13 Star Flag

The Declaration of Independence severed all ties between the 13 American Colonies and Great Britain.  For almost a full year after that first Independence Day, the flag of the new nation still bore the Union Jack among its red and white stripes.  All of that changed on June 14, 1777 when the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing a new design.  The name of the "United Colonies" having been changed in September of the previous year, the resolution reads: "Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation."

THE SYMBOLISM OF COLOR

Ironically, the symbolism of the three colors found in the United States flag is set forth, not in the various resolutions authorizing the flag, but in a report Secretary of the Congress Charles Thompson wrote to define the Seal of our Nation.   In that report he stated:

"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes on the shield of the eagle) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; WHITE signifies purity and innocence, RED, hardiness & valor, and BLUE, the color of the Chief*, signifies vigilance, perseverance & Justice." (*The Chief is the blue band at the top of the shield.)

If you were with us in the Birth of A Nation exhibit, you remember how we learned that the leaders of the American revolution felt that their actions were somehow predestined by some higher power, that they not only had the right to declare independence from England but a destiny to do so.  This thinking led them to represent the 13 colonies by inserting stars in the field of blue, one star for each of the colonies.  They considered the union of these 13 individual "states" somewhat like a constellation in the heavens...several different stars arranged together to create a picture in the universe.  The picture the stars created in the field of blue was strictly symbolic, however.  The Congressional resolution establishing a flag of 13 red and white stripes and 13 stars in a field of blue did not establish HOW the stars should be arranged, or even how many points each star would have.  For this reason the earliest United States flags had a variety of designs.  On some, the "new constellation" was represented by 6-pointed stars, others by 5-pointed stars.

Most historians believe that Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey was largely responsible for not only the earlier Grand Union Flag, but that he was also responsible for the stars in the new flag.  At the time the resolution was approved for the new flag, Mr. Hopkinson was Chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department.  (Mr. Hopkinson was also instrumental in the design for the seal of our Nation.)  The first Navy Stars and Stripes flag displayed the 13 stars in alternating rows of three and two.  That is the flag you see at the top of this page.