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The first official American flag
In 1776, three men: George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, visited Betsy Ross in her upholstery shop. She escorted them to her parlor, where they could have a private meeting. Here, Washington pulled a folded piece of paper from his inside coat pocket. On it, was a sketch of a flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen six pointed stars. -
The Bald Eagle is chosen as the emblem of the USA
The bald eagle was chosen as the emblem of the United States of America because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent. Fun fact: Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be the turkey. -
The Star Spangled Banner was written
Early in the morning of September 14, 1814, during The War of 1812, a respected young lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key was watching the Americans battle the British at Fort Mchenry. As the sun began to rise, he saw the American flag on top of the fort blowing in the breeze, which signified an American victory. He quickly began to write down his thoughts on a note he found in his back pocket. -
The Statue of Liberty is completed
The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations. It was first proposed in 1865 as the American Civil War drew to a close. America built and funded the platform for the statue to go on, and France built the statue and sent it over here. -
The (first) Pledge of Allegiance is written
It was written by magazine article writer and minister Francis Bellamy. The original pledge said:
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." -
Words were added to the Pledge of Allegiance
In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." -
Final changes were made to The Pledge of Allegiance
Due to the Cold War, President Eisenhower encouraged congress to add "under God" to the pledge, creating the pledge we say today:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." -
The 50 star flag became official
Hawaii is the final state added to the flag
