The National Flag

The stars and Stripes is the most popular name for the National Flag of the US. Francis Scott Key first called it Star-Spangled Banner. In 1814 he wrote the poem that became the national anthem. William Driver gave the name Old Glory to the flag of the US in 1824. After the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress resolved on June 1777 that “the flag of the US be 13 stripes alternate red and white and 13 stars white in a blue field. Red is for courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance and justice. The stripes stand for 13 original colonies. There is no historical basis for assigning each star to a particular state. Presidential orders fixed the positions of the stars in 1912 for 48 states, and in 1960 for 50.

The US flag flies over the White House whether or not the President is in Washington, D.C. The US flag flies over the Capitol every day. The flag is customarily displayed from sunrise to sunset. When flown at night, it should be spotlighted. The US flag should be flown on legal public holidays and other special days.