Did the first American flag actually signal a desperate plea for peace with Britain?

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before the stars and stripes, the United Colonies flew the Continental Union Flag. Featuring the British Union Jack alongside thirteen red and white stripes, the design suggests a surprising intent: rather than a symbol of rebellion, it may have been a public profession of loyalty to King George.

The Continental Union Flag, also known as the Continental Colours, served as the de facto flag of the United States from 1775 until the adoption of the 13-star flag in 1777. Its design was a modification of the British Red Ensign, featuring the 1707 Union Flag in the canton and thirteen horizontal stripes representing the United Colonies. While its exact origin remains uncertain, the design could be easily produced by sewing white stripes onto an existing Red Ensign. Some historians, including Nick Groom and biographer Laurie Calkhoven, argue that incorporating the Union Jack was not an act of protest against the British Ministry, but a deliberate gesture of reconciliation and loyalty to the Crown.

The flag made its recorded debut on December 3, 1775, when it was hoisted aboard the USS Alfred in Philadelphia under the command of Lieutenant John Paul Jones. The flag is often associated with the siege of Boston, specifically a reported raising at Prospect Hill on January 2, 1776, by George Washington’s forces. While some scholars have debated whether the flag flown at Prospect Hill was the Continental Union Flag or simply a British Union flag, the event remains a significant part of American revolutionary lore, commemorated annually in Somerville, Massachusetts.

The moniker 'Grand Union Flag' is a later invention, appearing only in the 19th century. The first documented use of this term came from Philadelphia resident T. Westcott in 1852, in response to a query in the London periodical Notes and Queries. Before this, the banner was known by various names, including the Continental Colours and the flag of the United Colonies. The design’s similarity to the East India Company flag has led to theories that the latter influenced the American choice of stripes, though this remains speculative. By 1777, the Flag Act rendered the Continental Union Flag obsolete, replacing the British canton with a blue field of stars, marking a definitive break from the colonial past.

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