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St. George Cross... the flag carried to the New World by most of the early English explorers. It's use can be traced back to 1277 in Britain. |
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King's Colors... one of the military colors used by British colonial troops after 1743. As the British Untion Flag it was the standard raised by the Jamestown settlers in 1607. The design orginiated when King James I of England combined the St. Geoge cross with the Scottish Cross of St. Andrew. |
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In 1707 Queen Anne adopted a new flag for the United Kingdom - The Union Jack on a field of red. Called the British Red Ensign, Corwallis surrendered under this flag at Yorktown in 1781. |
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Colonel John Trumbull's painting, "The Death of Warren," now at the Yale University Art Gallery, shows the red Continental Flag to be the one used by American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. |
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Gadsden Flag... named after Colonel Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina, was flown early in 1776 by Commodore Esek Hopkins of Rhode Island, first Commander-in-chief of the Continental Fleet. Its inscription respresented a warning by the colonists to the British. |
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Grand Union... the first (unofficial) national flag of the United States. It was raised in 1776 to celebrate the official status of the newly formed Continental Army by General George Washington, whose camp was then in Cambridge. Also known as the Cambridge Flag or Continental Colors. |
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The first official United States flag, adopted by an Act of Congress on June 14, 1777. According to legend, a group headed by George Washington commissioned seamstress Betsy Ross to execute their design for presentation to Congress. |
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Bennington... believed by many authorities to be the first Stars and Stripes used by American land troops. Flown over the military stores at Bennington on Augusst 16, 1777 when General John Stark's militia led Americans to victory over British raiding force. Original flag is preserved in the Bennington, Vermont Museum. |
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Shortly before the War of 1812, two new states were added to the Union and a flag consisting of 15 stars and 15 stripes was created. The Star Spangled Banner, flying over Fort McHenry during a British naval bombardment, inspired Fracis Scott Key to compose what later become our National Anthem. The restored flag now hangs in the Smithsonian. |
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Old Glory... born of the need for a more practical design to accomodate new states entering the Union. On April 4, 1818, Congress established the number of stripes at seven red and six white, and provided the addition of one star for each new state. The 50-star flag has been in use since July 4, 1960. |
