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United States Flag

United States Flag How did the United States flag get the nickname of Old Glory? Who thought up the idea of stars and stripes? What role did Francis Hopkinson play in the development of the U.S. flag? Did Betsy Ross really sew one of the first flags? Francis Scott Key was a lawyer--what was his involvement in the War of 1812? Which star on the current U.S. flag represents Utah?

The following internet resources and activities can help you learn more about our national flag.

Ready Reference: U.S. Flag Facts
  1. What do the 50 stars on the flag represent?
  2. How many stripes are there? What do they represent?

Pledge of Allegiance
  1. Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?
  2. When did he write it?
  3. Why did he write it?
  4. In 1923, what words were altered in the Pledge of Allegiance?
  5. In 1954, what words were added to the Pledge of Allegiance?
  6. When did Congress officially recognize the Pledge of Allegiance?
  7. There are 2 official sites in the world over which the flag of the United States may be displayed at all times, day and night. What are they?

Star Spangled Banner
  1. Describe the circumstances around which Francis Scott Key wrote the words to The Star Spangled Banner.
  2. When was it adopted as our official national anthem?
  3. Find out more about Fort McHenry.
  4. Look at a photo of one of Francis Scott Key's hand-written versions of the poem. Click on the image to enlarge it. What do you think of his handwriting?

US Flag
  1. The flag has 13 stripes - how many are red and how many are white?
  2. What was the name of the flag that the original colonies flew from 1707 until the American Revolution? What did this flag look like?
  3. What did the Grand Union flag look like? Where was it first flown? Find an illustration of the Grand Union flag.
  4. The first official flag of the United States was created by resolution of the Continental Congress when it met in Philadelphia. When was this resolution passed?
  5. This first flag had 13 stripes and 13 stars. There was no consensus about how those 13 stars should be arranged. On the first offical flag, how were they finally arranged? Who made this first official flag?
  6. How many stars and how many stripes did the flag that flew over Fort McHenry and which inspired The Star Spangled Banner have?
  7. When did Congress decide to leave the flag at 13 stripes and then just add stars for each new state? (Otherwise, it would have been a really big flag if it had ended up with 50 stripes and 50 stars!)
  8. Which star on the flag represents Utah?

Betsy Ross and the American Flag
  1. Historians question whether or not Betsy Ross really sewed the first official American flag. (In her old age, she recounted her flag experience to her grandson, and he passed the story on. There is no real evidence that the story is true.) This site claims that she probably did sew the flag. According to this site, who asked her to do this?
  2. What had Betsy Ross sewn for President Washington previously?
  3. What kind of business did Betsy Ross have?
  4. When did she finish the flag?
  5. What losses did Betsy Ross personally incur during the Revolutionary War?

The Story of Betsy Ross's Life
  1. Write a summary of Betsy Ross's life. (She had 16 brothers and sisters, and she had 3 husbands!)
  2. Take a virtual tour of her home.

How to Cut a 5-Pointed Star in One Snip
  1. George Washington originally wanted the flag to have 6-sided stars. According to this site, Betsy Ross recommended 5-pointed stars. Follow these directions and make a 5-sided star with one cut of the scissors.

Old Glory
  1. How did the U.S. flag get the nickname of Old Glory?
  2. How many stars did this flag that inspired this nickname have?
  3. Where did Captain hide his flag during the Civil War?

Flags Facts and Timeline
  1. List the original 13 colonies in 1877.
  2. In 1847, when white settlers arrived in Utah, how many states were in the union (or in other words, how many stars were on the flag?)
  3. What was the name of the Confederate flag?
  4. When was a flag first pictured on a postage stamp?
  5. What significant event happened in 1896?
  6. When did Hawaii enter the union and add the 50th star to the flag?
  7. When was the American flag placed on the moon?

Flag Picture Gallery
  1. What is the image that is on the Continental Navy flag?
  2. How many stars were on the flag following the Mexican-American War in 1846?
  3. How many stars did the flag have in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. After the south seceded from the union, did this flag change? Why or why not?

The Flags That Fly 24 Hours A Day
  1. Presidential proclamations and laws have authorized the display of the flag 24 hours a day at which public places?

Designer of America's Current National Flag
  1. Who designed our current 50 star flag?
  2. Why did he design it?
  3. What else has he designed for possible future use?

Flag Folding
  1. Into what shape is the flag folded and what does that shape represent?
  2. When the flag is completely folded, what should be visible?

Flag Trivia
  1. When is it okay to fly the flag upside down?
  2. What is a vexillologist?

Alvin Shipwreck Kelly
  1. Alvin Shipwreck Kelly was a world champion flagpole sitter. During what decade of the 1900's did he do most of his sitting?

Image is copyrighted by ArtToday. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Author: LINDA MOSBACKER - Email linda.mosbacker@slc.k12.ut.us