# Black US flag **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663 "2021-06-20T01:59:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/1 "2021-06-20T01:59:54Z")
I saw a flag being waved by a truck today. At first I thought it was a solid black flag, but then I saw that it was a US flag, with all of the stars, strips, and canton black. Does that mean something? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/2 "2021-06-20T02:03:40Z")
Don’t know the answe, but clarifiacatiin, please: how can the stripes stars and canton all be black? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/3 "2021-06-20T02:05:21Z")
> **[What does the black American flag mean?](https://www.the-sun.com/news/2101328/black-american-flag-meaning-thin-blue-line/)** > > THE black American flag first appeared as a symbol of defense during the Civil War. Nowadays, the flag symbolizes other things that some Americans take pride in What does the black American flag me… > The black American flag first appeared during the American Civil War of 1861-1865. > > Confederate army soldiers flew the black flag to symbolize the opposite of the white flag of surrender. > > The black flag meant that the unit would not give in nor surrender and that enemy combatants would be killed. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/4 "2021-06-20T02:05:52Z")
> **[Amazon.com : Aria All Black American Flag 3x5 Ft US Flag, Embroidered Stars,...](https://www.amazon.com/American-Embroidered-Grommets-Blackout-Tactical/dp/B08PNN47DR)** > > Amazon.com : Aria All Black American Flag 3x5 Ft US Flag, Embroidered Stars, Sewn Stripes, Brass Grommets Blackout Tactical US Black Flag, Heavy Duty USA Flags : Patio, Lawn & Garden Dunno what it means, but you can buy it on Amazon. ETA: Here’s an explanation: What does a **black** American **Flag mean**? **Black flags** have historically been used to signify that no quarter will be given. When translated into modern language, this means that captured enemy combatants will be killed rather than taken prisoner. [image] [https://www.endoapparel.com](https://www.endoapparel.com) › blac… ### [all black American flag - ENDO Apparel](https://www.endoapparel.com/black-american-flag/#:~:text=What%20does%20a%20black%20American,killed%20rather%20than%20taken%20prisoner.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/5 "2021-06-20T02:07:48Z")
Is it entirely black and white, or does it have a single blue stripe? The latter is the “Blue Lives Matter” flag. The former is apparently a flag that was used in the Civil War to mean the opposite of surrender. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/6 "2021-06-20T02:46:33Z")
You could see the outline of each item on the flag. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/7 "2021-06-20T02:47:18Z")
So slightly different shades then? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/8 "2021-06-20T02:49:33Z")
Well, if it was a stitched flag (with each stripe, and each star, being of a different piece of material, or the stars embroidered onto the flag), then one could likely still see the pattern if one were close to it, even if each element were the same shade of black. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/9 "2021-06-20T02:50:53Z")
No, each star and stripe was sewn on separately, you could see the outlines. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/10 "2021-06-20T02:51:27Z")
I wonder who the driver was planning on massacring ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/11 "2021-06-20T03:03:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Is it entirely black and white, or does it have a single blue stripe? The latter is the “Blue Lives Matter” flag. I think this is the answer, been seeing increased numbers of them around these parts. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/12 "2021-06-20T03:05:49Z")
Nope. No blue stripe. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/13 "2021-06-20T03:07:49Z")
So what message does someone waving a black American flag mean to convey? ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/14 "2021-06-20T03:09:21Z")
> **[Blue Lives Matter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lives_Matter#/media/File:Thin_Blue_Line_Flag_(United_States).svg)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > > Blue Lives Matter (also known as Police Lives Matter) is a countermovement in the United States advocating that those who are prosecuted and convicted of killing law enforcement officers should be sentenced under hate crime statutes. It emerged in 2014 as a rebuttal to the Black Lives Matter movement, and gained traction following the high-profile homicides of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in Brooklyn, New York. Well if it isn’t this one, i don’t know what it is ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/15 "2021-06-20T03:14:58Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > Well if it isn’t this one, i don’t know what it is Maybe read this entire thread, particularly posts #3 and #4. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/16 "2021-06-20T03:16:40Z")
No, it’s not that one. No blue, no white. All black. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/17 "2021-06-20T03:20:11Z")
I would think if the OP’s question was answered by post 3 or 4 the thread would not be still going. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/18 "2021-06-20T03:22:48Z")
Not “Oh, thank you, I didn’t see those posts”? @oldoaktree: do you just live to argue and act like a martyr? ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/19 "2021-06-20T03:25:49Z")
Well just trying to help, were any of the flags in post 3 or 4 similar to what you are referring to? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663/20 "2021-06-20T03:47:55Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > were any of the flags in post 3 or 4 similar to what you are referring to? Link in post #3: > Most black American flags are either entirely black with no other distinguishable feature… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-us-flag/944663.md?page=2)