In today’s society, the American flag is a symbol of freedom, liberty, and justice among a number of other values. As Americans, we value the flag for its representation during the revolutionary war and the everlasting significance of today. As soldiers, we pledge to honor, serve, and protect the flag and the United States of America at all cost. In this paper, the relationship between the American flag and the United States Army will be explored through the histories of both. Furthermore, the importance of flag detail will be discussed by linking the two entities together as one. Without the American flag’s representation, the Army has no purpose; no means to exist.
The first American flag was introduced in May of 1976 in which Betsy Ross reported her creating it. On June 14, 1977, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Act to establish the set design of the United States flag. After the delegation, the original flag consisted of thirteen, red and white alternating stripes and thirteen, white stars in a blue field which was the number of original colonies: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts (Plymouth Rock), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. The stars represented a new constellation that the states were creating by rebelling against England. Before the Civil War, the American flag was merely an object to mark American territory or a military ensign. During the war, the American flag symbolized American nationalism and opposition of the Southern states secessionism. As more and more states were added to the United States, an additional star was added to represent each state until 1960 when the last state, Hawaii, was added. Although the flag of today have various meanings, the Continental Army was the first to use it to lead it into battle against the British.
In 1775, the Continental Congress created the Continental