The American Stars and Stripes are everywhere.

Since the first American flag appeared on the colonial warship Alfred in 1775, the American flag has undergone 26 alterations. The current 50-star American flag, adopted by President Eisenhower in 1960, has been in use longer than any other previous version. At first it was a symbol of American independence from Britain, but now it has become a universal symbol of American influence around the world.

Within the United States, the flag is almost everywhere: on cars, on t-shirts, on top of flagpoles outside shops. And then from classrooms to stadiums to the political arena, the Stars and Stripes remains at the heart of the American public. How on earth did Americans become so obsessed with their flag, so obsessed? The actual answer is much more than the unconditional loyalty and love expressed in the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner Never Falls“.

Without a long history, Americans have relied on modern symbols and objects to create a strong national identity

National identity is a social construct used to support myths and beliefs about groups of people living within arbitrarily drawn boundaries. While human beings have historically come together in a common language, religious beliefs, or family, the modern concept of nationhood has completely changed the way people interact with each other today. This is true for the United States as well as other established nations around the world.

Since the United States is a relatively new country, bringing everyone together under the red, white, and blue flag is the key to perpetuating America’s legacy as the land of freedom and exceptionalism. From the beginning, America’s nation-builders were preoccupied with creating an elaborate mythology that placed “the people” above the government or the church. But this process of creation has ignored the plight of the original inhabitants of the land: the displacement and subjugation of indigenous peoples.

So many Americans show their national pride by displaying the US flag. And when people don’t stand during the national anthem or damage the United States flag, they are often harshly criticised by others, even if it is a free choice already protected by the US Constitution. Because the American identity is so closely tied to the American flag itself, leaders are well aware that America’s success is, in fact, built on a symbol of resilience.

The importance of this Stars and Stripes, during the Civil War, reached a new level of importance

All the emotions and rituals associated with Past Glory make it seem like a timeless, ubiquitous aspect of the American landscape. However, this does not apply to all of the history of the American flag. In fact, it wasn’t until 1861, during the Civil War, that the American flag became so important.

Prior to 1861, the flag’s basic purpose was: to mark government and military buildings.On 12 April 1861, after Confederate troops captured Fort Sumter, near the coast of Charleston, retreating Union troops, took the American flag with them to their outposts. Almost overnight, the flag flew in every part of the North, symbolising unity and support for President Lincoln‘s efforts to reunite the nation. By the time the Confederacy had developed its own flag, the American flag was already towering above the battlefield, challenging the trend toward secession.

After the war, the flag remained a key component of reconciliation efforts in this war-weary nation.

It is said to represent the values of national unity

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, the American flag was promoted as an enduring beacon of hope that united hearts and minds. Since it is impossible to place such a diverse nation under the umbrella of language or race, leaders need to rely on a set of core values to show what it means to be American. These values include courage, honour, justice and freedom. Even as the population continues to change and the melting pot expands, America remains the shining nation on the hill where anyone can achieve their dreams.

And it takes a lot of what Stanford professor Francis Fukuyama calls “historical amnesia” to sustain such a myth. The United States did not acknowledge the history of slavery, racism or sexism, which, after all, could be a disincentive to civic solidarity, and its national identity depended on upholding principles such as dignity and democracy.

“Flags have no intrinsic meaning,” flag expert Ted Kaye told the Deseret News. “They’re just a piece of cloth. It only has the meaning we give them.” While some citizens see the American flag as a testament to their country’s past successes, others see it as a symbol of what the future may hold, if or when America truly becomes the land of the free and the home of the brave.

America’s fanaticism for the flag has been very successful in business

“It’s hard to find a place in America without a flag.” British history professor Adam Smith explains in Things You Don’t Know. The Flag Manufacturers Association of America (FMA) estimates that Americans purchase 150 million flags of all shapes and sizes each year, a sizable number made possible by advances in printing technology and textile manufacturing.

The commercialisation of the American flag in the late 19th century cemented its status as a universally popular icon amongst Americans, around the world, for decoration. Groups opposed to the mass production of goods bearing the flag’s motifs attempted to curb this trend by adopting the U.S. Flag Code, although most of the rules set forth in the code were later deemed unconstitutional, as the First Amendment grants the right to free expression. In addition to the flag itself, Americans purchase a variety of patriotic items. Clothing emblazoned with the American flag, for example, is worn and displayed all year round, not just on holidays such as Independence Day, Memorial Day or Flag Day. From swimming costumes to sunglasses, shoes to shorts, American flag fashion, has become a multi-million dollar industry.

In the post-war 1950s, wearing the American flag became popular. Eventually adopted by fashion designers such as Ralph Lauren and clothing shops such as Old Navy, the flag took on new significance in the wake of the devastating terrorist attacks on the U.S. after 9-11. In recent years, however, the commercial appeal of the flag has also begun to be affected by the political divisions in the United States.

The political right is known to embrace the flag with nationalistic fervour, while the political left argues that the flag should not symbolise the mentality of a nation plagued by institutional racism and inequality. Even Old Navy, a popular brand known for its patriotic style, launched a purple shirt on 4 July 2019, opting for a more inclusive shade. The company said on its social media platforms, “Purple is a combination of red, white and blue.”

The American flag became a means for politicians to prove that they were working for the good of the country.

Political campaigning is an expensive and complex venture that is critical to the democratic process in the United States. Candidates and elected officials, alike, wave the American flag to align themselves with the values associated with the population. Since the 19th century, these red, white, and blue flags have shown potential voters that they love their country.

