1st Continental Regiment
Unidentified Maker
Possibly Lancaster, Pennsylvania
ca. 1776
Silk, Paint
The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The painted scene at the center of this Continental Army flag shows a hunter attempting to trap a tiger with a net and the Latin motto “Domari Nolo” (I refuse to be subjugated). This scene serves as a metaphor for America’s struggle against British authority, but its exact meaning is open to interpretation. Does the tiger represent America fighting for survival, or is the hunter freeing himself from the tiger's assaults? What do you think is the message of this flag?
Commissioned in 1776, this flag belonged to the 1st Continental Regiment, a unit of Pennsylvanians. The motto on the flag rang true for the regiment. Taking part in the battles at New York, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and other locations, the regiment became one of the most renowned and respected units in the Continental Army. In 1777, the unit was renamed the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment.