Introduction

Stars are added to the American flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state. The last star was added to the flag on July 4, 1960, following the statehood of Hawaii in 1959. The new 50-starred version was designed by an Ohio high school student, Robert G. Heft, who created the flag for a class history project. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower set up a commission to design the new flag, Heft’s congressman presented the student’s flag to the committee—and they, in turn, passed it along to the president. It is this flag that, as of July 4, 2007, became the longest-serving flag of the United States.

13 Stars (1777–95)
★Delaware (December 7, 1787)
★Pennsylvania (December 12, 1787)
★New Jersey (December 18, 1787)
★Georgia (January 2, 1788)
★Connecticut (January 9, 1788)
★Massachusetts (February 6, 1788)
★Maryland (April 28, 1788)
★South Carolina (May 23, 1788)
★New Hampshire (June 21, 1788)
★Virginia (June 25, 1788)
★New York (July 26, 1788)
★North Carolina (November 21, 1789)
★Rhode Island (May 29, 1790)

15 Stars (1795–1818)
★Vermont (March 4, 1791)
★Kentucky (June 1, 1792)

20 Stars (1818–July 3, 1819)
★Tennessee (June 1, 1796)
★Ohio (March 1, 1803)
★Louisiana (April 30, 1812)
★Indiana (December 11, 1816)
★Mississippi (December 10, 1817)

21 Stars (July 4, 1819–July 3, 1820)
★Illinois (December 3, 1818)

23 Stars (July 4, 1820–July 3, 1822)
★Alabama (December 14, 1819)
★Maine (March 15, 1820)

24 Stars (July 4, 1822–July 3, 1836)
★Missouri (August 10, 1821)

25 Stars (July 4, 1836–July 3, 1837)
★Arkansas (June 15, 1836)

26 Stars (July 4, 1837–July 3, 1845)
★Michigan (January 26, 1837)

27 Stars (July 4, 1846–July 3, 1846)
★Florida (March 3, 1845)

28 Stars (July 4, 1846–July 3, 1847)
★Texas (December 29, 1845)

29 Stars (July 4, 1847–July 3, 1848)
★Iowa (December 28, 1846)

30 Stars (July 4, 1848–July 3, 1851)
★Wisconsin (May 29, 1848)

31 Stars (July 4, 1851–July 3, 1858)
★California (September 9, 1850)

32 Stars (July 4, 1858–July 3, 1859)
★Minnesota (May 11, 1858)

33 Stars (July 4, 1859–July 3, 1861)
★Oregon (February 14, 1859)

34 Stars (July 4, 1861–July 3, 1863)
★Kansas (January 29, 1861)

35 Stars (July 4, 1863–July 3, 1865)
★West Virginia (June 20, 1863)

36 Stars (July 4, 1865–July 3, 1867)
★Nevada (October 31, 1864)

37 Stars (July 4, 1867–July 3, 1877)
★Nebraska (March 1, 1867)

38 Stars (July 4, 1877–July 3, 1890)
★Colorado (August 1, 1876)

43 Stars (July 4, 1890–July 3, 1891)
★North Dakota (November 2, 1889)
★South Dakota (November 2, 1889)
★Montana (November 8, 1889)
★Washington (November 11, 1889)
★Idaho (July 3, 1890)

44 Stars (July 4, 1891–July 3, 1896)
★Wyoming (July 10, 1890)

45 Stars (July 4, 1896–July 3, 1908)
★Utah (January 4, 1896)

46 Stars (July 4, 1908–July 3, 1912)
★Oklahoma (November 16, 1907)

48 Stars (July 4, 1912–July 3, 1959)
★New Mexico (January 6, 1912)
★Arizona (February 14, 1912)

49 Stars (July 4, 1959–July 3, 1960)
★Alaska (January 3, 1959)

50 Stars (July 4, 1960–present)
★Hawaii (August 21, 1959)

Return to The Meaning of Flag Day.