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The Grand Union
is first flag of the colonists to have any resemblance to the present Stars
and Stripes. It was first flown by ships of the Colonial Fleet on the Delaware
River. On December 3, 1775, it was raised aboard Capt. Hopkin's flagship
Alfred by John Paul Jones, then a navy lieutenant. It was the
unofficial national flag on July 4, 1776, Independence Day; and it remained the
unofficial national flag and ensign of the Navy until June 14, 1777, when the
Continental Congress authorized the Stars and Stripes. The necessity of a common national flag had not been thought of until the appointment of a committee, including Benjamin Franklin, assembled at camp at Cambridge, Massachusetts. The result of the conference was the rendition of the King's colors (union jack), representing the still-recognized sovereignty of England, and thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, representing the union of the thirteen colonies against its tyranny and oppression, in place of the loyal red ensign. |
