The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-07-10
History Of Our American Flag.


When the exploration and COLOMBIA.
tion of the American continent began
each ship went out bearing its re-
spectiye national flag. For instance,
whsn the Mayfiower landed at Plym-
outh in 1920, it had floating from its
mast head the flag of Great Britain
the union OF colorS, signifying the
union of England. For some time,
especially so long as no ill-feeling ex-
listed between the colonies and the
mother country, their flags were the
same. But when diSSenSionS began to
spring up and tyranny resulted, and
later on when the idea of indepen-
dence began to grow, each colony Sc
lected its own banner, and inscribed
upon it some motto expressing the
feeling of its people. Hence at the
breaking out of the Revolution there
were various flags of different pat
terms. at the battle of Lexington.
which formally opened the war which
gave to America her Independence,
the soldiers wore no uniforms and
carried no banners. But little later
on, when the battle Of Bunker Hill
was fought, the patriots carried ban
nerS of various devices. as the colonies
or companies might select. 1.-THE rat
tle-snake" flag, borne by the Virginia
troops, and the ''pine tree" flag of
Massachusetts, were the most noted of
the colonial banners. The first union
flag was raised by Washington at
Cambridge on January =, 1915, at
was tri-colOred banner" says Ban
croft, mot yet spangled with stars,
but showing thirteen stripes of alter
nate red and white in the field and
united red and white crosses of Saint
George and st. Andrew on a blue
ground in the corner" But there is
no record showing that this flag was
ever adopted by the colonial congress.
The first and only legislative action
officially on record for creating ma
tional flag is that of June IA, 1777, as
follows: Resolved, That the flag of
the thirteen UnitedStates shall be thlr-
teen stripes; alternate red and white:
that the union be thirteen stars; white
in blue field, representing new con-
stellation.
There is some uncertainty as to who
designed the flag. General Washing
ton was chairman of the committee
that reported the change to the con-
tinental congress at Philadelphia. 1t
seems to be a well authenticated fact
that the first flag was made by Betsy
Ross, of 339 Arch street, Philadelphia.
The design was submitted to her by
Washington and the committee from
congress and in twenty-four hours
thereafter the work was completed.
This is often spoken of as "Betsey IS
battle flag" and was borne. without
any further changes throughout the
Revolution.
When Vermont and Kentucky were
admitted i'm 1871 and 1892 il became
necessary to increase the stars and
stripes. So on January ID, 1764, Con-
gress enacted ythat from and after the
first day of May, 1895, the flag of the
United States be fifteen stripes, alter
nate red AID white. white in blue
field" This was the national banner
from 1895 to 1918. During this time
five new states were admitted to the
Union and required representation on
the flag. So congress, on April 4,
1918, enacted:
/. "That from and after the fourth
of July next the flag of the United
States be thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white: that the union have
twenty stars white in blue field"
2. "That on the admission Of
every new state into the Union one
star be added to the Union of the flag,
and that such addition shall take ef-
feet on the fourth of July next sue
ceeding such admission" There has
been no legislation on the flag since
April 4, 1918. In the war OF 1872 the
the national flag bore fifteen stars; in
the war with Mexico, twenty-nine; In
the Civil War, thirty-five; and the
late war with Spain, fOrty-five.