First National Flag
The First National Flag, often referred to as the Great Union Flag or the Continental Flag, emerged during the American Revolution as a symbol of unity among the thirteen colonies. Adopted by the Continental Army under the command of George Washington in 1776, the flag featured thirteen horizontal stripes of red and white, representing the original colonies, with a blue canton displaying the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew. Although not officially designated by Congress, this flag became widely recognized and utilized throughout the colonies and is considered a precursor to the modern American flag.
The design evolved as new states joined the Union, leading to changes in the number of stars while maintaining the original thirteen stripes to honor the founding colonies. Over the years, the flag transitioned through various iterations, reaching its current form of fifty stars in 1960, representing all states. The significance of the First National Flag lies in its role as a rallying point for American independence and its lasting impact on national identity. Today, the flag serves as a powerful symbol of unity and patriotism in the United States.
On this Page
First National Flag
First National Flag
In an act crucial to the cause of American independence, the Second Continental Congress on June 15, 1775, chose George Washington as general and commander in chief of the Continental army. Although the actual nomination of Washington was made by Thomas Johnson of Maryland, the idea originated with an earlier speech by John Adams. The delegate from Massachusetts urged the Congress to accept as an army the colonial forces then besieging the British at Boston, and to name without further delay a general who might preserve the colonists' precarious hope of obtaining redress for their grievances against the British motherland.
For that high command, as Adams recalled in his autobiography, he hinted unmistakably to the Congress that he “had but one gentleman in…mind…a gentleman from Virginia…well known to all of us, a gentleman whose skill and experience as an officer, whose…great talents, and excellent universal character would command the approbation of all America, and unite the cordial exertions of all the Colonies better than any other person in the Union.”
The suggestion was direct enough to send Washington, who was attending the Congress as a delegate from Virginia, scurrying from the room while the matter was discussed. After the Congress had voted to adopt the besieging army and unanimously approved Washington as general and commander in chief, the Virginian accepted “the momentous duty” with thanks, but he added characteristically, “lest some unlucky event should happen, I beg it may be remembered…that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honoured with.”
Washington left Philadelphia, where the Congress was meeting, on June 23. Arriving at Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the Charles River from Boston, he officially took command of his ragged force of some 16,000 men on July 3, 1775. In the ensuing months, most of his energies were devoted to equipping and training this raw force, strengthening discipline, and securing longer enlistments than the initial brief commitments, which had found recruits departing inopportunely.
As the months went by, Washington acquired weapons and ammunition and shaped his unseasoned militiamen into something that resembled a coordinated fighting force. Finally, on January 1, 1776, he was ready to officially proclaim the formation of the Continental army, issuing this announcement from his headquarters at Cambridge. The occasion called for a flag that would serve as the Continental colors, and one of Washington's choosing (which he referred to as the Union Flag) accordingly was hoisted. The flag had 13 horizontal stripes of alternating red and white, representing the 13 colonies, with the corner (now occupied by 50 stars) bearing a blue canton with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew. Although Washington had called his army's flag the Union Flag, others would refer to it by other names: the Great (or Grand) Union Flag, the Continental Flag, the Congress Flag, and, misleadingly, the Cambridge Flag.
Although Revolutionary soldiers would march under a variety of colonial, regimental, and company flags, this first flag of Washington's army gained rapidly in popularity and appeared throughout the colonies during 1776 and 1777. It was, in effect, the first national American flag, even though there is no record that the Congress ever designated it so officially.
On June 14, 1777 Flag Dayongress adopted a flag with 13 alternating red and white stripes, with 13 white stars in a blue field to represent the 13 colonies. Set forth below is a brief chronology of the evolution of the modern American flag from these Revolutionary predecessors.
1795: After Vermont and Kentucky are admitted to the Union, a new flag with 15 stars and 15 stripes is adopted.
1818: After five more states are admitted to the Union (Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee), a flag with 20 stars is adopted, but the new design reverts to 13 stripes. The flag has remained at 13 stripes ever since, to honor the 13 original colonies of the American Revolution. Congress provided that henceforth one star would be added to the flag when a new state is admitted to the Union, to take place on the Fourth of July following the formal date of admission.
1819, 1820, 1822, 1836, 1837, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, 1851, 1858, 1859, 1861, 1863, 1865, 1867, 1877, 1890, 1891, 1896, 1908, 1912: The flag goes from 20 stars to 48 stars as 28 more states are admitted to the Union. No stars were removed from the flag during the Civil War when 11 southern states seceded from the Union, since their secession was not recognized, and in fact one star was added to the flag in 1863 when West Virginia was admitted to the Union from territory formerly belonging to Confederate Virginia.
1960: The modern flag of 50 stars is adopted after Alaska and Hawaii are admitted to the Union.
1969: Astronaut Neil Armstrong places an American flag on the Moon. The flag is specially constructed from self-supporting material so that it will unfurl in an airless environment, the first instance of a flag designed for use off the planet Earth.