Flag Research

US History
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Grand union flag, including a Union Jack and 13 stripes

You should also add an annotation to each of your sources. You had some personal voice, but you could add in a few more "I" statements in your writing. The format of your answers was a little confusing to me, but all your information was great!

1. When and where does the US flag originate?
1. The first national flag of the US was the Grand Union Flag. I learned that it was adopted on December 3rd 1775, and Benjamin Franklin even suggested to George Washington that they should keep the same design as the British East India Company's flag.
2. When and why has it evolved? Note eras of significant and permanent change. Note the lack of any big change, if you find that’s the case. 
1. It has evolved every time a new state had been founded and a new star had to be added to the flag respectively for each state. The dates the flag was redesigned range from 1777 to 1960 with our current flag of 50 stars and 13 stripes. 
3. What factors have shaped the look of the flag, including the shapes, colors, and arrangements of stars, stripes, red, white blue, etc.? Is there a history and purpose to these graphic design choices? 
1. The stripes of the flag represent the first 13 colonies while the blue field with the white stars correspond to how many current states there are.
2. Originally when the flag was adopted in 1777 there was no specific reason that the flag had red, white and blue colors. However the United States' Great Seal does have a specific reason to have red, white and blue.
1. As Charles Thomson, secretary of the continental congress said about the Great Seal: "The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."(Site about US Flag's colors)
3. Not that I could find.
4. For what is the flag a symbol?  Does consensus about the meaning of the flag appear to be fairly widespread?  How can you tell? Does it seem to be widely understood as a positive symbol of national unity? 
1. The Flag is typically known as a symbol of freedom or American identity or pride. Usually the meaning of the flag is pretty well known but it can differ from person to person. I can tell because symbols and what they mean are subjective, it depends on someone's perspective rather than just a definition. Yes.
1. What are the flag’s nicknames?  What can you learn about where those nicknames originate in our culture?
1. Old Glory, The Star Spangled Banner, or just the Stars and Stripes.
1. The term "Old Glory" was coined by William Driver when the flag sailed around the world for the first time (Wikipedia US Flag)
2. The nickname "Star Spangled Banner" comes from the United States national anthem
2. What can you learn about the flag in popular music?  Consider songs, genres, album covers, and lyrics.
1. I found that the flag tends to be more prominent in country music, being more patriotic and open about the country. 
5. What evidence suggests that the flag is generally understood, within our culture, as something that is worthy of respect and more careful treatment than you might otherwise provide to a piece of fabric?
1. The flag is generally understood as something worthy of respect because its been around for nearly 300 years and its a massively prominent symbol in the country's history and identity.
6. Can you find any evidence to suggest that the flag itself is controversial?  Or do there just seem to be ways of using it that are controversial?
1. No. There do seem to be many ways of using the flag to be controversial such as burning it in protest, such as during the 2008 election when people did that to protest against the outcome.

Sources:

Grand Union Flag Article

From this article I learned the history of the Grand Union flag, how it was based off the British East India company's flag and when it was adopted into service.

US Flag's colors and their importance

From this source I learned of the importance of the colors in the flag and that the symbolism of the colors actually comes from the colors of the US Great Seal.

Wikipedia US Flag article

I learned from this