The American flag has a design of 50 white stars in a blue field, with 13 stripes in red and white colors. Every “star” represents one state of the 50 states in the United States, and each “stripe” represents one colony of the 13 Colonies that have declared independence from the United Kingdom. An American flag delivers messages of freedom, democracy, and civil rights.
What Are the Parts of a American Flag?
- Header: it is a heavy fabric, which is to reinforce a flag’s grommets and makes the flag stronger.
- Grommets: they are the reinforced holes found in a flag’s header for mounting the flag to the pole, and their material is usually brass or other metals.
- Canton, Union, or Field: it is the design located in the upper left part of a flag, and when it comes to the American flag, it is a blue field with 50 white stars.
- Fly End: it is the end of a flag, which flaps in the wind.
- Fly: it is the length of a flag, which measures from the header to the fly end.
- Hoist: it is the end of a flag that mounts to the flagpole, also known as the hoist end.
What Are the Structures of a American Flag?
- Single-Sided Flag: its design is only on a single side of a flag, and it cannot show through to another side of the flag.
- Single/Reverse Flag: its design is also only on a single side of a flag. However, it shows through to another side of the flag in a reverse image. So, the back and front side images of the flag mirror each other. This design is the most common structure for a flag that wants to stay lightweight, and it is the most cost-effective one.
- Double-Sided Flag: its design is on both sides of a flag. A typical double-sided flag is sewing two single-sided flags together back-to-back. It is good for the flags in high wind areas or the horizontally hung flag, and of course more costly.