A special selection of flags which have played important roles in
unfolding the history of the United States.
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St.
George Cross...
the flag carried to the New world by most early English explorers.
Its 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 UNION FLAG it was that standard raised by the Jamestown
settlers in 1607. The design originated from when King James I of
England combined the St. George Cross with the Scottish Cross of St.
Andrew.
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British
Red Ensign...
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, Cornwallis
surrendered this flag at Yorktown in 1781.
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Continental...
Colonel John Trumbull's painting, "The Death of Warren,"
now at 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 represented 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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Betsy
Ross...
The first official United States flag, adopted by an Act of Congress
on June 14, 1777. According to the 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 August 6, 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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Star
Spangled Banner...
Shortly before the war of 1812, two new states were added to the Union
and a flag consisting of 15 stars and stripes was created. This STAR
SPANGLED BANNER, flying over Fort McHenry during a British naval bombardment,
inspired Francis Scott Key to compose what later became the National
Anthem of the United States. The restored flag now hangs in the Smithsonian
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Old
Glory...
born of the need for a more practical design to accommodate new states
entering the Union. On April 4, 1818, Congress established the number
of stripes at seven red and six white, and provided for the addition
of one star for each new state. The 50-star flag has been in use since
July 4, 1960.
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You can browse our online
store to purchase any of these historical flags.
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