Long before presidents, senators, and representatives wore American flag pins, a presidential candidate, draped himself in the flag to show his patriotism.In 1896, Civil War veteran William McKinley draped himself in the Stars and Stripes to defeat his opponent, Democrat William Jennings Bryan. Mark Hanna, McKinley‘s campaign manager, distributed hundreds of thousands of flags at rallies. Hanna even planted two nine-metre-high collapsible flagpoles on the train McKinley was travelling on to add to the atmosphere.

The show of patriotism worked, and McKinley defeated Blaine. Soon, every presidential candidate since that election was using the American flag in their campaigns. With the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016, these tactics reached critical mass as his supporters took their love of the flag, to a whole new level. The flag quickly became a partisan symbol, one that author Bruce Watson rejected because “the flag belongs to all Americans.” In an interview with The New Yorker, he added, “The story of the flag should be the story of a nation finding itself.”

Children are taught from an early age in school to respect the US flag

In the United States, the worship of the flag begins at a very young age, as school children salute the flag every morning, when the Pledge of Allegiance is called. “I know of no other country where students, every day, salute the flag.” Adam Smith shared in Work Principles Magazine.

The practice of the Pledge of Allegiance was first introduced in 1892, when large numbers of European immigrants were arriving on American shores from all over Europe. In an effort to integrate the children of these immigrants into American society, a number of organisations began distributing flags to schools. This led to a practice that continues to this day, which some historians and legal experts, interpret as a dangerous form of worship.In 1940, after Jehovah’s Witnesses, were expelled from school for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, the rule of the Pledge of Allegiance quickly made its way to the Supreme Court. In an 8-1 ruling, the court decided that schools had the authority to “promote national unity.”

Three years later, however, the en banc court changed course in a similar case, giving students the right to refuse to take the oath of office. Justice Robert Jackson, the creator of the groundbreaking ruling, wrote: If patriotism will not flourish, if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous, and not compulsory routines, it will be an unpromising estimate of our institutions, and of the attractiveness of free thought. Despite the fact that every school day begins with the Pledge of Allegiance, and every classroom flies the flag, students are still free to choose either to sit in their seats, or just plop down on the floor.

Flag and anthem, still closely linked to sports

When Colin Kaepernick, a professional football player, refused to stand during the national anthem at a game in 2016, his act of civil disobedience sparked both outrage and support. “I will not stand up and be proud of the flag of a country that oppresses black people and people of colour,” Kaepernick said at the time. Ultimately, Kaepernick’s choice, which sparked a major change in professional and local sports, continues to reach new heights in the wake of Minneapolis resident George Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer in 2020.

The deep connection between American sports and the American flag dates back to World War I, when the Chicago White Sox decided to put the American flag, on their jerseys. This trend began to spread and grow in the 20th century, and after 9/11, the American flag was on full display at almost every major sporting event. Even every team in Major League Baseball has the flag embroidered on their hats. America’s favourite pastime has also become an arena for players to support our troops overseas and, of course, pay homage to the flag as a symbol of unity and strength.

This flag-covered spectacle eventually extended far beyond baseball to football and basketball. Even many football teams, both college and professional, had the American flag on their helmets. And college basketball teams like Duke have the flag printed on their jerseys. The most notable use of the flag at these games, however, is during the pre-game festivities, when giant flags are spread out on the stadium floor.In 2017, Salt Lake City-based 50 Star Productions, which booked giant flags for about 120 events, ended up bringing in between $4,000 and $7,500 per flag in Revenue.

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the American flag has been intertwined with the U.S. military’s transnational strikes

America’s Founding Fathers, weary after years of fending off British soldiers, began to oppose the creation of a large standing army. Instead, they believed that armies should be formed only for emergencies and disbanded when the mission was complete. So until 1939, the U.S. military was still dwarfed by the armies of other world powers. But that all changed with the start of World War II and the Cold War. Almost overnight, the United States developed the most powerful military in the world, ready to intervene in diplomacy and fight imminent external threats. Ultimately, Americans’ love of the flag coincided with a change in how they viewed the military.

To justify costly and protracted wars, the government made an argument that is used to this day: that U.S. intervention was really just about protecting liberty, and preserving democracy abroad. in 1898, President Teddy Roosevelt laid the groundwork for this argument by convincing Congress to go to war with Spain. While Roosevelt eloquently articulated American ideals, historians have since interpreted his choice, as an empire-building strategy, to give the United States Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines.

After the Second World War, the United States has sent troops to a number of countries, including Korea, Viet Nam, Grenada, Libya, Panama, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, but, with the exception of the war in Viet Nam, there has been almost no opposition to the war.

Political leaders like President Roosevelt and others have turned the United States into a nation with a strong cult of the military. And intertwined with this militarism is the American flag, which has become a recognisable symbol held aloft by these leaders.

Because the American flag is a standard whose meaning is malleable, it can mean anything anyone wants it to mean

By its very nature, the American flag is a symbol that lacks intrinsic meaning. Its importance ebbs and flows depending on national sentiment and who holds the highest office. While some people wave the flag out of a genuine appreciation for their country and its citizens, others use it for their own agendas. In an interview with The New Yorker, one white nationalist said, “If an American flag can bring more people closer and hear our message, it’s our responsibility to use that tool.”

The myriad meanings Americans ascribe to the flag reflect the country’s growing cultural and racial diversity. White Americans are more likely to see the flag as a symbol of unity, while people of colour tend to see the flag as a symbol of, what could be, a subtle change in the future of the United States, but can be wishful thinking. Whether it’s next to the “Make America Great Again” sign or the “Black Lives Matter” flag, the American flag remains a very contradictory symbol of division and unity. Ultimately, everyone can decide what the American flag really means to them.