What the Colors of the Flag Mean
The United States celebrates its independence on July 4th and France commemorates its revolution ten days later with Bastille Day. In both countries, the greatest symbol of this yearly patriotism is the red, white and blue flag.
I noticed that this is a popular flag color combination and was wondering why. Every American kid learns that Betsy Ross made the first American flag in 1776. In the years leading up to the Declaration of Independence, there was the Continental Navy flag composed of horizontal red and white stripes with “don’t tread on me” sewn into the fabric. The Sons of Liberty flag, created around the same time, was basically the same thing less the threatening tag line. The New England flag, which had red, white and blue stripes plus a green pine tree in the upper left-hand corner came next. Another version of this replaced the pine tree with the British Union Jack.
The Stars and Stripes
When the Stars and Stripes were finalized in 1777, Charles Thompson, the Secretary of the Continental Congress, wrote, “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.”
France’s red, white and blue symbolize liberté (blue), égalité (white) and fraternité (red). The meanings of the colors is not exactly the same as it was for our founding fathers yet theirs, which was created later in 1794, had a similar revolutionary and democratic spirit that was rare in the 18th century. France was our greatest ally during the revolutionary war and in turn, we supported them when they rose up and overthrew their monarchy.
Today, 37 countries have red, white and blue flags. Of course, the colors and designs have different significance for all. However, I do wonder how much the choice of these colors was influenced by the American and French revolutions, which have inspired many other independence movements over the years.
