# Why do you hang the American flag with the blue field at the top left?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-hang-the-american-flag-with-the-blue-field-at-the-top-left/327592>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 24, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-hang-the-american-flag-with-the-blue-field-at-the-top-left/327592 "2005-10-24T01:41:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-hang-the-american-flag-with-the-blue-field-at-the-top-left/327592/1 "2005-10-24T01:41:29Z")

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> [@](#):
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> (i) When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.

I know that’s what the Flag Code says, but it seems backwards and usually they have some kind of rationale.

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**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-hang-the-american-flag-with-the-blue-field-at-the-top-left/327592/2 "2005-10-24T02:01:26Z")

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Reading L-to-R, you’re supposed to see the blue field (canton or “union”) first, then the stripes. It’s just a convention people are used to. I guess that’s why they call it the Stars & Stripes, not the Stripes & Stars.

Also, you don’t hang the flag with the field at the _bottom_ because that’s traditionally thought of as a [distress signal](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-flip.html).

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-hang-the-american-flag-with-the-blue-field-at-the-top-left/327592/3 "2005-10-24T02:06:33Z")

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It’s traditional in heraldry that any flag with a canton is always displayed with the canton in the upper-left, as that is the most prominent position. This doesn’t seem very important with our flag, but in other flags the canton often identifies the ruling family or monarchy or something like that. Witness the multitude of flags with the British flag as a canton. So the canton is considered the most important part of the flag, therefore it gets the most important position regardless of orientaion.

Of course, not everyone follows this tradition; every country has their own rules and customs when dealing with their flags.