deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Continental Union Flag (often referred to as the first American flag, Cambridge Flag, and Grand Union Flag) was the flag of the United Colonies from 1775 to 1776, and the de factoflag of the United States until 1777, when the 13-star flag was adopted by the Continental Congress.

The flag of Great Britain, often referred to as the King’s Colour, Union Flag, Union Jack, and British flag (retroactively prefixed as being the “first” such flag, in order to distinguish it from the modern flag of the United Kingdom), was used at sea from 1606 then more generally from 1707 until 1801 as the flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain, and is the precursor to the modern Union Jack.

The Continental Union flag was almost identical to the flag of the East India Company. The canton was more of a landscape orientation and the stripes varied containing anywhere from 9 to 15.

The Grand Union Flag in the colonies, the one with the ‘King’s Colors’ in the canton and the 13 stripes was the official flag of the country for that one year, 1775 to 1776.

The flag made its first appearance on December 3, 1775, when it was hoisted at the commissioning of Admiral Esek Hopkins‘ flagshipUSS Alfred on the western shore of the Delaware River at Philadelphia. By incorporating the Kings Colors (the Union Jack,) some people saw it as a wish to reconcile with King George and settle the early Revolutionary War. Of course the war did not go well for King George and other flags started to pop up.

With the war at a fever pitch, the Second Continental Congress decided a new flag was needed to truly represent the new country.

After searching for a good design for the new banner The Continental Congress adopted the ‘Flag Act of 1777’ and agreed upon a design from New Jersey lawyer, Francis Hopkinson.

Hopkinson was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and was also a delegate to the Continental Congress.

13 stripes and stars in the canton representing each state. This is the flag that has survived and has been changed each time a new state is admitted to the Union.

There is a lot more history to the story of our flag than people realize.