249th Anniversary of the Flag Act of 1777
The Continental Union Flag (often referred to as the first American flag, Cambridge Flag, and Grand Union Flag) was the flag of the United Colonies from 1775 to 1776, and the de facto flag of the United States until 1777, when the 13 star flag was adopted by the Continental Congress
The Flag Act of 1777 (“Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789, 8:464”.) was passed by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, in response to a petition made by a Native American nation on June 3 for “an American Flag.” As a result, June 14 is now celebrated as Flag Day in the United States.
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Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.
The resolution describes only a “new constellation” for the arrangement of the white stars in the blue canton and so overall designs were later interpreted and made with rows, columns, a square with one star in the center, a circle, and various other designs.
NHSAR will be posting the Grand Union flag at events in 2025-2027 to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Grand Union as the flag of the United Colonies from 1775 to 1777.
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