In years in which multiple states have been admitted, the number of stars on the flag has jumped correspondingly. Since 1818, a star for each new state has been added to the flag on the Fourth of July immediately following each state's admission. The national anthem of the United States is a reference to the flag. The flag is also often called the Stars and Stripes, the Star-Spangled Banner, or Old Glory. The colors have no special meaning in the flag, but in the coat of arms, white stands for purity and innocence, red for bravery and strength, and blue for watchfulness, perseverance and justice. The colors in the flag are red, white and blue. Hawaii joined on 21 August 1959, so the flag with 50 stars that is used today was not flown until 4 July 1960. Alaska joined on 3 January 1959, so the new flag with 49 stars was used from 4 July 1959. The last states to join the United States were Alaska and Hawaii in 1959. The new flag is first flown on the 4th of July ( Independence Day). When a new state joins the United States, a new flag is made with an extra star. There are 50 stars which represent the 50 states of America. The flag also has a blue canton, a rectangle in the top left corner. These 13 stripes represent the original thirteen colonies.

It has 7 red stripes and 6 white stripes. The flag of the United States of America is a national flag.

Red stripes in american flag