THE SMITHSONIAN WAS READY... THE PNP* WAS NOT...

THE SMITHSONIAN

June 14, 2013 11:00 am

AN 51st Star on the U.S. Flag?

Exactly 236 years ago today the United States Congress signed the resolution that made the familiar stars and stripes the official American flag. That early flag looked quite different than the one we know today of course, with only 13 stars rather than 50. It wasn’t until August 21, 1959, when Hawaii officially joined as the 50th state of the United States of America, that we finally got those alternating rows of stars. But let’s say that the U.S. does pick up a new state—maybe one of the current unincorporated territories like Guam or American Samoa or Puerto Rico—as an official state. Where do you put that new 51st star? Sure, you could just tack it on the side. But who really wants an awkwardly asymmetric flag?

Well, one way to do it is to crowd source the design. When Puerto Rico voted for statehood, the internet was ready. Smithsonian’s Design Decoded covered the new designs

Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/06/where-would-you-put-a-51st-star-on-the-u-s-flag/#ixzz2WEiWcq7a
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

* NEW PROGRESSIVE PARTY