Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-02-15
EVOLUTION OF THE FLAG.
History of the Growth of the Stars
and Stripes as the National Banner
is Now Known to Us.

connection with the design of the
stars and stripes grew out of this in
cident. In the spring of 1777 a COM
mittee was appointed by the Cont
mental Congress ito design a suitable
flag for the Nation" The committee
was Gen Washington, Robert Morris
and Col. Ross, and they went TO a lit
tie upholstery shop at 239 Arch street
Philadelphia, kept by Mrs Betsy Ross,
and asked her if she could make a
flag. She told them she could, and
went to work on the design which
Gen. Washington drew. She inhu-
enced the committee to adopt the five
pointed star instead of the sX-pointed
they proposed, and showed them how
to make the star by one cut of the
shears; but that is another story.
Mrs. Ross went to work at once, and
the flag was ready the next day. 1t
was feet 6 inches long by feet 4
inches wide, and the blue field was as
wide as it's depth-seven stripes-and
the stripes were alternate red and
white, thirteen in all
On June IA, 1777, the Continental
Congress, in session in Independence
Hall, passed this resolution.
Resolved, That the flag of the
United States be thirteen stripes, al
ternately red and white that the
union be thirteen stars, white in a
blue field, representing a new con
stellation."
This new constellation symbolized
the union of the states and was in the
form of circle-unending, and since
that day it has been increased. a star
for every state admitted into the
Union. though of necessity the ar
Management has been changed. The
thirteen stripes remain, after one fu-
tile effort to add a stripe for every
new state.
Some people have liked to believe,
and have therefore argued, that Wash
ington got the idea of the stars and
stripes from the coat-of-arms of his
family, which described in heraldic
language, consisted of: arms are
two bars gules (red) on white below
the tesse, dover part of the shieldO
with three mullets (small starshaped
rowels of spurs) in the chief, upper
part of the SHELBY which is azure,
(blue).' Now. it is barely possible
that Gen. Washington had in mind the
coat-of-arms of his family that he
recognized the beauty of the group
ing of colors; but there had been
flag used by the Colonies before that
day when he talked with Betsy Ross;
in fact, many Of them of more or less
quaint or grotesque design. There
was the pine-tree flag with the cross
of St. George, used at Bunker Hill:
there was Paul Jones's pine tree and
serpent flag; there was the serpent
flag of the Culpeper Minute Men, and
others used in various parts of the
new Nation.
But the flag which was the nearest
relative to the Stars and Stripes was
the one raised by Washington at Cam
bridge on Jan. >, 1776, which consist
ed of thirteen red and white stripes
arranged, as now, with the crosses of
st. George and st. Andrew in the upper
corner next to the hoist. This was
retaining the flag of the British rulers
as well as indicating the thirteen
Colonies but at that time the Colonies
had not declared independence. and it
was only right to recognize the then
lawful rulers. even though in rebel
lion, for the hope of reconciliation
was not entirely abandoned.
This flag was the result of the IF.
forts of a committee composed Of
were instructed to create National
flag. They adopted the Kings Colors
as the union and thirteen alternate
red and white stripes as the field OF
the flag, thus showing that though
the Colonies united in defense against
England's tyranny they still acknowl-
edged her sovereignty. The flag was
adopted Jan. >, 177G, and so was the
a ON 81 ON, Of . b.l ,-.t.i
can Revolution.
II is not impossible that Franklin
found suggestion for this nag in the
thirteen-striped standard presented in
l775 to the Philadelphia Troop of
| Light Horse. and borne by them when
they escorted Gen. Washington from
| Philadelphia to New York on his way
to Boston. a theory which seems as
| reasonable as any, for Franklin was an
observing man, and a man who adapt
ed present conditions to suit the ext
gencies Of the time, as well as suit
| ing the eXigencies of the times TO the
conditions.
| Another origin was suggested by the
late historian, Benson J. Losing who
would never believe the Washington
arms were tn beginning of the flag
He said, in a letter to Thomas Glib
bOns, IF they We're suggested by any.
thing then existing, think it may
have been by the flag with which the
Colonists in the seapOrts were famil
lar. This flag was composed of thir
teen horizontal stripes, alternate red
and white, with the red cross of ST
George on the white canton in the
| corner"
In the further evolution of the flag
the abandonment of the English Jack
as the Union was necessary. because
the Colonies had cut themselves off by
the Declaration of independence. and
so new design was imperative. The
cross savored too much of Papacy "a
suit the puritanical ideas of the Colo
MES; the sun or moon was too ORR
entail, no beast or bird or other EN-
blem seemed so adaptable, and so the
thirteen stars in the amending circle
as a new constellation in the heavens
of nations were the most emblematic
1t was not till 1918 that the present
! flag was adopted In 1894 the admis-
sion of Vermont and Kentucky had
added two stripes and two stars. and
such was the ensign under which the
war of 1912 was fought; but the year
of 1918 saw five more states added
and the flag threatened 10 become
/ the hero of the General Armstrong
made the pertinent suggestion that
the thirteen original states be indicat-
/ ed by the thirteen stripes and the
} whole Union by the number of stars,