The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-11-07
OR ELiE.
Where the stars and Stripes Came
FFOm-The History OfOur Flag.

tiOM-lAc HlStOFi VI our FE4s-
The New York Journal OF CoHsnlsrc.
has prepared the following history o.
our national flag
TIE stars and stripes became the
national flag OF the United States OF
America by virtue Of a resolution oi
F. Congress, passed June I4th, I777
''ResOlved, That the flag OF the thir-
teen United States be thirteen stripes,
alternate red and white; that the
Union be thirteen stars, white, in a
blue field, representing a new eonstei-
latiOn."
This resolution appears i'm the Jour-
mai of Congress, volume ., page los.
Although passed on the date given
above, it was not made public until
Sept. 81, in the same year, when il
appeared in the Boston Gazette and
Country journal. The flag seems to
be the result OF the work commenced
by Washington, DR.. franklin, Mr..
Lynch, Mr, Harrison, and Col. Jos.
Reed. On the 2d Of January, l776,
Washington was in the American
camp at Cambridge, organizing the
new army which was that day Great
ed. The committee Of conference,
consisting of Franklin, Lynch, and
Harrison, sent by Congress to arrange
with Washington the details OF the
army, were with him. Col. Reed,
one of the aides-de-camp, was also
secretary of the committee of confer
enee. The severa! designs for flags
had long occupied the thoughts Of
Reed and his associates. The flag
in use by the army was q plain red
field, with the British union OF the
crosses Of st. Andrew, ST. George,
and st. Patrick, on the upper left
corner. Several gentlemen OF BOs-
ton sent to the American camp cop
les Of the Kings speech. 1t was re-
eeived on the date mentioned above,
and the effect is described in the Brit
ish Annual Register, 1875, page l4T,
thus:
"The arrival of the copy of the
Kings speech, with an account Of
the fate Of the petition from the Con-
tinental Congress, is said TO have ex-
cited the greatest degree Of rage and
indignation among them, as proof
of which the former was publicly
burnt in the camp; and they are
said, on this occasion, to have chang
ed their cOlors from plain red ground
which they had hitherto used, to flag
OEthirteen stripes, as a symbol of the
number and union OF the cOlOnies.n
The use OF stripes 10 mark the num-
Ter Of the States on the flag can not
be clearly tracsd, but may be account
ed for by a custom Of the camp at
Cambridge. The army Of citizen vol
unteers comprised all grades Of men.
Very few were uniformed. It was
almost impossible for the sentlnels to
distinguish general officers from pTi-
Yates. Frequently officers were STOP
ped at the outpOsts, and held for iden-
tificatiOn until the arrival OF the Off
Ger Of the day. Orders were issued
that the different grades of officers
should be distinguished by stripe of
eOlored ribbon worn across the breast.
Washington, as CommandeF-in-Chief,
wore a ribbon of light blue. The stars
on the blue field-"a new eonstella-
tion"-were suggested by the eonstel-
Iation Lyra, time hOnored as an en-
blem of union. The thirteen stars Of
the new constellation were placed as
the circumference Of a circle, and on
blue field, in accordance with the
resolution already given. This was
the flag used at Burgoyne's surrender,
Oct, II, I777. By a resolution Of Con.
gTess, passed January i3, 1874, TO take
effect May 1, 1895, the flag was chang
ed to fifteen stars and fifteen stripes.
That was the flag Of 1872. BY q reso-
luton, passed April 4th, 1918, 70 take
effect ON the following July 4th, the
flag was again changed to one Of thir-
teen stripes and twenty stars and q
new star, to represent 9 new State, or
derPd to be placed on the blue field on
the 4th Of July following the admis-
sion of such State. The flag planted
on the National Palace in Mexico
had thirty stars. 1t now carries thir-
tyrseven.