Before the adoption of the current 50-star American flag, the nation saw a surge of public interest in its design, with more than 1,900 submissions sent to the White House and the Army's Quartermaster Corps in 1958. The wave of proposals came as discussions about admitting Alaska and Hawaii as new states gained momentum.
Dr. Jim Ginther, Supervisory Archivist for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas, noted the widespread public engagement. "People begin sending in ideas for how the new flag should look," he said. "Suddenly there's a massive public interest again in the design of the flag."
These submissions, collected by the Eisenhower Presidential Library, ranged from simple pencil drawings and crayon sketches to elaborate draftsman's drawings and sewn flags. Many were created by schoolchildren as part of assignments for publications like "My Weekly Reader."
The Eisenhower administration used the opportunity to educate citizens about the flag's history and etiquette, responding to each submission with a letter from a White House official and distributing informational publications. The history of the flag's design and the process of choosing the 50-star version is explored in the Fox Nation series "Crazy American History with Eric Shawn."
Alaska was admitted as the 49th state in January 1959, and Hawaii followed as the 50th state. The new 50-star flag was officially raised for the first time on July 4, 1960, at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, a site historically significant for its connection to "The Star-Spangled Banner."
While the Continental Congress established the original 13-star flag design on June 14, 1777, and Betsy Ross is credited with its creation, the precise arrangement of the stars was never specified. This flexibility contributed to the diverse and sometimes unexpected designs submitted in 1958.
Despite the numerous creative proposals, significant changes to the flag were ultimately avoided. Ginther explained that radical alterations to such a powerful national symbol can be challenging for the public to accept and can also be costly. Furthermore, the military has a deep sentimental attachment to the flag they have served under. "There is reason, perhaps, why you might not want a radical change, even though many people in the country were interested in submitting designs," Ginther stated. "There is also an argument to be made for not being very radical in a redesign of the flag as a symbol of the nation."
President Eisenhower ultimately selected a design that adhered to historical tradition, arranging the 50 stars in alternating rows of six and five on the blue field. This familiar arrangement continues to represent the nation's freedoms and ideals.
