The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-07-02
REAL HISTORY OF
AMERICAN FLAG
Emblem, 1t Is Declared by Stu
dents, May Be Traced Back
as Far as the Twelfth
Century.

THE American flag is a growth,
rather than a creation. Its his
tory can be traced back to the
18th century, or nearly 600 years prior
to the first Flag Day." June IA, 1777.
During the first crusade in 1875,
Pope Urban ii assigned to all OF the
Christian nations as standards crosses
varying in color and design, emblem
attic Of the warfare in which they
we're 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 a century and a quarter
later they adopted a red cross on
white field. known as the red cross OF
st. George.
When James VI of Scotland ascend
ed the throne Of England as James i,
ne combined the two flags, and issued
a proclamation requiring all ships to
carry the new flag at their main
masts At the same time the vessels
Of south Britain were TO carry at
their foremasts the red cross OF st.
George and the ships Of north Britain
10 carry the white cross of st. An
drew.
The new flag was known as Kings
Colors," the "Union Colors,' or the
Great Union" and later as the Union
Jack" and was the one under which
the British made all their permanent
settlements in America. 1t was the
dag of Great Britain only by proclama-
ton, however; not until 1907 did par
lament pass an act definitely uniting
the two countries and their flags. In
the same year the government issued
regulations requiring the navy TO use
what was known as the white ensign;
the naval reserve, the blue ensign;
and the merchant marine, the red en-
sign. Owing to the fact that the Brit
sh merchant vessels were everywhere,
the colonists in America came to look
upon this red ensign as the flag of
Great Britain.
The people in the New England col
onies were bitterly opposed to the
cross In the flag. In 1886 some of the
troops in Massachusetts declined to
march under this flag and the military
commissioners were forced to design
other flags for their troops with the
cross left out The design they adopt
ed 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 1t.
The pine tree design was also used
on New England flags. certainly by
1904 and possibly as early as 1885.
At the outbreak Of the Revolution
the American colonies had no flag
common TO all OF them. In many cases
the merchant marine flag OF England
was used with the pine tree substi-
tuted for the Union Jack. Massa-
chusetts adopted the green pine tree
on a white field, with the motto: "An
Appeal to Heaven - Some of the south
ern states had the rattlesnake flag
with the motto Don't Tread on Me"
on a white or yellow field. This flag
had been used bT South Carolina as
early as 1894. Benjamin Franklin de-
Tended the rattlesnake device on the
ground that the rattlesnake is found
only in America. and that serpent en-
blems were considered by ancients
10 be symbols OF wisdom.
In September, 1775. there was dis.
played in the South what was by
many believed TO be the first distinct
lively American flag. II was blue with
a white crescent. and matched the
dress Of the troops, who wore caps In
scribed, Liberty or Death"
The colonists desired to adopt a
common Gag; but they had not yet