Vocabulary:

declare

represent

realize

essential

unify

Union

symbolize

Congress

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The Flag

There have been twenty-seven designs of the flag of the United States. At first, each state had its own flag, After the first states united to become one country, it was essential to have one flag to represent the whole country. The first flag to represent all thirteen states was made in 1777. It had 13 horizontal red and white stripes and 13 white stars with a blue field behind it. The flag helped to unify the new country.

Vermont and Kentucky entered the Union in 1794 which added two stripes and two stars. The new flag is shown above. More states joined the Union and Congress soon realized that stars and stripes could not be added for each state. In 1818, Congress declared that the flag would always have thirteen stripes. We would only add a star for each new state, but not another stripe.

Now there are fifty stars on the United States flag, one for each state. The thirteen stripes represent the first thirteen colonies, or states, in the United States. Do you know the last two states to join the Union?

The last two states to join the Union were Hawaii and Alaska. They joined the Union in 1959. The United States bought Alaska from Russia. Hawaii had already been a territory of the United States since 1898.

Red symbolizes bravery.

Blue symbolizes justice.

White symbolizes purity.

Did you know that the colors on the flag symbolize something? What do you think colors on other flags symbolize? Depending on the country, the meaning might be different.

For example, in the South African flag above, black symbolizes the people, gold symbolizes minerals (like gold), and green symbolizes the fertile land.