Living in northern Nevada I see a lot of customized and quasi-historical flags that people fly to represent their own particular concept of what America was and should be.

Many of them are variations on the Stars and Stripes that are altered in a way that would have been anathema to conservatives of an earlier age who repeatedly proposed amendments to prevent the desecration of the flag by fire or modification. A popular choice is the Gadsden Flag whose political coopting makes it impossible for me to fly a similar flag with a more naval and noble recent history.

As someone of conscience who sees eerie parallels with the first half of the 20th century in our current state of affairs, I’ve been looking for an emblem of equal historical weight that aligns more closely to how I view the United States, its ideals, and its role in the world.

I can think of nothing more appropriate than the 48-star flag, in use from 1912 to 1959.

Under this flag, the United States:

• Defended Europe against wars of aggression (two hot, one cold)
• Finally granted women the right to vote
• Triumphed over the Great Depression with the New Deal
• Sheltered people of Jewish faith and descent, and helped end the Holocaust
• Defeated fascism in Europe and Asia
• Helped found the League of Nations and its successor, the United Nations
• Rebuilt and made strong, peaceful, democratic allies out of our former enemies, Germany and Japan
• Rebuilt the rest of Europe, helped it stand against post-war Soviet aggression, co-founded NATO, and conducted the Berlin Airlift
• More than tripled the size of our economy
• Defended South Korea and Japan against Communist North Korea and China
• Defended Taiwan’s independence from Communist China
• Integrated the armed forces
• Integrated public schools
• Launched our first satellite into space and founded the organization that would take us to the moon
• Proclaimed “Don’t tread on us” and “Don’t tread on our friends”, rather than just “Don’t tread on me”

For these reasons and others, I’ll be hanging the 48-star flag outside my front door at least through the next election, and probably for a lot longer.

While there are plenty of historical examples showing why this was an imperfect time in the imperfect arc of American history, this period represented what our country could accomplish when we and our allies worked together for a greater good and a better world.

Under this flag my grandfathers defeated fascism, and that’s plenty good enough for me. I encourage all like-minded people to join me in flying the 48 for freedom.*

*Yes, it’s a navy reference