How many stars on the American flag and what do they mean?

Each country has its own flag. America is no exception. For the citizens of the United States, such things as patriotism, the Motherland, a sense of duty to it, etc., mean so much. Therefore, they are very sensitive to their national symbol - the US flag. For Americans, this is not just an ordinary flag, but a universal symbol of their nation.

The US flag with its stars and stripes is the main official symbol of America. The flag is a rectangular canvas with red and white, horizontal and alternating stripes depicted on it and a blue square with numerous stars. And every color of the American flag has its significance. Red symbolizes the shedding blood of the founders of the colonies, and white symbolizes the moral principles on which the United States was founded.

Of course, everyone saw the flag of America with its stars and stripes. But not everyone knows how many stars on the American flag, what they matter. And this is quite an interesting question. After all, the US flag changed many times in its history, and the number of stars on it also did not remain unchanged.

So, in order to understand how many stars on the flag of America in fact and what they symbolize, you need to turn to history. And the history of the American flag began from the day when the USA was proclaimed an independent state - July 4, 1776. Until then, the country did not have its own official banner. Therefore, on the first version of the American flag, instead of the current stars, a symbol of Great Britain was depicted. It was called the "Continental Flag". The following year and a half, this flag was carried by North American revolutionaries under the command of George Washington.

However, everyone understood that the new independent state needs its own, unique and unique symbol. Therefore, in June 1777, Congress approved a new official American flag. On it instead of the symbol of Great Britain there were stars. They began to symbolize the United States. So, how many stars on the American flag were from the very beginning? 13 states - 13 stars.

According to legend, the first flag of America was made by seamstress Betsy Ross from Philadelphia on the day of US independence. And the day when it was adopted by the Congress (June 14), is celebrated in America still as Flag Day.

Throughout the history of the United States, the number of stars on the flag has changed many times. Thus, in 1795 two more states joined the USA : Kentucky and Vermont, and the number of stars on the flag was increased to 15. It was this flag that received the name "Banner of Stars". And so it was repeated every time a new state joined the United States. Longest survived the banner with 48 stars (1912-1959).

So, how many stars on the American flag today?

In 1960, the last state joined - the United States - Hawaii. At the time when he entered the country, the last, 50th star flashed on the flag. And to this day the American flag consists of 13 bands and 50 stars.

However, since 2012 negotiations are already under way to make the official 51st state of America in Puerto Rico. And the US Army Heraldry Institute has even prepared proposals for changing the design of the future flag.

Now you know exactly how many stars are on the American flag. As well as the fact that they mean the number of US states.