The Coolidge examiner., 1933-06-09

4 fact that on that date in 1777 the
4 Continental congress "Resoyed, That
the flag Of the thirteen United States
7 I !. + ! 8 J. ]: !. !. !.
LAAAN be thirteen stripes, alternate red and
IN1S9G white; that the union be thirteen
E60lISN stars, white In blue field, repre-
FRW&SE senting a constellation" Thus
HNG II was that the new emblem of the
RSA 4 nation came into official existence;
4 thus II was that the Stars and Stripes
were born.
But contrary to the belief OF many Ameri
cans, this does not mean that our national BAN
ner sprang fu-grown into being from the brain
of one man or one group of men on that June
day 156 years ago. The truth is that our flag
like so many other American institutions and
symbols, developed by gradual evolution and
derived its inspiration from sources varied
the strains of blood which have been fused
into making "the typical American"
The real origin of our national flag goes back
TO the banner which was flown by the expedition
that discovered the North American continent
This was the simple banner Of St Georges cross
in red on a white field, the old flag of England
1t carried by the expedition OF Giovanni
Cabot, or as he is more familiarly known, John
Cabot, the Italian navigator, exploring for Eng
land, who discovered the North American conti-
nent in 1897. Sailing along the east coast for
1000 miles. he laid the foundation Of English
claims to North America. The flag was borne
later by Capt. John Smiths ships to the set
tlement at jamestown, Va. In 1907 and again by
the Mayfower TO the Plymouth tMassD settle
ment in 1920.
Next in the line OF descent comes the Kings
Colors or the Union Jack designed in 1906; SYM
bolizng the union of England and Scotland after
King James took the throne of the united king
doms in 1903. This union was represented in
the English flag by imposing the English red
cross of ST. George on the Scottish white dag
Onal cross of st. Andrew, on a field Of blue.
There are records of the use of this flag on forts
in this country in 1879 and 1896 and this en-
sign was required in all British dominions by
parliamentary act of 1907.
The term Union Jack" was probably derived
from King James signing documents in the
French Jacques" the pronunciation of which
is not unlike Jack" The union" came TO be
applied TO that part of our national flag carry
ing the stars. In fact, when this part of the flag
is flown alone on bows of ships, ii is called the
union jack or simply Jack"
Three flags that had an early influence on the
design of the Stars and Stripes were the striped
flags of the Dutch republic The Dutch, it will be
remembered. first coloniZed New Netherlands,
before it became New York. This territory in
cluded New York, New Jersey. Pennsylvania and
Delaware
Settlements in these states were made by
Dutch colonists under their flags; that OF the
Dutch West India Co, with three stripes of
ange, white and blue; the United States of Meth
erlands, with six stripes of red. white and blue,
and the Rotterdam flag of green and white
stripes.
The English East India company finally crowd
ed the Dutch out of sea trade and this company
brought a new flag to America. a nine or ten
striped banner of alternating red and white
with n small GEORGES cross nj rod
in the upper corner next to the staff One of
the variations in this flag was n pine tree or
globe. representing the New world. in the upper
left quarter of the union. formed by the arms
of the St George cross In some flags of this
period the pine tree replaced the st. George
cross entirely.
With the Revolution. the struggling colonsts
wanted something different from British flag,
and the pine tree and rattlesnake emblems ap-
peared; also the legend Liberty and Union" on
a plain fly of red. Then came the Stars and
Stripes When Washington left Philadelphia in
1T75 to take command of the army at Cam
bridge. he was escorted out of the city by the
Philadelphia Troop of Light Horse far as
Newark \. j The guidon of this troop was cf
yellow silk and carried in its upper corner, next
10 the staff small union of l3 stripes of silver
and light blue.
Stars first figured in tie union of a flag car
red in 1873 on the schooner Lee by Captain Man
ley, Massachusetts skipper, whose ship Operat-
ed as one of Commodore Hopkins squadron and
captured the Nancy with supplies for the Brit
ish army November 10, 1T15 Thirteen stars on
a blue canton formed the union of its flag. They
were arranged in five horizontal, parallel rows
and were fve-pointed. In the blue fly of the
flag was white anchor with the word Hope"
above il. This design was carried by Rhode Is
land troops at Brandywine, Trenton and York
town, but the stars were of gilt on light blue
canton.
Following the early use of the English ensign
which carried the st. Georges cross in the canton
there came into use in the colonies in the Eight