Flag colors meaning

[EmailPoster]

I was reviewing your site,...

I was reviewing your site, I truly enjoyed all the facts in one area....
However, I have a question/thought on the meaning of the colors of the flag.....
in my readings (I'm trying to locate where) it stated that initially the
colors of the flag had no "legal" meaning and that most meanings were legends
down the line, in 1782, Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress,
only stated in a report to Congress these meanings of the flags color
meanings, but I don't believe it was ever officiated ? and if it was could I get
that information? I believe they use that because it was basically the
only/earliest documentation of the colors meanings....

Nancy A LaCosse, B.A., M.O.S

[nbkyi66]

Sentimental writers and orators sometimes ascribe meanings to the colors in the flag. The practice is erroneous, as are statements on this subject attributed to George Washington and other founders of the country.
From the book "Our Flag" published in 1989 by the House of Representatives...

"On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. Even colors have specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated:

"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."