When the United States Flag was first recognized by Congress in 1777, it did not have the familiar thirteen stripes and fifty stars that it does today. Although still red, white, and blue, the Flag had thirteen stars and stripes to represent the original thirteen colonies of the United States. Since the United States’ independence, the national Flag has been revised twenty-seven different times. Each time a state (or states) was added to the union, another star had to be added to the top left corner of the Flag. The most recent version of the Flag was recognized in 1960 when Hawaii became a state. The evolution of the United States Flag is therefore not only a history of an American symbol but the history of this country’s land and people. The Flag is a unifying symbol that binds together Americans from the east to west, north to south. Each state has a star sewn into a blue background that represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. The red stripes symbolize valor whereas the white means purity and innocence. Although the design of the US Flag was altered – and may continue to alter – as states were added, the red, white, and blue remains unchanged. These colors represent characteristics of the American people throughout history, across the nation.