Show IV 00 ai N IL evolution Evol ullon of our flag although the united states Is one of the youngest nations of the world its 18 flag is one of tho the oldest among the tha powers the count rys standard with its thirteen stars and stripes which vaa as first unfurled june 14 1777 just years ago has remained unchanged through the resa ream and growth of the country of which it saw BOW the birth the star spangled banner which now oats floats over uncle sara sams s poss possessions easlon on lands and seas is unaltered with the exception of the number and arrangement of 0 the stars from the one w which aich delay betsy ross roas at gen washington a re quest made at her home no arch street the tha device of 0 a rattlesnake was first flag made by betty betsy rose roc popular among the colonists and its origin as aa an american emblem Is a curious feature in our national hla his tory it has been stated that its uso use grow grew out of a humorous suggestion made by a writer in franklin s paper the pennsylvania gazette that in return tor for the wrongs which england WM was forcing upon the colonists a cargo of rattlesnakes should be amt ot to the mother country and dla djs tributes trl trI buted in st james park and other places ot of pleasure col gadsden one of the marine committee presented to congress on the ath of february 1776 an elegant standard such as AJ Is 19 to be b used by the commander in chief of the american navy be tug log a yellow flag with a re presenta tion of a rattlesnake collad coiled for at tack another use UBO for the rattlesnake was upon a ground of if thirteen horizontal bars baja alt alternately ornately red and white the snake extending diagonally across the stripes and the lower white stripes bearing the motto dont tread on me MB the snake was waa always cepro dented as baying thirteen rattles one of the th favorite nagi flags also alao wax was of white with a pine tree in the center the words at the top were an appeal to god and underneath the snake were tho words don t tread on oil me several of the companies of minute men adopted a similar flag giving the name came of their company with the motto liberty or death the connecticut troops who took part in the exciting times that followed lexington and dunker bunker hill had a state banner with the state arms the flag A As altered in 1795 and nd motto qui inet 11 the th troops of massachusetts roop adopted tod the orda an appeal to cleav heava r 1 early now new york records speak of dlf dif terent forent standards indeed the ments menta from rora the different states has tenting to Washing toni aid flaunted flaga of numerous devices having only local interest and being only used oc cia the occasion that originated them the first farat striped flag m vas as flung to the breeze in america at cambridge mass washington headquarters jan 2 1776 it had thirteen stripes alter nate red and white and the united crosses of st bt george and st bt andrew on a blue field when reported in england it waa aa alluded to as the thirteen rebellious stripes in 1775 a navy of seventeen vesse vessels varying from ten to thirty two to guns gun was ordered the senior of the five first lieutenants of the new continent ai navy N atas as john paul jones lie ho left it on record that the hag flag ot of amert amerl ca was as hoisted by ills his own oan hands on oil hla his vessel the alfred vio fio first time it was mas eer cier by a man of war this was pro babli the same design as aa the cambridge hag flag used in january 1776 vie ne now come to the time when the crosses ot of st SC george and st andrew were wera taken from the union flag and a blue field alth white stars buted for the symbol of english au all dhority one hundred and twenty t enty five years year ago aco this june 14 the american congress in session at philadelphia resolved that the flag of the united states be thirteen stripes alternate red and white the union to be thir teen stars white on a blue field representing a new constellation the stars to be arranged in a circle thare aro are many bradl traditions alons afloat concerning the origin of this design but the one in which there la is un the most truth la Is that which credits tile the idea of the design to wash ington the general found in the coat of arms of ills his own family a hint from which he draw a design for the flag the tae coat of arms of 0 the washington family was two red bars bara on oil a white ground and three gilt stars above the top bar the amerl can flag once decided upon was rushed th through rough tn in a hurry for the army was waa in need of a standard delay betsy ross enthusiastically under tinder took the work and in a few days a beautiful star spangled banner was ready to be unfurled she had made one alteration in the design submitted by washington Wag hington the general had made his stars six elx pointed as they were ware on hla his coat betsy ross rosa made her stars with five points and five points have been used ever aluce for several years mrs ross rosa made the th nags flags for the government the first using of the stars and stripes in military service it Is claimed was at fort stanwix re named fort schuyler now rome new york 1777 aug 2 of that year the fort was waa besieged by the british and indians indiana the garrison was without a flag but one was made in the fort the red stripes were of a petticoat furnished by a woman the white tor for stripes and stars were furnished by an officer who gave hla his shirt for the tha pur poso pose and the blue was a piece of flag of the colonies col peter gansevoort danse voort a military cloak three women worked on the flag and it was raised to vi victory tory on the ot of august when the and the english were defeated at the fort the next record of the using of the stars stara and stripes is on the first annl anni of american independence which was waa celebrated at philadelphia charleston 8 C and other places july 4 1777 the banner was used at the battle of the he brandywine Brandy lne sept S pl 11 1777 at germantown town 0 ort t 4 of the same ear and it also floated over the surrender of burgoyne this flag cheered the patriots at valley f borgo the next winter it abaied at york town and shared in the rejoicings rejo icings at the c close ose of tho the war avar some of the first flags were vere made fi under difficulties difficult les and at great cost j the greatest ingenuity being required on occasions to secure the feces epary ary materials for the banners III history atory tells tella us its that madame wooster and mrs airs roger bherman made the first national flag for the connecticut troops used in the army from their own dresses As long as ai the states remained remal ned thir teen in number the original design of the circle of stars was all right but when in 1791 vermont and in 1782 kentucky were ere taken into the union it was as decided to arrange the stars in the form ot of one huge con constella stelia uon tion in 1736 it was vas decided to add a stripe as well as a star for each state stat which came into the union con consequently in that year vermont and nd kentucky were marked on the flag d the flag As it la Is to today day one by a white and the other by a red stripe but sonie some wie prophet look 1001 ing ahead some twenty or more years saw that this plan of adding a stripe as well as a star for each state added to the union would mean man a konstant ton stant changing of the biag fla which would in a few fe lears lecome so large and un gainly that its beamut would be lost A committee in 1812 wai vai elected by congress to decide upon a design for the tha flag and tie result was ihas that the thirteen ori original gival stripes were again aed the stars arranged on the blue field in the te fc m of a square with alth one constellation for ea baj a new state in 1818 i 1 Is plan pan was uris for mally adopted by congress ard tte tre nag with rith IN taften stripes ani and stars corresponding correspond ng ug in i umber lumber to the states state in the union became the establish est established ablis cd emblem of america I 1 b J r C 0 or d 16 A ej I 1 IN C I 1 in k Y N 4 4 a 4 it arli P 1 al Z it P an |