The crazy flag designs… that could have been our new flag

The American emblem is truthful familiar, but bash you cognize that the plan could person been thing you would not recognize?

Back successful 1958, arsenic speech of the admittance of 2 caller states to the national swept the country, the Eisenhower medication was deluged with varying designs for a caller 50-star flag.

"People statesman sending successful ideas for however the caller emblem should look," said Dr. Jim Ginther, the Supervisory Archivist for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum successful Abilene, Kansas, which has kept each the submissions from backmost then.

"Suddenly there's a monolithic nationalist involvement again successful the plan of the flag. Beginning successful July 1958, the White House begins receiving designs from the public, arsenic does the Quartermaster Corps of the Army, from each implicit the state and from each implicit the world."

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A projected 50-star American emblem plan from 1958 is displayed astatine the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, 1 of much than 1,900 submissions sent to the White House earlier the authoritative emblem was adopted. (Fox Nation)

The communicative of the 50-star emblem is told successful occurrence 1 of the caller series, "Crazy American History with Eric Shawn," that is present streaming connected Fox Nation.

One prima was added to the emblem successful January 1959 erstwhile Alaska joined the national arsenic the 49th state. 

The 50th prima was added with the admittance of Hawaii arsenic a state, and that caller emblem was officially raised for the archetypal clip connected July 4, 1960, astatine Fort McHenry, successful Baltimore, tract of the War of 1812 bombardment that inspired Francis Scott Key to constitute "The Star-Spangled Banner."

But successful the 2 years earlier President Eisenhower settled connected the caller plan for the Stars and Stripes, emblem fever gripped the nation.

The White House yet received much than 1,900 designs, galore from schoolhouse children arsenic portion of their lessons from the schoolroom work "My Weekly Reader."  

Adults from crossed the country, and adjacent overseas, submitted their proposals.

A projected 50-star U.S. emblem featuring a starburst statement is displayed astatine the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library. It was 1 of much than 1,900 designs submitted to the White House earlier the authoritative 50-star emblem was adopted.  (Fox Nation)

"Some of them are coming successful arsenic elemental arsenic pencil drawings, immoderate of them are arsenic fancy arsenic Draftsman's drawing. Some of them are sewn flags made retired of cloth. Some of them are crayon drawings," Ginther noted.

The Eisenhower medication utilized the accidental to amended Americans astir the emblem and responded to each submission with a missive from a apical White House official.

"Several publications are produced by the authorities astir the past of the flag, astir emblem etiquette, astir assorted different aspects of usage of the emblem that they statesman to nonstop backmost retired to the public, on with these letters thanking them for their submissions to amended the nationalist astir the flag."

The Continental Congress enacted the emblem connected June 14, 1777, which is present observed arsenic emblem day. 

Betsy Ross is credited with designing the archetypal flag, with the 13 stars successful a ellipse for the archetypal 13 colonies. 

The guidelines telephone for a plan of alternating reddish and achromatic stripes with a bluish tract for the stars. 

An American emblem plan featuring tiny stars making up a larger star. (Fox Nation)

But Ginther noted that the mode the stars were to beryllium laid retired was ne'er specified, which means immoderate of the designs tin look to beryllium funny and compelling. 

But a monolithic change, was not to be. 

"The emblem is symbolic," said Ginther.

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"Radical alteration successful it, is going to beryllium difficult. People are utilized to that symbol. It comes retired successful the deliberations implicit the flags, successful the documentation," helium said. "Radically changing the emblem is going to beryllium expensive, truthful we person to instrumentality that into information arsenic well. And past you person to see that particularly, our military, has a vested sentimental interest, successful that they person fought and bled nether that flag." 

"There is reason, perhaps, wherefore you mightiness not privation a extremist change, adjacent though galore radical successful the state were funny successful submitting designs. There is besides an statement to beryllium made for not being precise extremist successful a redesign of the emblem arsenic a awesome of the nation."

In the end, President Eisenhower selected a akin plan to the humanities tradition, adding the 2 stars successful alternating rows of six and 5 stars, connected the bluish tract wherever it has been truthful acquainted ever since. 

An American emblem plan featuring 1 ample prima connected apical of smaller stars. (Fox Nation)

It is the emblem that represents our freedoms and the American ideals connected our nation's 250th birthday. 

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Watch "The Fifty-Star Flag," the archetypal occurrence of the caller Fox Nation bid "Crazy American History" for much connected President Eisenhower and the flag.

The website of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home tells much astir the emblem and the president: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/