115 Patriotic American Flag Tattoos You Must See

Oct 29, 2023

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What can be better than getting an American flag tattoo to show your love for your country? If you are thinking about getting an American flag tattoo or looking for some inspiration, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we have put together a collection of 115 American flag tattoos that will spark your inspiration.

Brief History of American Flag

When Americans think about their history, they think about iconic moments in which the flag is at the center. There have been other symbols that have come and gone over the years. There’s the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, but the American flag has been the one that has endured. It’s an incredibly emotional symbol of the nation.

During the Revolutionary War, that broke out in 1775, ships that wanted to show that they were no longer loyal to their king stitched white stripes across the red background of the Royal ensign. And that was the origins of the first American flag. In 1777 the Continental Congress replaced the Union Jack with the Stars of the thirteen colonies, and they regularized the red and white stripes for each of the colonies that were in rebellion against the English crown. The thirteen stripes always remained the same, but with each new state, a new white star was added.

The American national anthem is also a song about the flag. The flag is present on people’s doorsteps at every public occasion, in every school. It flies at sporting events. People stand and sing the national anthem before baseball games. They raise their right hand over their heart and turn their eyes towards the flag. So it has a tangible presence in American culture.

Symbolism

For more than 225 years, the American flag has been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of Americans. The symbolism and the history of the flag hold some of the keys that made America a thriving nation.

The tattoo of an American flag represents much more than body art. To all the proud patriotic Americans, it represents national pride. It serves as a symbol of great honor for all Americans when one American achieves greatness in this world or this universe.

The American flag tattoo represents perseverance. Through crisis, the flag always has and will continue to unite and strengthen Americans to overcome all obstacles that might come our way.

The flag tattoo also represents freedom—the freedom for Americans to dream, the freedom to have a voice and to vote.

What Do The Colors of American Flag Symbolize?

People love to give meaning to all of the things about the flag, especially the symbolism of the colors. However, the historical fact is that we inherited the colors red, white, and blue from the flags of Great Britain. During the Revolutionary War, the British flag was red, white, and blue. So, we changed that flag, but we kept the colors, and it eventually became the stars and stripes. When the Great Seal of the United States was adopted a few years later, they gave meaning to the three colors, but those have never been accepted officially as being the colors for the flag. Other organizations also came up with their own symbols. But formally and historically, the colors had no exact symbolism.

Usually, red represents the blood of those who have died in defense of the flag, maybe for valor. White for purity and blue for vigilance or justice. There are all kinds of different explanations for the colors.

Design

You can customize the design of an American flag tattoo in many different ways. They look really good when fully colored in red, white, and blue, but they also look good in black-and-gray style. The American flag is easily distinguishable and hard to mistaken it for any other flags of some European countries.

American flag tattoos designs are very versatile, and they work well in different styles and sizes. You can have a full blown-out American flag tattoo on your upper back or chest. You can also go for a small one on the upper arm or forearm or a large one that wraps around your sleeves.

Placement

The best place to put American flag tattoos are in areas where others can see them easily. Having them in hidden areas defeats the purpose of the tattoos. The size of the tattoos also depends on the locations. The most popular spots for American flag tattoos are the upper arm, forearm, chest, the back and the sleeve.