The American Flag

History of the American Flag

• Flags of the American Revolution

  The history of the earliest flags adopted by our colonial and Revolutionary forebears, including the Pine Tree "Appeal to Heaven" flag, Fort Moultrie flag, Culpeper flag, and Rhode Island Regiment flag.

  

• Gadsden Flag History

  How did the rattlesnake become a symbol of American independence? Here's the fascinating history of the most famous Dont Tread on Me flag.

  

• First Navy Jack History

  The story of the second most famous Dont Tread on Me rattlesnake flag. This flag is especially popular right now, since the U.S. Navy has ordered all ships to fly the First Navy Jack during the War on Terrorism.

• Grand Union American Flag

  The first American flag to have any resemblance to the present Stars and Stripes.

  

• Stars and Stripes

  The origin of the stars and stripes.

• The Number of Stars

  Here's how we came to add one star for each state, but leave 13 stripes to symbolize the original colonies.

  

• Betsy Ross Flag

  Betsy Ross and her 13-star American flag.

• Star Spangled Banner

  The Star Spangled Banner created by Mary Pickersgill that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key.

• Other American Historical Flags

  More on The Fort Moultrie, Green Mountain Boys, Rhode Island Regiment, Commodore Perry, Bennington, and Cavalry Guidon flags.

U.S. State Flags

• State Flag History and Heraldry

  Browse images and quick summaries for each state, from Alabama to Wyoming.

American Flags and Merchandise

• Buy an American Flag

  We've had good luck with FlagLine. It's a small, friendly business, their prices are low, and their service is good. I've been recommending them for a few years now and I haven't heard a single complaint.

  FlagLine offers all your standard American flags for sale, of course, plus a wide selection of historical flags

  

• T-Shirts & Sweatshirts

  Here are T-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, frisbees, mousepads, etc., etc., that proudly display the American flag, the 13-star "Betsy Ross" flag, the Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me", and Navy Jack "Don't Tread on Me". These are all from high-quality flag images that I created myself.

  You might also be interested in a new store called from Freedom HQ, run by a guy named Chris Body out of Annapolis, Maryland. He has a great selection of patriotic T-shirts, caps, mugs, and much more. In addition to items with the current American flag, many items have hardcore "Don't Tread on Me", "Live Free or Die," and "Liberty or Death" themes.

• American Flag Posters

  A nice selection of American flag art prints and posters.

• Flag Postcards

  Vintage Fourth of July and Americana postcards featuring Old Glory (as well as other antique postcards with flags).

• Amazon.com Flag Books

  Click to this link to automatically search for all the American flag-related books currently available from Amazon.com.

Virtual Flags

• American Flag E-Cards

  Send an Old Glory or Gadsden e-card. It's free, private, and only takes a minute.

• U.S. Flag Clip Art

  Here are U.S. flags, early American flags, and state flags for use as free clip art.