When the United States of America was a young country, they needed a symbol to represent their country. The Committee of Eleven, a group of activists and young men who had fought in the American Revolution, put forward the idea of a flag. The flag should be rectangular, have thirteen stripes, and a blue field with a white star in the center. The flag should be named the "Stars and Stripes". The Continental Congress adopted the flag on July 4th, 1777.

Some of the first Americans to see the flag created controversy.