Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-11-06
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A correspondent asks for information to theori-
gin of the United States flag, " The stars and
stripes" We will endeRvor to satisfy him.
The original flag of the United States showed
thirteen stripes alternate red and white and thir
teen white stars IN q blue union In 1894, Vermont
and Kentucky having come in, law was passed by
Congress that from and after the first day of May
A. D. 1895, the flag of the United States should be
fifteen stripes alternate red and white f" and "that
the union be fifteen stars white in blue field"
The introduction of this act from the Senate into
the House, on the 7th of January, excited some
what amusing debate. GOodhue, of Massachusetts,
thought it q very trifing business. If" said me-
we are to altar the flag from thirteen to fifteen
stripes, with two additional stars because Vermont
and Kentucky have been added, we may 20 on
adding and altering at this rate for one hundred
years to come. Ir is very likely, before fifteen
years elapse, we shall consist of twenty States
The nag ought to be permanent" This gentleman's
colleague Mr.. Lyman and Mr.. Boudinot, of New
Jersey thought the two new States ought not to be
aronted By the rejection of the bill. Mr.. Greenup.
of Kentucky, thought it was best to L the world
know that two new States had been added
to thegalaxy, while Mr.. Niles, of Vermont expressed
supreme Indifference as to the matter. Thatcher.
of Massachusetts,, was sorry to see the House take
up its time with such trifes Mr. Smith whs
seems to have been seafsriDg man. either from
Vermont or from South Carolina, probably the lat
ter there were two Smiths in the body waxs3
wroth at the proposition. "This alteration would
cost him five hundred dollars, and every We sel in
the United States sixty. He could not conceive
what the Senate meant by sending them such bills.
He supposed it must be for want Of something bet
ter to do. He should indulge them but let US have
no alterations Of this sort. Let the flag be
permanent" And the bill then Tassed.
On the 4th of April 1918, Congress passed "An
act to establish the flag of the United States which
provided that, "from and after the fourth day OF
July Tthen1 next the nag of the United Stltes be
thirteen horizontal stripes alternate red and whites
that the Union be twenty stars, white in a blue !
field" and "that on the admission of every new |
State into the Union star be added to the UniOn
of the flag; ouch addition to take effect on the fourth
day of July next succeeding such admission"
And this has been the law from thst day to this |
The stripes emblamatizs the old thirteen States"
and each State in the Union has its respective star
Il was Mr.. Wendover. Of New York, who. on the |
10th of December, 1871, introduced q resolution /
into the House of Representatives that led to the
passage of she act of the 4h April 1Sl6 he brought
into the House this hIll from committee of which
he was Chairman, accompanied with report
froR which We gather that IN the lapse of time,
since the legislation Of 1894, the general form of
the flag had only been retained. while there actual
ly existed a great want Of uniformity in its adj
justment particularly when used on small private
vessels. When introducing the subject in Decem
Der Mr.. WendoEer called attention 10 the fact that
the flags flying over the buildings in which Congress
was then sitting, and that at the Washington Navy
Yard, contained, the first nine, and the last eigh-
teen stripes, neither being conformabe to the law
On the 24th March, 1918, the bill came up in the
House for consideration. Mr.. Wendover sup
ported it in very interesting speech, in the course
of which he said
Il am not particularly informed as to the origin
of our hsg, but have repeatedly heard it was first
used by q citizen of Philadelphia on his own vessel,
and afterwards adopted by the Congress of the Rev