A 2.00m x 1.70m oil painting showing historical U.S. flags from 1776 to 1795.
This article describes the evolution of the flag of the United States of America, as well as other flags used within the country, such as the flags of governmental agencies. There are also separate flags for embassies and boats.
National flag
Historical progression of designs
Since 1818, a star for each new state has been added to the flag on the Fourth of July immediately following each state's admission. In years which multiple states were admitted, the number of stars on the flag jumped correspondingly; the most pronounced example of this is 1890, when five states were admitted within the span of a single year (North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington in November 1889 and Idaho on July 3, 1890). This change has typically been the only change made with each revision of the flag since 1777, with the exception of changes in 1795 and 1818, which increased the number of stripes to 15 and then returned it to 13, respectively.
As the exact pattern of stars was not specified prior to 1912, and the exact colors not specified prior to 1934, many of the historical U.S. national flags shown below are typical rather than official designs.
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 1777–1795 |
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| 1818–1819 |
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| 1819–1820 |
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| 1820–1822 |
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| 1836–1837 |
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| 1837–1845 |
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| 1845–1846 |
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| 1846–1847 |
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| 1847–1848 |
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| 1848–1851 |
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| 1851–1858 |
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| 1858–1859 |
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| 1859–1861 |
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| 1861–1863 |
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| 1863–1865 |
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| 1865–1867 |
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| 1867–1877 |
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| 1877–1890 |
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| 1890–1891 |
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| 1891–1896 |
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| 1896–1908 |
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| 1908–1912 |
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| 1912–1959 |
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| 1959–1960 |
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 1960–present |
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Other historical versions
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| 1777-1795 (the "Hopkinson Flag") |
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Possible future designs
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 A draft proposal for the flag design displaying 51 stars |
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| A draft proposal for the flag design displaying 51 stars |
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| A draft proposal for the flag design displaying 52 stars |
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| A draft proposal for the flag design displaying 52 stars |
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| A draft proposal for the flag design displaying 53 stars |
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| A draft proposal for the flag design displaying 54 stars |
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| A draft proposal for the flag design displaying 55 stars |
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Cabinet-level flags
Office of the President
Office of the Vice President
Department of State
Department of the Treasury
Department of Defense
Department of Justice
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| Flag of the Solicitor General |
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| Flag of the Drug Enforcement Administration |
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Department of the Interior
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| Flag of the Bureau of Indian Affairs |
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Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
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| Flag of the General Counsel of the Department of Commerce |
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| Flag of the Head of a Department of Commerce Primary Operating Unit |
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Department of Labor
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Transportation
Department of Energy
Department of Education
Department of Veterans Affairs
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| Flag of the Director of the National Cemetery System |
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| Flag of an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
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Department of Homeland Security
Other federal flags
Many agencies, departments, and offices of the U.S. federal government have their own flags, guidons, or standards. Following traditional American vexillology, these usually consist of the agency's departmental seal on a blank opaque background, but not always.
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| Flag of the Senior Executive Service |
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Uniformed services flags
Army
Marine Corps
Navy
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| Flag of the Under Secretary of the Navy |
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Air Force
Coast Guard
NOAA Officer Corps
State flags
Every U.S. state also have flags of their own. As examples, here are the six highest-rated U.S. state flags in terms of design quality, according to a 2001 survey by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA).[1]
Territorial and commonwealth flags
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| U.S. Virgin Islands (territory) |
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Insular area flags
The U.S. national flag is the official flag for all islands, atolls, and reefs comprising the United States Minor Outlying Islands. However, unofficial flags are in use on five of these eleven insular areas:
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| Johnston Atoll |
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| Navassa Island |
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County flags
Many U.S. counties also have flags of their own. As examples, here are 8 county flags from various U.S. states.
City flags
In 2004, NAVA conducted a survey to rank 150 U.S. city flags in terms of design quality.[2] Here are the top 8 city flags as ranked and their mean ratings on the survey's 10-point scale:
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Flag of Denver, CO
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Flag of St. Louis, MO
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Flag of Indianapolis, IN
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Maritime flags
Ensigns
National
Since 1777, the national ensign of the United States has also simultaneously served as its national flag. The current version is shown below; for previous versions, please see the section Historical progression of designs above.
State
Other
Jacks
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| Union Jack (state jack, 2002–present; naval and state jack, 1960–2002) |
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Native American tribal flags
Historic flags
American Revolutionary War
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| Easton Flag |
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| Bunker Hill flag |
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| Continental Flag |
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| Gadsden Flag |
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| Moultrie Liberty Flag |
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Former federal flags
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| Flag of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1899-1970) |
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| Flag of the Immigration and Naturalization Service |
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| Flag of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare |
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| Flag of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare |
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| Flag of the Under Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare |
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| Flag of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare |
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| Flag of the Director of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation ( ? -1946) |
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| Flag of the Office of Homeland Security (2001-2002) |
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| Flag of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency |
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| Flag of the General Accounting Office |
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| Boat flag (1912-1916) |
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| Flag of the United States Bureau of Fisheries ( ? -1940) |
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| Flag of the Commissioner of Fisheries ( ? -1940) |
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Other states
See also
References
- ↑ "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey New Mexico Tops State/Provincial Flags Survey, Georgia Loses By Wide Margin". North American Vexillological Association.
- ↑ Nava - American City Flags Survey
External links
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| | | | State-related | | Mobile military | |
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| | Mobile civilian | |
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| | Other entities | |
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| | By design | |
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| | By nations | |
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| | By continent | |
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| Names in italics indicate non-sovereign (dependent) territories and/or former countries. |
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