Grand Union Flag

The History of the Grand Union Flag

The “Grand Union Flag,” which is also referred to as the “Union Flag of the States” is believed to be the oldest national flag in the Unites States. It was created by volunteers in the state of Virginia during the American Revolution. The design of the Grand Union Flag is actually a reconstruction of a national seal from the US Congress. When a group of citizens decided that they wanted a new seal for their state government, they made an effort to remake the seal using colors and symbols that reflected their desire for their new nation. Eventually the Grand Union Flag, which was used as the national seal, was adopted and used as the official seal by the US Government. Today there are many different displays and methods of displaying the Grand Union Flag, including an official Grand Union Flag that flies at half mast over the capitol building in the state of Georgia and the flag used on all military bases throughout the country.

The Grand Union Flag

The most popular display of the Grand Union Flag is a large banner that is hoisted over the capitol building in the state of Georgia. On some flags, the union jack is featured in a decorative way while some feature both. A variation on this theme is for the state of Arkansas to use a gold rectangle with red accents, which is encircled by a shield, blue and white striped in the middle with the union and jack on the top and bottom, respectively.

Canton and Blue Background

The United States flag consists of thirteen alternating red and white stripes, but the Canton, or top, of the flag is not designed like the Grand Union Flag. The United States flag is instead composed of fifty-five horizontal alternate red and white stripes, and a blue background. Unlike the Grand Union Flag, the US flag does not feature a Canton. However, in the middle of the flag is a circle of three equal vertical red and white stripes. This shape and arrangement of the stripes are what gives the US flag its Canton and blue background.

• When there are several flags of the United States, each of these flags can be displayed on different days of the year.
• All of the flags of the United States have thirteen horizontal alternate red and white stripes, but the Grand Union Flag has thirteen alternating red and white stripes and the Union Jack is featured in a unique way.
• The flag for the state of Arkansas has a blue background and a national seal with a seal that is two sided and on top is a three pointed star.

The four points of the star resemble the four fingers of the hands of Washington, D.C. Although the design of these flags is similar, the Grand Union Flag has a unique design that is not found on any other flag.

American Soldiers

There are a number of theories as to how the design of the Grand Union Flag came about. One of these theories says that the flag was created when the first American soldiers were camped at the Grand Battery located between Fort Totten and Little Rock, Arkansas. The soldiers had to remove their tents when they moved their quarters to the new location because they did not have a flag with them that would replace their Union Flags. As they left their tents behind, they painted the walls of their old tents with the colors of the United States Army. These colors include the blue of the Air Force, the white of the Navy and the red of the Marine Corps.

American Revolution

Another idea as to how the design of the Grand Union Flag came about has to do with the fact that during the American Revolution, many of the Continental Army soldiers stayed in tents and would paint the walls of their old tents with the colors of the American Army. This would include the blue of the Navy and the red of the Marines. This would continue right up until the Battle of Monmouth, where the British Army finally got control of the area. The British removed all of their tents and painted their walls in the colors of the United States Army. Thus, the Grand Union Flag was born.

• During the early years of our nation, there were a lot of arguments as to whether or not the flag was actually the first national flag.
• One argument against this is that the Congress actually created the flag for the United States.
• However, there is also a very strong likelihood that the flag was in existence prior to the formation of the US flag.
• The story goes that after the Revolutionary War, when the Continental Army was in full retreat, a flag of some sort was waved by some of their comrades to signal that they were abandoning their posts and that the Americans needed to get away.

Continental Army

After the American Revolution, the Continental Army was reassembled and after they were pushed back into New England, there is a widely held belief that the American flag was re-created for the American Army. This may be true, but it is also believed that the colors of the Grand Union Flag have their origin in the colors of the American Revolution. It is also believed that there were seven stars which are associated with the Stars and Stripes as a collective symbol. There is no definitive evidence as to the exact design, but one thing is certain; there is a great Britain should never side with a common enemy and this is what the British Flag is all about.

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