Vexillology: Flags of the USA

HAPPY

SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL

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Today is the 4th of July, and I'll be extremely honest that despite the importance of this year, I don't feel super patriotic about my beautiful country's 250th birthday. However, I really do deeply love my homeland and want to write a special post about it. So here we go!

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You might expect the flag of the United States of America to look something like this:

However, according to the astoundingly vague U.S. Flag Code, which reads:

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. § 1
On the admission of a new State to the Union one star shall be added to the union of the flag; and such addition shall take effect on the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission.
— 4 U.S.C. § 2

...this is technically a legal and officially correct United States flag...

... as is this, since the Flag Code does not specify hue, dimension, or layout as do the codes or constitutions of most other countries...

...as you can see, it's a very complicated thing which the very undefined US Flag Code leaves up to personal interpretation, and it's only by custom that we stick to one standard style. There are no defined shades, nor colors, nor dimensions which the flag must be (and we've actually used many official variants over time, as you'll see later in the post).

Today, in the spirit of my country's quarter-millennium birthday, I'm proud to write this vexillological post highlighting some of America's best / worst / most unique flags throughout history.

Well, let's just get this one out of the way,,,

It's an ugly flag by all vexillological standards (according to the North American Vexillologial Association, a "good flag" should have NO text, and should be easy to draw from memory by a child) and it includes a registered trademark symbol which just corporatizes and monetizes even America's most recent significant birthday. That little TM just makes this flag feel even worse. I don't know anybody who is excited about the country's 250th, and that's a real shame.

Let's just move on...

Continental Flag (1775-1777)

The first flag which could be said to belong to the nascent United States of America was actually the same flag used by the East India Company (who continued to use it until it finally disbanded in 1874). Note that this flag still uses the so-called "King's Colors" in its canton, which was the flag of Great Britain before the country incorporated Ireland, changed its name to the United Kingdom, and added the Cross of St. Patrick to the flag in 1801. At this moment in time, the Kingdom of Great Britain included only England and Scotland (and Wales, but everyone forgets about them). Like today, the 13 stripes on the flag represent the colonies.

Loyalist Union Flag

The Loyalist Flag features the British Union Flag in the canton alongside three bold slogans: "GEORGE III REX," "AND THE LIBERTIES OF AMERICA," and "NO POPERY."

To modern eyes, the combination seems contradictory. Why proclaim loyalty to King George III whilst simultaneously championing American liberties? In reality, this reflected the beliefs of many colonists in 1775. They viewed themselves as loyal British subjects whose traditional rights had been violated by Parliament and its ministers, but not by the King himself. They hoped George III would intervene on their behalf and restore their liberties within the British Empire. It was a dear wish of many within the Continental Congress to have taxation WITH representation and to be granted a seat in the British parliament.

As the war progressed, many loyalist families were forced to flee to the northern colonies which ultimately became modern day Canada.

Betsy Ross Flag

Perhaps the most iconic of all early American flags, the Betsy Ross Flag features thirteen white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle on a blue canton above thirteen alternating red and white stripes. 

According to popular tradition, Philadelphia upholsterer Betsy Ross sewed the first Stars and Stripes after being approached by a committee that included George Washington in the spring of 1776. Today, it has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the American Revolution.

Bennington Flag

The Bennington Flag is one of the most recognizable variants of the early Stars and Stripes, distinguished by its large white "76" in the canton (referencing America's date of independence) and its unusual arrangement of an arc of thirteen seven-pointed stars. According to tradition, it was carried by Vermont militia during the Battle of Bennington in 1777, a pivotal American victory that helped lead to the British surrender at Saratoga.

Gadsden Flag

Though today associated with libertarians who, hypocritically, espouse an ideology of personal freedom whilst voting to ban immigration and gay marriage and restrict certain demographics' rights to bear arms, the Gadsden Flag began life as one of the earliest symbols of American resistance to British rule.

The flag was designed in 1775 by South Carolina patriot and Continental Congress delegate Christopher Gadsden. He presented it to Commodore Esek Hopkins, commander of the newly formed Continental Navy, where it was flown by early American naval forces during the Revolution.

The rattlesnake had already become a symbol of the American colonies decades earlier. Benjamin Franklin famously used it in his 1754 political cartoon "Join, or Die". It was seen as uniquely American: it never struck without warning, defended itself fiercely when threatened, and refused to surrender. Thus, it quickly became an early symbol of the American revolutionary cause.

There's also my favorite version of this iconic flag, which is often used nowadays ironically to mock the American far right:

Modern Flag

We've actually had the present flag for 67 years, far longer than any other flag in history (the second-longest flag flew for 47 years between 1912 and 1959. This is the longest the US has ever gone without adding another state (the last being Hawaii in 1960). It's been 12 presidents and a full 27% of American history since we've updated it. It's iconic and recognizable, but I really wish the stars were aligned.

1912-1959

Speaking of which...

The flag of the United States is the only one in the world that regularly updates as the country changes and grows. To me, the most iconic and aesthetically pleasing flag (other than the Betsy Ross Flag) is the one which flew over the country from 1912 until 1959 when two new states were added to the Union. This iconic flag is not only the one that you'll see in all of America's finest moments during the Second World War but is also really nicely laid out with a pleasing alignment of stars.

