“A dog whistle to an old confederate flag” - Netizens debate after noticing a 9-star American flag being spotted on major US government websites

The American flag has 50 stars representing the country’s 50 states. However, since February 3, the internet has discovered that major U.S. federal government websites such as the State Department, Department of Defence, FBI, CDC, and the Department of Health and Human Services were displaying a flag with only nine stars.

For those unaware, a 9-star American flag seemingly refers to Confederate First National Flag/ Confederate Battle Flag/ Stars and Bars Flag which, as the name suggests, was used by the Confederacy during and after the American Civil War.

In other words, it is a post-Civil War re-union UCV flag dating back to 1900-1920 in which the nine stars symbolize the first nine states to secede from the Union before the start of the Civil War, as per historicalamericana.com.

In the wake of this, netizens are debating the meaning of the 9-star flag on federal government websites.

For instance, Reddit user @CyanCazador commented on @r/NoStupidQuestions page by writing:

“Mm hmm, it’s not like the iPhone has already solved this problem. I’ve heard people say that it’s likely a dog whistle to an old confederate flag.”

A netizen comments on the American flag drama. (Image via Reddit)

Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the social networking site, X.

“Why is the 9-star flag on websites for the State Department and Health & Human Services? This is crazy. Not a good look,” a person wrote.

“Why is there a 9-star flag on our government websites?! Is this a confederate flag?? Wtf,” one person wrote.

“While everyone distracted, they changed the American Flag from 50 stars to 9 stars,” wrote another.

Others continued to chime in.

“What’s the f*cking deal with 9-star flags on all the US Govt websites? Sounds pretty Confederatey to me,” a netizen wrote.

“Just in time for Black History Month,” another netizen wrote.

Meanwhile, a few pointed out on Threads that the 9-star American flag had been on the concerned websites for a few years now.

“My goodness, can y'all stop with the fear-mongering? That flag has been there for years. It has 9 stars and 11 stripes for a reason. Can you take a wild guess as to what it’s for??” a user wrote.

“Because it's a favicon and it has a limited number of pixels. Easier to make a 9-star flag have a good design than a 50-star flag. I'm almost certain this is the main reason, as a web designer for over a decade,” wrote another.

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The 9-star American flag has been up on official websites since 2021

According to the fact-checking website Lead Stories, the icon of the American flag in the header of various federal government websites has been there since 2021 and was uploaded in 2020 by the U.S. Web Design System.

The outlet further reported that it had no connection to Donald Trump’s second term in office.

Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that the online claim surfaced less than two weeks after the Trump administration implemented the “One Flag Policy” on January 20.

According to the policy, only the American flag would be flown in governmental buildings both nationally and internationally, and other flags including LGBTQ+, PRIDE, Black Lives Matter, and more would be banned.

This move comes in sharp contrast to the Biden administration. The Washington Free Beacon obtained the official memorandum that read:

“Starting immediately, only the United States of America flag is authorized to be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content.”

“The flag of the United States of America united all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy. These values, which are the bedrock of our great country, are shared by all American citizens, past and present,” it added.

As per the outlet, State Department workers who violate the policy would be looking at disciplinary action including termination, reassignment, and contract revocation.

The order further stated the American flag is a “powerful symbol of pride” and there it is “fitting and respectful” that only it is “flown or displayed at U.S. facilities.”

The memorandum was issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio right after his oath ceremony on January 21 and was part of Trump’s pledge to eliminate “wokeness” from the federal government.