Virginia Schaun. "Historical Portrait of Mrs. Mary Young Pickersgill." The Greenberry Series on Maryland, Greenberry Publications. Volume 5.

Leonard A. Stevens. Salute! The Case of The Bible vs. The Flag. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1973.

Arnaldo Testi. Capture the Flag: The Stars and Stripes in American History (New York University Press; 2010) 192 pages. A European perspective on the symbolism and political, social, and cultural significance of the flag.

Earl P. Williams Jr. " NAVA News, Issue 216, Oct.–Dec. 2012.

Paul M. Zall. "Comical Spirit of Seventy-Six: The Humor of Francis Hopkinson." The Huntington Library, 1976.

Chadwick, Patricia. "The Women Behind the Flag Archived August 6, 2018, at the Wayback Machine"

Further reading

"Identity and Marking Standards" (PDF). Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. June 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2013.

External links

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