For Americans, the flag has always had a special meaning. It is a symbol of our nation's freedom and democracy.

The Flag of 1795:

The flag of the United States symbolizes the nation's unity and independence. In addition, the flag stands for the hopes and ideas of the American people.  Throughout its history, the American flag has undergone numerous changes. The flag of 1795 had 15 stripes, as well as 15 stars, to represent the 15 states.

Rules and Customs:

Over the years, Americans have developed rules and customs concerning the use and display of the flag.  One of the most important things every American should remember is to treat the flag with respect:

* The flag should be raised and lowered by hand and displayed only from sunrise to sunset. On special occasions, it may be displayed at night.
*The flag may be displayed on all days, weather permitting, particularly on national and state holidays and on historic and special occasions.
*No flag should be flown above the American Flag or to the right of it at the same height.
*The flag may be flown at half mast to mourn the death of public officials.
*The flag should never touch the ground or floor beneath it.
*The flag may be flown upside down only to signal distress
*When the flag becomes old and tattered, it should be destroyed by burning. According to an approved custom, the Union is first cut from the flag; and then the two pieces; which no longer form a flag , are burned.

Did you Know?:

* The first official American Flag, the Continental or Grand Union flag, was displayed on January 1, 1976.
*The American flag is said to have been nicknamed "Old Glory" by William Driver, a Massachusetts sea captain.
*The Stars and Strips first flew around the world on the ship Columbia of Boston on its voyage from September 1787 to August 1790.
*The flag was unfurled at the North Pole for the first time on April 6, 1909, by naval officer and Arctic explorer Robert Peary.
*The Flag was planted on the Moon on July 20, 1969, after astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Adrian Jr. piloted lunar module Eagle to a landing on the moon's surface.

	1776 January 1 — The Grand Union flag is displayed on Prospect Hill. It has 13 alternate red and white stripes and the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner (the canton).
	1777 June 14 — Continental Congress adopts the following: 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. Stars represent Delaware (December 7, 1787), Pennsylvania (December 12, 1787), New Jersey (December 18, 1787), Georgia (January 2, 1788), Connecticut (January 9, 1788), Massachusetts (February 6, 1788), Maryland (April 28, 1788), South Carolina (May 23, 1788), New Hampshire (June 21, 1788), Virginia (June 25, 1788), New York (July 26, 1788), North Carolina (November 21, 1789), and Rhode Island (May 29, 1790)
	1795 Flag with 15 stars and 15 stripes Vermont (March 4, 1791), Kentucky (June 1, 1792)
	1818 Flag with 20 stars and 13 stripes (it remains at 13 hereafter) Tennessee (June 1, 1796), Ohio (March 1, 1803), Louisiana (April 30, 1812), Indiana (December 11, 1816), Mississippi (December 10, 1817)
	1819 Flag with 21 stars Illinois (December 3, 1818)
	1820 Flag with 23 stars Alabama (December 14, 1819), Maine (March 15, 1820) first flag on Pikes Peak
	1822 Flag with 24 stars Missouri (August 10, 1821)
	1836 Flag with 25 stars Arkansas (June 15, 1836)
	1837 Flag with 26 stars Michigan (Jan 26, 1837)
	1845 Flag with 27 stars Florida (March 3, 1845)
	1846 Flag with 28 stars Texas (December 29, 1845)
	1847 Flag with 29 stars Iowa (December 28, 1846)
	1848 Flag with 30 stars Wisconsin (May 29, 1848)
	1851 Flag with 31 stars California (September 9, 1850)
	1858 Flag with 32 stars Minnesota (May 11, 1858)
	1859 Flag with 33 stars Oregon (February 14, 1859)
	1861 Flag with 34 stars; Kansas (January 29, 1861) Note: Even after the South seceded from the Union, President Lincoln would not allow any stars to be removed from the flag. • first Confederate Flag (Stars and Bars) adopted in Montgomery, Alabama
	1863 Flag with 35 stars West Virginia (June 20, 1863)
	1865 Flag with 36 stars Nevada (October 31, 1864)
	1867 Flag with 37 stars Nebraska (March 1, 1867)
	1877 Flag with 38 stars Colorado (August 1, 1876)
	1890 Flag with 43 stars North Dakota (November 2, 1889), South Dakota (November 2, 1889), Montana (November 8, 1889), Washington (November 11, 1889), Idaho (July 3, 1890)
	1891 Flag with 44 stars Wyoming (July 10, 1890)
	1896 Flag with 45 stars Utah (January 4, 1896)
	1908 Flag with 46 stars Oklahoma (November 16, 1907)
	1912 Flag with 48 stars New Mexico (January 6, 1912), Arizona (February 14, 1912)
	1959 Flag with 49 stars Alaska (January 3, 1959)
	1960 Flag with 50 stars Hawaii (August 21, 1959)
	2001 September 11 — The Flag from the World Trade towers survives and becomes a symbol of sacrifice in service, loss, and determination.
	Proposed flag with 51 stars, to be used if a 51st state is added.

Interesting and Fun Facts about Flags:
Click Below the moving flag.