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Symbols of U.S. Government:
The Flag

The U.S. FlagThe United States flag has 13 stripes. Seven are red and 6 are white. It also has 50 white stars on a blue background. The stripes represent the 13 original colonies. The 50 stars represent the 50 states in the U.S.

The first U.S. flag was designed in 1777. The flag has been changed many times since then. New stars are added each time new states join the union.

For more information, try Our Flag [PDF, 1.78MB] [TEXT, 218k].

A service of the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office.

Last updated: January 22, 2001
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