46. American National Flags

The basic flag of the United States is one of the world’s oldest national flags. Only the basic flags of Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are older.

During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flag of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of 1）_____. Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flag representing famous persons, places and events were flown in the American Colonies.

The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14,1777. It 2) ____ 13 alternate red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13 3) ____ that had declared their 4)____ in 1776. Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states 5) ____ the Union, Vermont and Kentucky.

By 1817, there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would 6) ____. As a result, Congress in 1818 7) ____ the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star. In 1912 President William H.Taft made the first official provisions for the arrangement of the stars each. 8) ____ the arrangement of the stars had been left to the flag-maker’s fancy.

The evolution of the Stars and Stripes 9) ____ the growth of the United States. After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was officially changed for the 26th time since its creation.

There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag. Among them are the president’s and vice president’s flags and those of the federal departments and some federal agencies. Each state in the Union has an official flag. The United States Navy uses special flags for 10) _____.