News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-09-30
OUR EARLY FLAGS
Colonial Eni5Iems That Led Up
to the Stars and Stripes.
THE STORY OF OLD GLORY.
Twice Has the Design Been Changed
Since the Official Adoption of Our
First Flag In 1777-The Stars the
Distinctive Feature of Our Banner.

Distinctive Feature of Our Banner.
The American flag is growth
rather than a creation. It's history car
be traced back to the twelfth century
or nearly 600 years prior to the first
flag day." June IA, 1777
During the first crusade in 1896
| Pope Urban ii. assigned to all of the
Christian nations as standards crosses
attic of the warfare in which they were
engaged. To the Scotch troops was
assigned the white satire known as
the white cross of St. Andrew, on a
blue field The British used yellow
cross, but century and "a quarter
later they adopted IA red cross on a
white field. known us the red cross of
st. George
When James VI. Of Scotland ascend
ed the throne of England as James L.
a proclamation requiring all ships to
carry the new flag at their mainmasts.
At the same time the vessels of south
Britain were to carry at their fore
masts the red cross Of st. George and
the ships Of north Britain to carry
the white cross of St. Andrew.
The new flag was known as king
col6rs,' the union colors." Of the
great union" and later as the union
jack" and was the one under which
10 nj iSh nI
settlements in America.
The people in the New England colo
MES were bitterly opposed to the cross
in the flag. In 1885 some of the troops
in Massachusetts declined to march
under this flag, and the military com
missioners were forced to design other
flags for their troops with the cross
left out. The design they adopted has
not been preserved. In 1862 mint
was established in Boston. Money
coined in this mint had the pine tree
stamped on one side of it. The pine
tree design was also used on New
England flags, certainly by 1904 and
possibly as early as 1886.
At the outbreak of the Revolution
the American colonies had no flag COM
mon to all of them. In many cases the
merchant marine flag of England was
used with the pine tree substituted for
the union jack. Massachusetts adopt
ed the green pine tree on white
field with the motto. AN Appeal to
Heaven" Some of the southern states
had the rattlesnake flag with the mot
to Don't Tread on Me" on a white or
yellow field. This flag had been used
Oy South Carolina as early as 1894.
In September, 1875, there was dis
played in the south what is by many
believed to be the first distinctively
American flag. 1t was blue with a
white crescent and matched the dress
IF the troops. who wore caps inscrib-
I'd Liberty or Death"
The colanists desired to adopt a COM
non flag but they had not yet declared
and were not at first
seeking independence They took the
British flag as they knew it and made
new colonial flag by dividing the red
ield with white stripes into thirteen al
ornate red and white stripes. This is
,nOwn as the Cambridge flag, because
was first unfurled over Washington's
headquarters at Cambridge, Mass, ON
an. l, 1716. 1t complied with the law
# 1907 by having the union jack on
o1c hn
mics by the thirteen stripes.
AS the colonists gradually became |
inverted to the idea that independ- |
nee from the mother country was nee |
ssary they began to modify the flag, |
rst by leaving off the union jack and
sing only the thirteen horizontal ;
tripes. The modified flags were not al
Ways red and white, but regularly con-
listed of combinations of two colors
elected from red, white, blue and yell
)w.~The final modification was the re-
lacement of the union jack by the
yhite stars on blue field.
The stars are the only distinctive fea-
Ire of the American flag. The charm
lg story which credits Betsy Ross
18th making the first flag of stars and
.ripes is still accepted by historians.
Vhen Washington suggested the six
ointed star she demonstrated the ease
it'll which a five pointed star could be
Iade by folding piece of paper and
one with single clip of the
,issors.
The official adoption of our first
az was in 1777. On June IA of that
EAR the Continental congress passed
! act providing that 1.-THE flag of the
irteen United States be thirteen
ripes, alternate red and white: that
e Union be thirteen stars, white
! a blue field, representing a new
The thirteen stars were
ranged in a circle to symbolic the
rpetuity Of the union Of the states.
Vermont was admitted to the Union
1871, and Kentucky in 1892. 1t :
as felt that these two new states =
ght to be recognized on the flag. so !,
1894 congress passed an act making :
e flag fifteen stars and fifteen stripes. :,
This remained the flag of the United a
ates throughout the war of 1912. I'M d
there were twenty states in the
lion In 1916 an effort was again n
lde to modify the flag so that all the v
W states would be represented on it c.
be continually adding stripes would II
Ike the flag very awkward I'm shape