Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-07-02

early as l76t Benlamin Franklin do
tended the rattlesnake device on the
ground that tho rAttleanake "a found
only In America. and til. serpent EN-.
blems were considered by ancionts
to be symbols OF wisdom
In September. HIS, there was dis
played In the South what was by
many believed to DO the nrat distinct.
lively American flag II was blue with
white crescent. and matched the
dress of the troops, who wore caps In.
seribed. Liberty or Death
The colonists desired to adopt a
common flag; but they had not yet
declared independence, and were not
at first seeking Independence. They
took tho British nag as they knew Il,
and made now colonial flag by dlvid.
lng the red field with white stripes
into thirteen alternate red and white
stripes. This II known as the Cam.
bridge dag. because II was tirat un.
furlsd over Waahington'a haadquAF-
ters At Cambridge. Mass, on January
!. l776 II complied with tho law Of
1907 by having the Union Jack on Il;
II also represented the thirteen colon.
lea by the thirteen stripes.
Az th0 coloniats gradually became
converted 70 tho idea that independ.
ence from the mother country was
necessary. they began 10 modify the
iiag, frat by leaving on tho Union
Jack and using only tho thirteen hori.
sontal stripes The modified iiaRa
wero not always red and white, but
regularly consisted OF combinations OF
two colurs selected from red. white
blue and yellow The final modlfcR.
ton was the replacement % tho Union
Jack by the white stars on q blue
held
The stars arr the only distinctive
feature OF the American flag The
charming story which credits Betsy
lloHs with making tho nrHt nag Of
stars and stripes Ii still accepted by
historians. When Washington auE
geated the six.polnted star. she demon
stFated the ease with which . Me-
pointed Atar could be made by fold
Ing "A piece of paper and pro aucinK
one With a single clip OF the scissors.
Some writer's are OF the Opinion that
both stars and stripes In the nag
we're derived from the coat OF arms Of
the Washington family. but this the
DRY is not generally held.
The official adoption OF our FIRST flag
was in l777 on June IA Of that year
the Continental congress passed an
act providing that the iAs Of the
thirteen united states be thirteen
stripes. alternate red and white. that
the union be thirteen stars. white on a
blue field. representing a new constel.
iation The thirteen stars were ar.
ranged In a circle TO symbolic the per.
petulty of the union of the states.
Vermont WAS admitted TO the Union
In 1891 and Kentucky in 1893 II was
felt that these two new states ought
To be recognized on the flag. 10 In 1894
congress passed an act making the
flag fifteen stars and fifteen atrlpsa
This remained the dag Of the Unlted
States throughout the War OF 1919.
until there were twenty states in tho
Onion IN 1916. an effort vas again
made 10 modify the fag 20 that ali the
new states would be- represented on Il
To be continually adding stripes would
make the nag very awkward IN shape
and appearance. 20 after arguing the
matter for two years. congress decided
TO return 70 the original thirteen
stripes and one star for each state
Congress has never determined the mr..
ranKsmsnt Of the stars nor the shape
and proportions of the nag. and there
has been great variation. especially In
the grouping 0f tha stars