Picture the flag of the United States for a second. What do you see? Most see the patterned structure of the 50 stars or maybe the 13 horizontal stripes altering red and white, but there is more than what meets the eye.

The blood of the fallen, the sweat of those willing to protect their home, and the tears of those who may never see their loved ones again. In 1775, all we had in order to create our country were the shirts on our backs. But regardless of being stuck down, we rose up stronger than ever. Red, it’s the willpower and determination that built the foundation of the United States. 

If you shine a white light into a crystal prism, you get a rainbow. People may try to identify the
American culture as a single idea, and so only one word comes to mind, a melting pot. American culture is a blend of all those brought into the United States. Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans and so much more create the array of colors from the crystal of our country. White, containing all other colors. The most diverse color to exist.

The sky, no matter where I go, it’s always there. From the east coast to the west coast the sky contains endless possibilities. Planes fly higher than the clouds, mimicking the birds doing as they please. As free as a bird, a phrase we have all heard and one I look up to. Without freedom, we couldn’t learn to fly. Blue, the freedom we need to grow and succeed.

Most people are taught that the stars represent the 50 United States of America and that the 13 stripes represent the 13 colonies. But the colors, that we need to learn for ourselves. The red, white, and blue. It’s the willpower of the people to keep fighting. It’s the diversity of our country. It’s the freedom that allows us to fly high. That is what the Flag stands for.