Stars and Stripes

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation, under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

If you live in the United States of America, you have probably seen our flag at one point or another.
A flag is a piece of fabric displayed to identify a nation, group, or person.
A flag often has a pattern or emblem on it, to help identify it.
The flag of the United States is known as the Stars and Stripes, because it has white stars on a blue background, as well as red and white stripes.

	Stars The original flag had 13 stars, one for each of the thirteen original colonies, because that was how many states there were. On July 4, 1960, the Stars and Stripes received its 50th star. Today, there are still fifty stars on the flag, one for each state in the Union. *
	Stripes There are thirteen stripes on the flag we have today. There are seven white stripes and six white stripes. Those stripes stand for the original 13 American colonies. In 1794, Congress decided to add two extra stripes and two extra stars to the flag, to make fifteen of each, because there were that many states, but in 1818 a law was passed returning to the original thirteen stripes and adding a star for each state instead. *
	Colors The three colors of the flag are red, white, and blue. Nobody knows what they chose those colors for, but we do know when Congress chose the same colors for the Great Seal of the United States in 1782, it was said that red stood for valor, white for purity and innocence, and blue for perseverance and justice. *
	Historic Flags When the Revolutionary War began, before the United States had an official flag, people adopted several different flags with local emblems and patterns with patriotic meaning. South Carolina likened to a design of a rattlesnake with the slogan "Don't Tread on Me." This flag and slogan became popular all over the colonies. For more information on Historic Flags, click Here *