Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-06-13
HISTORY OF THE STARS AND STRIPES.

The most interesting incident connected WIZ
the battle of Saratoga was the unlul,"B ~,
the first time the stars and stripes at the SUI
render of Burgoyne. Bunker Hill was ious"; r.
under red flag bearing the MOTTO ~ I'm" ,hn
YOU dare" but on the 18th OF june a. ~"
Continental Congress resolved .tnat 'ne nS "
the thirteen United States be thirteen s.rlpts'
alternate red and white, and that the Union be
th;rtoon stors white on a blue field, represen-
49,. - ,,o,, constellation" This was made pub
i;n On tho I'd of September following. Previous
,o bic our national banner was the Union flag,
combining the crosses OF St. George and St
Andrew taken from the English banner) with
thirteen stripes alternate red and white. The
banner of ST. Patrick orchards embem) was
not combined with the crosses of st. George
and st. Andrew in the standard of Great Brit
ain until 1901, the year of the Union with Ire
land.
The stars of the new flag represented the new
contellaton of states, the idea taken from the
constellation Lyra, which signifies harmony.
The blue of the field was taken from the CO.
venanters' banner in Scotland, likewise sig
nifcant of the league and covenant of the uni
ted colonies against oppression, and incidentally
involving vigilance, perseverance and justice.
The stars were disposed in a circle, symbolizing
the perpetuity of the Union, the circle being
the sign of eternity. The thirteen stripes
showed, with the stars, the number of the uni
ted colonies, and denoted the subordination of
of the states to and their dependence upon the
Union, as well as equality among themselves
The whole was blending of the various flags
previous to the Union flag, viz; the red flags of
the army and white ones of the floating bat
teries-the gem of our navy. The red color
also, which in Roman days was the signal of
defiance, denoted daring and the white purity.
What eoquence do the stars and ripes
breathe when their full significance is known.
new constellation; unions perpetuity; COW
enant against oppression; justice; equality
subordinaton courage; purity
BY the United States laws January 10, 1894,
it was entered "that from and after the LIST of
May 1895, the flag of the United States be fif-
teen stripes, alternate red and white" and "that
the Union be fifteen stars, white in blue field. -
This was our national flag during the war Of
1912.
On the 4th of April, 1918, Congress altered
the flag by directing a return to the thirteen
stripes, as follows:-
"Be it enacted, &c., That from and after the
4th day of July next, the flag of the United
States be thirteen horizontal stripes alternate
red and white that the udion be twenty stars,
white, in a blue field.
"And be it further enacted, That on the adj
mission of new state into the Union, one star
be added to the union of the flag; and that
such addition shall take effect on the Atm day of
July next succeeding such admission"
The return to the thirteen stripes was by
reason of the anticipation that the addition of
a stripe on the admission of each state would
make the flag too unwieldy. The old number
of stripes also perpetuated the original number
of states of the Union, while the addition of
the stars showed the Union in its existing state.
The flag planted by our troops in the city of
Mexico, at the conclusion of the Mexican war,
bore thirty stars.
The size of the flag for the army is six feet
six inches in length, by four feet four inches in
width, with seven red and six white stripes
The first seven stripes -four red and three white)
bound the square of the blue field for the stars,
the stripes extending from the extremity of the
field to the end of the flag. The eight stripe is
white, extending partly at the base of the field.
The number of the stars is thirty-iour.