OLD GLORY -- ITS EVOLUTION

By Pam North

The American flag, symbol of the United States and freedom, is highly visible in these days following the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Surprisingly, some of Old Glory's evolution lies shrouded in mystery, but its known history is fascinating.

The formal existence of the Continental Army was announced by George Washington on January 1, 1776, and the flag flown for that occasion had thirteen alternating red and white stripes with the British Union Jack as its canton (design in the upper left corner).  The stripes represented the colonies united against tyranny, and the Union Jack signified the colonists' loyalty to the ideals of the British constitution, and their hope for reconciliation with England.  This "Grand Union" flag was the official flag of the Continental Army until the Declaration of Independence was signed in July of that same year.  That act officially severed all ties with England, and it also spelled the demise of  the Grand Union flag.  It wasn't until June, 1777, however, that a resolution on a design for a new flag was finally passed.  It specified again that thirteen alternate red and white stripes would be present, but the canton would consist of thirteen white stars, representing a new constellation, on a blue field.  The identities of those responsible for the resolution and design were never recorded.  It is guessed that the red, white and blue colors and the simple, straightforward design were selected for reasons that were more practical than patriotic; limited dye choices and primitive fabric-making and sewing techniques were strong influences on their decisions.

The flag resolution left many details unspecified, so interpretation by the individual flag makers soon spawned at least eighteen different versions of the American flag.  Stars had anywhere from four to eight points, and were laid out in a circle, rectangle, arch,
x-shape or long row.  For all their variety, however, one fact seems certain -- none were invented or sewn by Betsy Ross.  In 1870, the grandson of Betsy Ross, William J. Canby, claimed that she was visited in early June, 1776, by George Washington, and two representatives from the Colonial Congress, with a sketch of Washington's idea for a flag.  She supposedly refined his 6-pointed stars into simpler 5-pointed ones, and sewed the flag, whereupon it was adopted by Congress.  Unfortunately, there is nothing on record to support Canby's claim, and the date of Washington's alleged visit was a month before the Declaration of Independence, before there was even a United States in existence.  The creation of a flag was not a top priority for the Founding Fathers.  Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were asked to describe the new flag during a diplomatic trip to Paris in 1778, and, according to their erroneous report, it had thirteen alternating stripes of red, white and blue.  Also, despite his numerous requests for flags for his troops, Washington did not receive his first flag until 1783, after the Revolutionary War had ended.  Historians have  been unable to verify the design of that flag; it could have been a blue flag with an eagle on it, similar to the presidential flag of today.

Eventually the House and Senate passed a bill stating that after May 1, 1795 the United States flag would have fifteen alternating red and white stripes, with fifteen white stars on a blue field.  As new states entered the union, flag makers again improvised, adding stars and even stripes to the flag design, and uniformity was again an issue.  Captain Sam Reid, a hero from the War of 1812, was asked to supply a lasting answer to the problem.  His solution was to stick to the original thirteen red and white stripes, and to add a star on the blue field for each new state, and his proposal was adopted into law as the Flag Act of 1818.

In 1912, it was discovered that flags of 66 different sizes and proportions decorated the federal offices, and President William H. Taft issued official guidelines for the flag.  It also specified that the 48 stars be arranged in six horizontal rows of eight stars each.  This design remained until 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii were about to become states.  The current 50-star design was then adopted, with the provision that the 51,000  48-star flags still flying outside government offices could remain in use until they wore out, saving the federal government the sizeable expense of replacing them immediately.

The tradition of flying a flag at half-mast began in the the days of sailing ships.   When there was a death of someone on board or of a person of national importance, ships slackened their rigging to impart a disheveled appearance that signified mourning; it was the nautical equivalent of wearing sackcloth and ashes.  Flags were also lowered to half-mast, and it is this part of the practice that survives to this day.  It is a tradition that has been a sad common sight in the last couple of weeks.

It is regrettable that it takes a national crisis for America's citizens to massively display the United States flag.  Old Glory waving in the breeze is a sight that we should never take for granted.

Resource:  Uncle John's Absolutely Absorbing Bathroom Reader - 12th Edition
 
 
 

Guerin and Laura......
Please see the following for illustrations to accompany article.  The 3rd and last flags would be good.

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagpics.html