History of the American Flag

When and where does the flag originate?
 I found on PBS that no one knows the true origin of the first American flag. Some people think that the first flag was designed by Francis Hopkinson, a Congressman in New Jersey, and sewn by Betsy Ross, a seamstress in Philadelphia.

When and why has it evolved? Note eras of significant and permeant change.
There haven't been very many substantial changes to the flag, most of them are the addition of stars and/or stripes because of new states being admitted into the country. There have been a lot of different flags and different changes to the flag which I found on a timeline of the flag's history. A majority of the changes are a star being added because of the addition of a new state. An interesting fact that I found on the timeline was that there was never a flag with 39 stars because it was thought that the two Dakotas would be added as one state instead of two.

Why does it use the shapes, colors, and arrangements of stars, stripes, red, white, and blue? Is there a history and purpose to these graphic choices?
I found on USFlag.org what each of the colors mean. The red stands for hardness and valor, the white stands for innocence and purity, and the blue stands for vigilance, perseverance and justice. I also know that the stripes stand for the thirteen colonies and the stars stand for the fifty states. For most of the flags history, the stars have represented the states and the stripes the colonies.

What does the flag seem to mean or say?
The flag represents the country as a whole and everything that it stands for. I think the flag is universally a symbol for all of the freedoms and rights that we have here.

What do the different names of the flag seem to suggest about it's meaning or purpose? Where do these nicknames originate from?
I found on PBS that the nickname Old Glory came from a sea captain who gave that name to his flag. His flag survived many attempts at being defaced and the name stuck around. This nickname suggests that the flag is old and brave. The nickname the Star Spangled Banner came from the song that is about it which is the countries national anthem.

Can you find any evidence that the flag itself is a controversial image? Or is it widely understood to be positive? What evidence suggests that it is widely understood as something worthy of respect that normally isn't given to a piece of fabric?
I couldn't find any evidence that suggests the flag is controversial. I think everyone pretty much agrees it is a good thing. I think that since we have so many rules surrounding it it shows how much we respect it. There are rules such as not to deface it in any way which I think goes to prove how much the flag is respected and loved.