National/Historic American Flags and Emblems
Flags of the Revolution
| Grand Union Flag | Gadsden Flag | Bennington Flag | Guilford Flag | Washington's Flag |
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| Culpepper Flag | Join or Die Flag | Sons of Liberty | Serapis Flag | Bedford Flag |
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The Stars and Stripes
Presidents Flags
| Presidential Flag | Vice Presidential Flag |
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Flags of the Confederate States of America
| 1st Official | 2nd Official | 3rd Official | Battle Flag | Naval Ensign |
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Only one flag besides the Stars and Stripes that represents the United States has ever flown over the White House in Washington, DC. Only one flag is ever displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
That flag is not one that represents an individual state, branch of service, or other select group. It is the POW-MIA (Prisoners of War/Missing In Action) Flag that calls to mind the sacrifice and plight of those Americans who have sacrificed their own freedom, to preserve liberty for all of us. It's presence serves to remind us that, while we enjoy the privileges of freedom, somewhere there are soldiers who have not been accounted for and may, in fact, be held against their will by the enemies of Freedom. |
Emblems of the United States of America
The American Bald Eagle gained immediate, unofficial recognition as our National bird when the Great Seal of the United States was adopted on June 20, 1782. Official designation of the massive bird that has a wingspan of from 6 to 8 feet did not come however, for six more years. During that time it was the subject of fierce arguments by leading political leaders of the day.
In January of 1784 elder statesman Benjamin Franklin registered his own disapproval of the eagle as our National bird when he stated: "The bald eagle...is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy.The bald eagle's friends prevailed in the end, however, and in 1789 George Washington became our Nation's first President and the American Bald Eagle became our Country's official bird. Almost 150 years later the American Bald Eagle was protected under the National Emblem Act of 1940. President John F. Kennedy later wrote: "The Founding Fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America." |
"Americans have always loved the flowers with which God decorates our land. More often than any other flower, we hold the rose dear as the symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity. For the love of man and woman, for the love of mankind and God, for the love of country, Americans who would speak the language of the heart do so with a rose.
We see proofs of this everywhere. The study of fossils reveals that the rose has existed in America for age upon age. We have always cultivated roses in our gardens. Our first President, George Washington, bred roses, and a variety he named after his mother is still grown today. The White House itself boasts a beautiful Rose Garden. We grow roses in all our fifty States. We find roses throughout our art, music, and literature. We decorate our celebrations and parades with roses. Most of all, we present roses to those we love, and we lavish them on our altars, our civil shrines, and the final resting places of our honored dead. The American people have long held a special place in their hearts for roses. Let us continue to cherish them, to honor the love and devotion they represent, and to bestow them on all we love just as God has bestowed them on us. The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 159 has designated the rose as the National Floral Emblem of the United States and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation declaring this fact. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the rose as the National Floral emblem of the United States of America."
proclamation #5574
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The Greal Seal has two sides. The obverse side displays a bald eagle, the national bird, in the center. The eagle holds a scroll inscribed E Pluribus unum in its beak. The phrase means "out of many, one" in Latin and signifies one nation that was created from thiteen separate colonies. In one of the eagle's claws is an olive branch and in the other is a bundle of thirteen arrows. The olive branch signifies peace and the arrows signify war. A shield with thirteen red and white stripes covers the eagle's breast. The eagle alone supports the shield to signify that Americans should rely on their own virtue and not that of other nations. The red and white stripes of the shield represent the states united under and supporting the blue, representing the President and Congress. The color red signifies valor and bravery, the color white signifies purity and innocence, and the color blue signifies vigilance, preseverance, and justice. Above the eagle's head is a cloud that surrounds a blue field containing thirteen stars, which form a constellation. The constellation represents the fact that the new Nation is taking its place among the sovereign powers. The reverse side contains a thirteen-step pyramid with the year 1776 in Roman numerals at its base. Above the pyramid is the Eye of Providence and the motto Annuit Coeptis, meaning "He [God] favors our undertaking." Below the pyramid, Novus Ordo Seclorum, meaning "New Order of the Ages," is written on a scroll to signify the beginning of the new American era. The obverse side of the Great Seal is used on postage stamps, military uniforms, U.S. passports, and above the doors of U.S. embassies worldwide. Both sides are present on the one dollar bill. |
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee to create a seal for the United States of America. Following the appointment of two additional committees, each building upon the other, the Great Seal was finalized and approved on June 20, 1782.