http:// staging.americanflagfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/MEANING-OF-COLORS.pdf
Also, this from a book about the Flag published in 1977 by
the House of Representatives: “The star is a symbol of the
heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time
immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating
from the sun.”
Meaning of the Colors of the Flag
The quote below concerning gold fringe on the Flag is from
the book, “So Proudly We Hail, The History of the United States
Flag,” Smithsonian Institute Press 1981, by William R. Furlong and
Byron McCandless:
“The placing of a fringe on our Flag is optional with the
person or organization, and no act of Congress or Executive Order
either prohibits the practice, according to the Institute of Heraldry.
Fringe is used on indoor Flags only, as fringe on outdoor Flags
would deteriorate rapidly. The fringe on a Flag is considered an
“honorable enrichment only,” and its official use by the U. S. Army
dates from 1895. A 1925 Attorney General’s Opinion states: “The
fringe does not appear to be regarded as an integral part of the
Flag, and its presence cannot be said to constitute an unauthorized
addition to the design prescribed by statute. An external fringe is
to be distinguished from letters, words, or emblematic design printed
or superimposed upon the body of the Flag itself. Under law,
such additions might be open to objection as unauthorized, the
same is not necessarily true of the fringe.
“The gold trim is generally seen on ceremonial indoor Flags
that are used for special services and is believed to have been
first used in a military setting. It has no specific significance that
I have ever run across, and its (gold trim) use is in compliance
with applicable Flag codes and laws.”
The colors are Old Glory Red (PMS 193C), White, and Old
Glory Blue (PMS 281C)