It’s easy to say what the flag is meant to symbolize: 50 stars 50 states, 13 stripes 13 colonies, red for valor, white for purity and blue for perseverance and justice. However, it’s more difficult to say what it means to someone personally, because it’s come to mean what it was supposed to symbolize when it was first designed. To me, the flag symbolizes justice and valor (which makes the color scheme work well for me).
The court system in the U.S. is probably the best in the world which is why justice is alive and well in the U.S. The court appoints a lawyer (if the defendant can’t afford one), and that makes everyone equal in the eyes of the law. Justice couldn’t exist without equality. Therefore, because the flag represents justice, it also represents equality.
What it takes to die for one’s country can only be called bravery and valor. Because our soldiers have always shown these two traits, even in the face of impossible odds, our flag symbolizes valor.
The American flag was made with the intention of representing justice and valor, and after 203 years, it has become the most recognizable symbol of justice and valor.