Flag of Washington, D.C.

I wrote before about my favorite state flags. Well, Washington, D.C. is not a state, but America's only Federal District, administered directly by Congress. The flag, featuring three red stars above two red bars on a white background, is actually an "armorial banner", or a flag based upon a coat of arms.

The Coat of Arms of the Washington Family:

The flag is based on the coat of arms of the Washington family of Sulgrave Manor, Northamptonshire, England, the ancestral home of the family of America's first president, George Washington. The heraldry is displayed at Mount Vernon and was used frequently by President Washington.

U.S. Coast Guard Ensign

The Coast Guard Ensign is one of the oldest continuously used flags of the United States government, tracing its origins to 1799. It consists of sixteen vertical red and white stripes representing the original states of the Union at the time of its adoption, with the Great Seal of the United States emblazoned upon a blue eagle in the center. I think it's a great looking flag, and maybe that's because of the vertical stripes, unusual in vexillology.

U.S. Yacht Ensign

Another flag with a long history is the United States Yacht Ensign, which was authorized by Congress in 1848 for use by documented American recreational vessels. I'm not really sure why, but this one is another favorite of mine. I just think it looks really nice!

Based on the national flag, it replaces the canton of stars with a blue field bearing a fouled anchor surrounded by thirteen stars, symbolizing the nation's maritime heritage.

The flag is meant to be flown by private vessels, which are exempt from the customs inspections routinely conducted on commercial ships. Even to this day, the Yacht Ensign remains widely flown by American yachts and private vessels as a traditional maritime emblem, usually flown within the US and switched out with the national flag when entering international waters.

U.S. Power Squadrons Flag

The United States Power Squadrons Ensign is the official flag of the United States Power Squadrons, one of the nation's oldest recreational boating and maritime education organizations. Adopted in 1914, the flag consists of a red field bearing a white fouled anchor and blue stripes, which is an inverse to the flag of the Coast Guard whilst bearing the charge of the US Yachting Ensign.

Jack of the United States

It's officially called the "Union Jack", but nobody would mistake it for the British flag. This field of America's 50 stars serves as the Jack of the United States, an official flag flown from the jackstaff at the bow of a warship while it is moored or anchored. Unlike the national ensign, which is flown from the stern, the Union Jack is used only when a vessel is not underway.

The practice of flying a jack dates back to the earliest days of the United States Navy, when the blue canton of the national flag was used as a distinguishing bow flag. 

Naval Jack 2002-2019

For a period after 9/11, the official Jack was a modified Gadsden Flag. During the War on Terror, which officially lasted from 2002 to 2019, the US Navy temporarily replaced the Union Jack with a striped flag bearing a rattlesnake and the motto "DON'T TREAD ON ME." In 2019, the traditional fifty-star Union Jack was restored as the Navy's official jack, where it continues to fly as one of the service's oldest and most recognizable symbols.

Future Flags

So, what's next for dear Old Glory?

I think it's time for a shakeup. Let's go ahead and make Puerto Rico a state! They've voted to join the union time and time again and, despite being American citizens, they are taxed without representation antithetical to our Declaration of Independence. Here's what a future flag might look like once another star is added:

Neither look great, but I'm more inclined to lean towards the second, as the star shape makes it look more unique. Actually, I'd be happier to propose just letting Puerto Rico and D.C. become states and making the flag look more classic.

54 looks even better and harkens back to our glory days as a superpower who punched Nazis in the face! Look at that beautiful alignment!

The star flags would not be unprecedented, though. This is an official flag from when the US had 20 states in 1818:

And here's one when we had 26 after Michigan joined the Union in 1837:

And 38 when Colorado joined in 1877:

The Flag Code does not preclude us from aligning the stars in fun ways, so let's make the flag look awesome.

"Resistance to Tyrants"

Though it has recently been adopted by some progressive Americans as a symbol of opposition to President Trump, this flag's origins lie in the American Revolution. Associated with troops serving under George Washington, it bears the motto "Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God," which is a quote attributed to Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.

Don't Give Up the Ship

One of the most famous naval flags in American history, the "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag commemorates the dying words traditionally attributed to Captain James Lawrence of the United States Navy. Mortally wounded during the battle between USS Chesapeake and HMS Shannon on June 1, 1813, Cpt. Lawrence is said to have urged his crew, "Don't give up the ship!" Though Chesapeake was captured, his words quickly became a rallying cry for the young American Navy.

Shortly after, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry had the slogan emblazoned in large blue letters on a battle flag for his flagship, USS Lawrence, named in the fallen captain's honor. Perry flew the flag during the Battle of Lake Erie, where he won one of the most decisive American naval victories of the War of 1812.

Today, the original flag is preserved by the United States Naval Academy, while reproductions continue to be flown by naval vessels, museums, and patriotic organizations as a symbol of courage, perseverance, and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Like the "Resistance to Tyrants" flag, it has recently been adopted by anti-MAGA people in the US.

Happy 250th, America!