How many stripes are on the American flag? Here’s what the 13 stripes on the US flag represent.

“The Star Spangled Banner”, Francis Scott Key’s famed song which went on to become the United States’ national anthem pays tribute to a flag that has symbolized the American experiment for centuries.

That flag, made up of fifty stars and thirteen stripes since 1960, has been flown on battlefields, Olympic podiums and even on the moon. Its bold red, white, and blue color scheme has become synonymous with the United States and over the years has earned nicknames like “Old Glory” and “the stars and stripes.” 

Here’s everything you need to know about the flag’s iconography and what it represents.

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How many stripes are on the American flag? 

Thirteen. There are 13 stripes on a standard American flag, alternating between red and white shades. 

The stripes represent the 13 original colonies and the 50 white stars set against a blue background in the upper left corner represent the 50 states. 

What do the 13 stripes on the American flag represent? 

The 13 stripes on the American flag represent the 13 original colonies at the country’s founding. Those colonies include: 

• Virginia
• Massachusetts
• Rhode Island
• Connecticut
• New Hampshire
• New York
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Delaware
• Maryland
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia

The colors of the stripes do not have an officially designated meaning and are inherited from the British flag. However, PBS reports that generally the red denotes hardiness and valor, while the white is meant to symbolize purity and innocence. The blue background behind the stars on the other hand represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.

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Why are there 7 red stripes and 6 white stripes on the flag?

There is not a specific reason for the number of red versus white stripes. PBS reports that the Continental Congress, on June 14, 1777, passed an act that established an official flag. The act read: “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” 

The numbers shake out to seven and six based on the first of the thirteen stripes being red. 

Does the U.S. flag always have 13 stripes?

Standard American flags always have thirteen stripes, as established in the original 1777 statute. 

However, there was a brief period in which the American flag bore 15 stripes. The Smithsonian reports that the Act of January 13, 1794, allowed for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May of 1795.

Then, another act was passed in 1818 reverting back to the original 13 stripes. 

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