The Stars and Stripes
During the Revolutionary War, American colonists under the rule of Great Britain began to create flags to represent their independence. While multiple American variations of the British Union Jack flag existed since the early eighteenth century, the Grand Union became the unofficial flag of the colonies. It was flown primarily on naval vessels during the early years of the Revolution.
Another popular flag of the time was the Gadsden flag, flown on the flagship of the first mission of the newly established Continental Navy in 1776, and that also acted as the early flag of the Marine Corps. Created by a leader of the Sons of Liberty and colonel in the Continental Army, Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina, the flag has a rattlesnake with 13 coils with the phrase, “Don’t Tread on Me” underneath.
The rattlesnake was a favorite symbol of Benjamin Franklin, who wrote in 1775 that a rattlesnake “never begins an attack, nor, when engaged, ever surrenders. She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.” It was also noted that rattlesnakes have coils that only produce sound working together, analogous to the 13 colonies having to work together in their struggle for independence. Franklin also observed the rattlesnake is native to North and South America, not Great Britain.
Because of its early history, this flag is still a favorite of many military units today, especially in the Navy and Marine Corps. U.S. Navy ships continue to fly the Navy Jack flag with the “Don’t Tread on Me” slogan.
The Grand Union Flag
The Gadsen Flag
The Navy Jack
Around June 1776, a Philadelphia upholsterer named Betsy Ross received some famous visitors. Two signers of the Declaration of Independence, George Ross and Robert Morris, accompanied the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington, to Ross’ shop on Arch Street. The men asked Ross if she could design a flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen six-pointed stars. Ross reportedly answered, “I do not know, but I will try.” Ross convinced the men to change the stars from 6-pointed to 5-pointed, a change agreed to by all.
Thus, the creation of the Betsy Ross flag:
While a great story, Betsy Ross’ role in the making of what became known as the Stars and Stripes may be more legend than fact. While Ross was an upholsterer who lived in Philadelphia in 1776 and made flags for the Pennsylvania Navy, there is no record of a visit by Washington, Morris, and George Ross. It was almost 100 years later, in 1870, that the story of Betsy Ross was first told by her grandson, William Canby.
However, the Betsy Ross story cannot be discounted for a few reasons. First, George Ross was the uncle of Betsy’s deceased husband. It is entirely plausible that George Ross, tasked with finding a flag maker, would have considered Betsy the perfect choice. More importantly, history doesn’t seem to be able to identify another creator of the American flag. The best candidate appears to be Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, another signer of the Declaration, who in 1780 sought payment from the Continental Congress for, among other items, “designing the Flag of the United States of America.” The payment was never made, and much like Betsy Ross, historians do not have a clear record of Hopkinson’s role in designing the flag.
What is clear is that on June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a resolution requiring “the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” This is why June 14 is celebrated as Flag Day every year. Betsy Ross continues to receive credit for making the first official United States flag, whether fact or fiction, a story Americans have embraced.
The American flag underwent a few variations before becoming the version flown today. On May 1, 1795, Congress added two stripes and two stars to the flag to represent the addition of the states of Vermont and Kentucky. The 15-stripe flag is most famous as the flag that stood over Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812, which led to Francis Scott Key writing the Star-Spangled Banner.
By 1818, it became clear to Congress that adding a stripe for every new state was impractical. The flag was reverted to thirteen stripes with a star added on the Fourth of July for every newly admitted state. This practice has been used ever since. No specific star represents any specific state.
Along the way, the U.S. flag received a new nickname, Old Glory. The story goes that a sea captain from Massachusetts named William Driver received a large American flag as a gift for his merchant ship in 1824. He began calling his flag “Old Glory.” By 1837, Driver had moved to Nashville, Tennessee. He proudly hung Old Glory on the public streets during holidays until Tennessee joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. Fearing his American flag would be taken from him, he hid it from public view. Nashville became the first Southern state capital to fall to Union forces in 1862. Upon seeing Union troops enter the city, Driver took his beloved flag to the top of the capitol building and proudly displayed it. The story of Driver’s flag spread and soon Americans began to refer to the Stars and Stripes as “Old Glory.”
On July 4, 1960, the American flag received its 50th star with the admission of Hawaii to the Union. It has been the same ever since.
The American flag remains one of the great symbols of liberty worldwide. All of its variations have had one purpose behind them – to create an expression of freedom, independence, and unity. It is the flag worn by American soldiers, it is the flag that millions throughout history yearned to see, and it is the flag that was placed on the moon to represent all of humanity. We rightfully pledge allegiance to it.
While laws banning the burning of the American flag were found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, the American flag needs to always be respected. Far too many have sacrificed far too much in its name. The proper treatment of the American flag is stated in the United States Flag Code.