Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-10
THE AMERICAN FLAG.
The History OF the National CoIors an In.
teresting One.

Philadelphia is the birthplace of the
American flag.
In 1175 benjamin Franklin designed
the first national culors. They consisted
Of the present Is stripes surrounding
the British Jack" This was to sig
Nifty that the colonies had not alto
getherrenounced their allegiance to the
mother country.
The Betsy Ross flag followed in
1176 There has been much antigua
rian wigpulling over the story of the
Betsy Ross flag. some claiming that
the stars in the field numbered a.
OtherS claim that there We're but Is. 1t
has been pretty well established. how
ever that at her own suggestion. Betsy
Ross was permitted to make the stars
five-pointed. as in distinction from the
usual six points.
The distinguishing flag of the Penn
Sylvania militia in 1111 was a crude
standard bearing the letters p NJ. r.
in center field of green. In the left
of the field is a figure of n man with
appraised spear in the act of attacking
q lion that has been entangled in a
net. The significance Of the group is
doubtful. Many scholars believe that
the lion typified Great Britain en-
SHARED by the less powerful but more
adroit colonist
Rattlesnake flags abounded in a
large variety of designs during the
colonial days. They all bore the le-
gend, Don't Tread on Me" In some
cases the snake was cut into Is sec
tons, but it invariably had Il rattles
10,
of the revolution. AS first lieutenant
of the original American flagship AL
fred" commanded by Commodore Hop
kins. John Paul jones in 1916 raised the
rattlesnake flag. Two of Jones's orig
inal flags are now in Independence hall.
Some time previous to the act of Con-
gress. June III, authorizing the Betsy
Ross flag, some patriotic women of
Philadelphia gathered in Old SWedes'
church and made a flag under the di-
rection of Commodore John Barry and
John Brown. secretary OF the United
States marine. This flag was similar
to the later Betsy Ross flag in all re-
spects. which the exception of the stars,
which We're arranged in three rows of
four each. Jones hoisted it over the
Ranger when he sailed for France in
the autumn of 17I7. AT Quiberon bay
ne met Admiral Picquet commanding
the French fleet. Jones saluted the
French. receiving in return nine guns.
the first salute ever received by an
American flag from Il foreign power.
The national colors of the United
States We're changed in 1874 to twenty
stars and fifteen stripes, Later on the
stars were arranged in circle, with
five outer stars to represent the points
Of larger star. The flag of the civil
war was 43-starred and contained the
origina, thirteen stripes.
The origin of the American flag will
always remain an open question. There
is no convincing proof one way or the
other whether we borrowed our design
from the French. adding the stars as
emblemS of celestial rectitude, on
| whether the American flag was taken
as a whole from the coat of arms of
the Washington family, with the color
scheme adopted from Frances stan
dard
Away back in 1906 the De Messing
| tons in England claimed rs their coat
of arms a red shield with an argent
bar bearing three cnquefoiles of VI
| first" In 1900 again, the ''Weshiyng-
| tons come out with the same design
| slightly altered. and described as three
mulets gules in fasse sable"
George WaShngton'S great-great-
grandfather brought over to America
in 1857 the latest fashion in the family
coat of arms-au argent held with tive
bars: and in chief. three mullet gules
Washington was too much of a Re
| publican to permit the direct use OF
any heraldic design of his own in the
national colors, and he never said any
| thing that could be construed as de-
| sire on his part to perpetuate his name
| in that way. But from the fact that he
| drew the design for the Betsy Ros'
| flag himself and from the close approx
| imation of the design to his family
/ arms it is not improbable that he
adapted one to the other from purely
| dieinterested motives.
I The American flag has passed through
more vicssitudes than the flag of any
| other nation 1t has undergone six al
most radical changes from the day OF
it's creation. irrespective of the fire.
uuent additions of stars on the admis-
sion eff new states. For every change
in the national colors there has been q
| WARMTH Great Britain in 171e France