Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-07-13
THE HISTORY OF OUR FLAG


The history OF our glorious old flag 10 Of
exceeding interest, and brings back to US
throng Of sacred and thrilling associa-
tions. The banner OF St. Andrew was blue,
charged with white cross in the form OF
the letter X, and was used in Scotland as
early % the eleventh century. The BAN
ner of st. George was white, charged with
a red cross, and was used as early as the
first part OF the fourteenth century. BY
= royal proclamation dated April IL, 100,
these two crosses were joined together up
on the same banner, forming the ancient
national flag Of England.
1t waH not until Ireland, in 1901, was
made part of Great Britain, that the
present national flag Of England, so well
known as the ''union jack, was COM
pleted. But 1t was the ancient flag OF
England that constituted the basis Of our
American banner. Various other flags had
indeed been raised at sundry times by
our colonial ancestors, but they were not
particularly associated with, or, at least,
were not incorporated into and made q
part OF the destined ''stars and Stripes.
1t was after Washington had taken COM
mand Of the fresh army OF the Revolution
at Cambridge, that, January 2, 1776, he
unfolded before them the new flag Of
thirteen stripes Of alternate red and white,
having upon its upper left-hand corner
the red and white crosses Of st. George
| ard st. Andrew on q field OF blue.
| This was the standard which was borne
! into the city OF Boston when it was
evacuated by the British troops and was
entered by the American army. Uniting
as it did, the flags OF England and
America, it showed that the colonists
were not yet prepared to sever the tie that
bound them to the mother country. By
that union OF flags they claimed to be q
vital and substantial part Of the empire of
Great Britain, and demanded the rights
and privileges which such a relation inn
piled. Yet it was by these thirteen stripes
that they made known the union also Of
the thirteen colonies, the stripes OF white
declaring the purity and innocence Of
their cause and the stripes of red giving
forth defiance to cruelty and oppression.
on June -, l"t, IL was resolved Dy Con-
sress that the nag OF the thirteen Uni
ted States be thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white, and that the union be rep
resented ny thirteen white STARS on blue
field.
The first flag OF this kind was made by
ne.ses noss IN the year 100. ms reso-
iu'ion ~ss inaoe puphc september ., iT6,
anu tue nag tnat was nrst maze ana USED
III pursuance Vi II WAS that wnicn leo the
nueiioans W VICTORY AZ Saratoga. mere
'ne 'hir'eeh STATS were arranged IN q
e"oie' ms We sometimes see them now, In
o'uef oe'.ef W eApress tne ioea Oh the
unioh " 'he States.
AZ i'o', .hele having oeeh Two more
SAVES suueu W .ne uhion' II WIS Voteo
'na. Tue ai'eiha'e stripes as wen as the
eneos e'afs NC hi.eep III NUMBER ana
the nag rs thus Altered ana enlarged
was ING one ~hich WAS oorne through al
tue contests Oh the war OF isiz'
but II was 'nought that the nag would
NJ length DC 700 large II new stripe
vas WIN e'eis nesniy -auinil'eo
STATE IL was therefore enacteo' IN 1870
.nat permanent return should De MADE 10
the thirteen stripes' ana tnat the NUMBER
Oh s'ars snouia hehceiorth correspond TO
tne growing NUMBER OF states.
mus tne nag "ouio symDoiize the union
as II might oe al any given PERIOD OF It's
history ana also as IL was at the very
nour Oh us oirtn. IL was al the same time
suggested tnat these STARS instead OF being
arranged IN circie' De formed into
single star-a suggestion we occasionally
zee aoop'eo' In me, no particular order
seems now 70 DC observed with respect to
the arrangement OF the consteliation; 1t IS
enough II only the whoie NUMBER Is there
upon tnat azure neid-the blue to be en-
piematlcai OF perseverance, vigilance
ana Justice, eacn star TO SIGNIFY the glory
OF the state II may represent, and the
whole TO be eloquent forever OF union