# 3403d FDC - 2000 33c The Stars and Stripes: Continental Colors
33¢ Continental Colors (1776)
The Stars and Stripes
City: Baltimore, MD
Quantity: 4,000,000
Printed by: Banknote of America
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: 10.5 x 11
Color: Multicolored
Happy Flag Day!
The first national flag of the United States was created to represent America’s separation from the mother country. During the American Revolutionary War, George Washington designed and flew the Grand Union Flag.
When the Founding Fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, America had no official flag, so many people designed and created their own. Legend says that seamstress Betsy Ross created the first Stars and Stripes. Members of Ross’ family have stated that she was personally hired by George Washington to create the flag from a sketch he drew. This design, one of the most famous, composes the 13 stars in a circle.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a Flag Resolution that stated, “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.” At the time, the Continental Congress left no historical record of why the colors red, white, and blue were chosen. Five years later, the Congress of the Confederation chose the same colors for the Great Seal of the United States. They reported the color white represented “purity and innocence,” red symbolized “hardiness and valor,” and blue signified the “vigilance, perseverance and justice.”
The flag was not to remain as Washington saw it. Stars and stripes were added as new states entered the Union. After Vermont and Kentucky were added as states in 1791-92, the flag had a design of 15 stars and 15 stripes. This was actually the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” which later became the “Star-Spangled Banner.” But it was apparent from the growth of America that more states would start to present problems in the flag design.
Americans’ reverence for the flag grew, and by the Civil War the first steps were taken to honor it with its own day. One of the earliest Flag Day celebrations was held on June 14, 1861, in the town of Hartford, Connecticut. A man named George Morris urged his community to celebrate America’s flag and pray for the preservation of the Union.
Click here for many more stamps picturing American flags.
33¢ Continental Colors (1776)
The Stars and Stripes
City: Baltimore, MD
Quantity: 4,000,000
Printed by: Banknote of America
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: 10.5 x 11
Color: Multicolored
Happy Flag Day!
The first national flag of the United States was created to represent America’s separation from the mother country. During the American Revolutionary War, George Washington designed and flew the Grand Union Flag.
When the Founding Fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, America had no official flag, so many people designed and created their own. Legend says that seamstress Betsy Ross created the first Stars and Stripes. Members of Ross’ family have stated that she was personally hired by George Washington to create the flag from a sketch he drew. This design, one of the most famous, composes the 13 stars in a circle.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a Flag Resolution that stated, “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.” At the time, the Continental Congress left no historical record of why the colors red, white, and blue were chosen. Five years later, the Congress of the Confederation chose the same colors for the Great Seal of the United States. They reported the color white represented “purity and innocence,” red symbolized “hardiness and valor,” and blue signified the “vigilance, perseverance and justice.”
The flag was not to remain as Washington saw it. Stars and stripes were added as new states entered the Union. After Vermont and Kentucky were added as states in 1791-92, the flag had a design of 15 stars and 15 stripes. This was actually the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” which later became the “Star-Spangled Banner.” But it was apparent from the growth of America that more states would start to present problems in the flag design.
Americans’ reverence for the flag grew, and by the Civil War the first steps were taken to honor it with its own day. One of the earliest Flag Day celebrations was held on June 14, 1861, in the town of Hartford, Connecticut. A man named George Morris urged his community to celebrate America’s flag and pray for the preservation of the Union.
Click here for many more stamps picturing American flags.