vigilance, perseverance

The color blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice. Red stands for hardiness and valor, and the white stands for purity. The red and white stripes stand for the thirteen colonies and the stars stand for each state that makes up the United States.

During the early twentieth century, Old Glory was viewed as a symbol of imperialism by smaller, underdeveloped nations in the Caribbean and South America. There, the United States impeded nationalist movements and established lucrative markets while playing the role of a benevolent international policeman.

William Driver

Old Glory is the story of one man’s devotion to a national treasure and an inspiring example for all Americans who revere their flag. In 1824, William Driver — a merchant seaman from Salem, Mass. Always flying high above Driver’s ship was his favorite flag, which he soon named Old Glory.

50 stars

poet Robert Lowell

John Agard

The stripes represent the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well; red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.

The National League of Families POW/MIA flag, also known as the POW/MIA flag or simply the POW flag, consists of a silhouette of a prisoner of war (POW) before a guard tower and barbed wire in white on a black field.

A flag honoring American service members missing or held captive during war is flying atop the White House again after being removed last year by the Trump administration. The POW/MIA flag honors the roughly 82,000 service members listed as prisoners of war, missing in action or unaccounted for in America’s past wars.

When an American flag is flown inverted with the union field down historically it’s a signal of dire distress and imminent danger to life or property.