Stars and Stripes: The Progression of the American Flag

From the July 4 to sporting events, the American flag is everywhere across the country in summer. 50 stars and 13 stripes are a common sight, but when did those symbols begin? Banners of Liberty features 17 original Revolutionary War-era flags, and a few of them do include the stars and stripes as we are used to seeing today.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a resolution regarding the design of the American flag, featuring 13 red-and-white stripes and “a new constellation” of 13 white stars on a blue background. Flag Day, celebrated on June 14 every year, commemorates this resolution.

That same year, the Pennsylvania Militia flag was created, the earliest surviving flag featuring stars and stripes. The Chester County Militia likely fought under this flag during the Battle of Brandywine, as the Continental Army fought to defend Pennsylvania from the British. Made of silk, this early version of the American flag was created by a skilled craftsperson, though we are not sure today of their identity. Learn more about this flag from Karie Diethorn, of the National Park Service:

Though it dates to the 1790s, after the Revolutionary War, the Treaty of Greenville flag is similar to those that would have been carried during the war; it also shows us how the symbols evolved over time. Striped wool flags like this one were raised at forts and on ships during the war, with wool holding up better than silk to bad weather. The Treaty of Greenville flag was carried during post-war fighting with the Northwestern Confederacy, a group of Native American nations refusing to cede their lands to the United States’ expansion. Unlike its counterparts during the Revolution, this flag has 15 stripes rather than 13, reflecting the admissions of Vermont and Kentucky after the war.

Also featured in the exhibit is a flag made in the early part of the 19th century, one of the earliest versions of the “Stars and Stripes” as we know it today. Until 1912, there was no designated pattern for the stars on an American flag, only a specification that they were white on a blue field. This flag features the flags arranged in a “Great Star” pattern – a five-pointed star made up of stars.

While these three flags came from different places and eras, in addition to their symbolism, they also share the fact that they were passed down and preserved by Americans intent on preserving these pieces of history. Robert Wilson, an officer in the Chester County Militia, passed the Pennsylvania Militia flag to his descendants, who kept it until 1923, when they donated it to the museum at Independence Hall; it is now in the possession of the National Park Service. The Treaty of Greenville flag was given to Miami chief She-Moc-E-Nish as a token of peace after the signing of the Treaty of Greenville, which forced the Northwestern Confederacy to cede land to the United States. She-Moc-E-Nish’s family donated the flag to Indiana in 1931. The 19th-century flag at one point belonged to Boleslaw and Marie D’Otrange Mastai, who had the first major collection of early American flags.

There are many symbols displayed on the flags in Banners of Liberty that demonstrate the colonies’ changing relationship with Britain and America’s newly forming national identity. The Pennsylvania Militia flag, the Treaty of Greenville flag, and the 19th century United States flag show the development of the stars and stripes, iconic symbols of the nation’s past and present that are familiar to American’s today.