Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-07-01
REAL HISTORY Of
AMERICAN FLAG
Emblem, Il Is Declared BY Stu.
dents, May Be Traced Back
as Far as the Twelfth
Century.

YsiIR American nag II = growth.
rather than I creation. It's his,
tory can be traced back to the
18th century. or nearly 600 years prior
to the iirst Flag Day" June IA, i777,
During the first crusade In 1195,
Pope Urban 40 assigned To ell OF tho
Christian nations Az standards croase1
varying In color aud design, emblem,
attic Or the warfare In which they
were engaged, To the Scotch troops
was assigned the white satire. known
~ the white cross OF st. Andrew. on =
blue field. The British used yellow
cross. but century and quarter
later they adopted red cross on q
white field. known 40 the red cross o.
ST. George.
When James vi of Scotland ascend.
ed the throne or England ~ James !.
he combined the two flags. and issued
4 proclamation requiring all ships to
carry the new flag at their main
masts. At the same time the vessels
ot south Britain were TO carry Ut
their foremasts tha red cross OF St.
George and the ships Of north Britain
to carry the white cross OF st. An.
drew.
The new flag was known NJ "Kings
Colors." the Union Colors.' or the
"Gareat Union" and later ~ the Union
Jack" and was the one under which
the british made all their permanent
settlements In America. II was the
las Oh Great Britain only by proclama-
ton. however; not until i707 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
ish merchant vessels were everywhere.
the coloniats In America came to look
upon this red ensign az the rag OF
Great Britain,
The people In the New England col
onies were bitterly opposed 10 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 1861 q
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 a. early as 1896.
AT the outbreak OF tho Revolution
the American colonies had no flag
common to NIL 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 ! white Held. with the motto: IAN
Appeal to Heaven Some OF the south,
ern states had the rattlesnake iias
with the motto Don't Tread ON Me-
on 4 white or yellow field, This flal
had been used by South Carolina a
early N l7s4 Benjamin Franklin de
Tended the rattleenake device on ths
ground that the rattlesnake Ia found
only In America. and that serpent EN-
blems were considered by ancient,
10 be symbols OF wisdom
III September. 1775. there was dls
played In the South what was b,
many believed 10 be the first distinct
lively American dag. II Was blue with
white crescent. and matched TIT
dress ut the troops. who wore caps In
scribed, Liberty or Death"
The colonists desired to adopt ,
common nag: but they had not "