American Historical Flags & The History of the United States

In the long history of the United States, there have been many flags flown over our nation. These historic flags range from the various national flags, with their increasing number of stars showing the expansion of the country, to military flags flown during some of the defining conflicts in our nation's history.

Historic National Flags of the United States

One of our most popular lines of historic flags are the various national flags adopted by the United States. From the original 13 stars of the Betsy Ross flag to the modern American flag with 50 stars, there have been many iterations of the stars and stripes. A new star was added every time a new state was admitted to the union. Originally, a new star and a new stripe were to be added, but that quickly became ungainly. Can you imagine a flag with 50 stars and 50 stripes?

American Historical Flags of Revolution

When the 13 colonies rebelled against their British masters, the long war ended with the creation of the United States. During the conflict, several flags were made that became legendary.

The Gadsden Flag and the Pine Tree Flag used by the ships under George Washington's command have entered the popular culture, and will be instantly recognized by anyone who sees them.

Civil War Flags

When the United States was formed after the Revolution, the question of slavery was not fully resolved. As Abraham Lincoln famously said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand" and in 1861 the divided house of the United States came to blows. The southern states seceded from the union to form their own country, The Confederate States of America. Between 1861 and 1865 the Union and the Confederacy fought the deadliest war in American history to determine if North America would remain half slave and half free. The flags flown over both armies have become iconic.

Browse our collection of historical Civil War flags here.

High Quality Historic Flags

All of our historic flags are made of high quality nylon (with the exception of the Confederate battle flag, which is made of lightweight polyester). Nylon is a durable, all weather material with bright colors that won't fade in the sun. A historical flag from Gettysburg Flag Works will fly proudly for a long time.

Have questions? Give us a call at 1-888-697-3524 or or contact us online and we'd be happy to help!

Can't find the historical flag you're interested in?If you are looking for a specific historical flag on this page, but can't find it, please We do custom printing, so if we don't have what you're looking for we can make it.