The
Grand Union Flag, also known as the
Congress flag, the
First Navy Ensign, the
Cambridge Flag, and the
Continental Colors, is considered to be the first national
flag of the United StatesThe flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars...
. This flag consisted of 13 red and white stripes with the British Union Flag of the time (prior to the inclusion of
St. Patrick's crossSaint Patrick's Cross or Saint Patrick's Saltire is a red saltire on a white field, when considered as a symbol of Ireland or of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. In heraldic language, it may be blazoned Argent, a saltire gules...
of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
) in the canton.
The flag was first flown on December 2, 1775 by
John Paul JonesJohn Paul Jones was the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among the American ruling class, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day.During his...
(then a Continental Navy lieutenant) on the ship
Alfred in Philadelphia).
The
Grand Union Flag, also known as the
Congress flag, the
First Navy Ensign, the
Cambridge Flag, and the
Continental Colors, is considered to be the first national
flag of the United StatesThe flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars...
. This flag consisted of 13 red and white stripes with the British Union Flag of the time (prior to the inclusion of
St. Patrick's crossSaint Patrick's Cross or Saint Patrick's Saltire is a red saltire on a white field, when considered as a symbol of Ireland or of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. In heraldic language, it may be blazoned Argent, a saltire gules...
of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
) in the canton.
The flag was first flown on December 2, 1775 by
John Paul JonesJohn Paul Jones was the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among the American ruling class, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day.During his...
(then a Continental Navy lieutenant) on the ship
Alfred in Philadelphia). The
Alfred flag has been credited to
Margaret MannyMargaret Manny was a milliner in colonial Philadelphia who made flags for the United States during the American Revolution.Manny began making jacks and ensigns for ships as early as December 1774....
. It was used by the American Continental forces as a naval ensign and garrison flag in 1776 and early 1777. It is widely believed that the flag was raised by
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America...
's army on New Year's Day 1776 at Prospect Hill in
CharlestownCharlestown is a part of the city of Boston, Massachusetts located on a peninsula north of Boston proper. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
(now part of
SomervilleSomerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 77,478 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
), near his headquarters at
CambridgeCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, a nexus of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Notably, Cambridge is home to two internationally prominent...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, and that the flag was interpreted by British observers as a sign of surrender. Some scholars dispute this traditional account, concluding that the flag raised at Prospect Hill was likely a British
union flagThe Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada...
.
The design of the Grand Union flag is similar to the flag of the British East India Company (BEIC). Indeed, certain BEIC designs in use since 1707 (when the canton was changed from the flag of England to that of Great Britain) were identical, as the number of stripes varied from 9 to 15. That BEIC flags were potentially well known by the American colonists has been the basis of a theory of the origin of the Grand Union flag's design.
The
Flag Act of 1777The Flag Acts are the three laws which define the design of the Flag of the United States. Each is remarkably short, the shortest being a sentence of 32 words, and the longest being a title and two sentences of 117 words.- Flag Act of 1777 :...
authorized as the official national flag a design similar to that of the Grand Union, with thirteen stars (representing
the original thirteen U.S. statesThe Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783...
) on a field of blue replacing the British Union flag in the canton. The combined crosses in the union flag symbolized the union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland; the symbolism of a union of equal parts was retained in the new American flag.