[LVegas]

Can anyone email me a pictire of what our flag looked like in 1744 ? AMerican Flag . Thanks Linda

[Peter Ansoff]

Hi, Linda,

There was no American flag in 1744 -- we were British colonies and flew British flags on official buildings and ships. The earliest flag that was specifically identified with America (that is, the part of America that became the USA) was the so-called "Grand Union" flag that was first used in 1775. You can find a picture and article about it here:

Grand Union Flag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Regards,

Peter Ansoff

[Peter Ansoff]

There was no American flag in 1744

There is famous engraving of the city of Philadelphia, made in 1754, that shows a ship in the river flying what looks like a Grand Union Flag. This is a real puzzle, since that flag was not created until 21 years later in 1775. Some have speculated that it might be the flag of the British East India Company, but that makes no sense becase the EIC did not trade with the colonies and did not use their EIC flag in the northern Atlantic.

I'll be presenting a paper on this mystery at the NAVA convention in Hartford in October. I believe that I've found the solution, and it is rather surprising.

Peter Ansoff

[Sylvarious]

Originally Posted by Peter Ansoff

Hi, Linda,

There was no American flag in 1744 -- we were British colonies and flew British flags on official buildings and ships. The earliest flag that was specifically identified with America (that is, the part of America that became the USA) was the so-called "Grand Union" flag that was first used in 1775. You can find a picture and article about it here:

Grand Union Flag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Regards,

Peter Ansoff

actually that flag wasent around untill 1776
our first flag was in 1775 american ships in New england waters flew the "liberty Tree" flag

[Peter Ansoff]

actually that flag wasent around untill 1776

That is not true. The first written description of the "Continental Colors" is in a letter written by a member of the Marine Committee, probably in mid-December 1775. John Paul Jones raised it on the ship Alfred in Philadelphia on December 3rd, 1775.

our first flag was in 1775 american ships in New england waters flew the "liberty Tree" flag

The "Pine Tree" flag, with the "Appeal to Heaven" motto, was flown by at least two of the schooners that George Washington commissioned in 1775 to intercept British commerce. It was also adopted by Massachusetts as the ensign of their state Navy. You could say that it was "our first flag," but it was never used by the Continental Navy and was probably not used after 1776 or so. The "Continental Colors" was the first flag to be generally recognized as the flag of the United Colonies/States, and was the ancestor of the current U.S. flag.

BTW, much of the information on the site that you got the "Pine Tree" flag image from is inaccurate or outdated. For example, recent research has confirmed that the "Bennington flag" was not even made until after the Revolution -- it could not possibly have flown at Bennington.

Peter Ansoff