Not to be confused with the Union Flag, which is the flag of the United Kingdom, or the Flag of the East India Company.
The Continental Colors
Other names
The Grand Union Flag, Continental Colours, Congress Flag, Cambridge Flag, First Navy Ensign
Adopted
December 3, 1775 (1775-12-03)
Relinquished
June 14, 1777 (1777-06-14)
Design
Thirteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white; in the canton, the Flag of Great Britain
The "Grand Union Flag", or the "Continental Colors", also known as the "Congress Flag", the "Cambridge Flag", and the "First Navy Ensign", was the first, unofficial national flag of the United States of America.[1] First hoisted on December 3, 1775 by naval officer John Paul Jones, the flag was used heavily by the Second Continental Congress of the United States, and by George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.[2]
Similar to the current U.S. flag, the Grand Union Flag has 13 alternating red and white stripes, representative of the Thirteen Colonies. The upper inner corner, or canton, features the flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain, of which the colonies were subjects until July 4, 1776.
^"Short History of the United States Flag". American Battlefield Trust. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
^"History", Our Flag, Federal Citizen Information Center, archived from the original on 2015-02-28, retrieved 2011-12-13
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