The Flag of New England can be any number of banners used to represent Massachusetts or the New England colonies. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the There are some variations, but common designs include a plain colored field with a tree in either the field or the canton. The design and description of Flags typically uses specialised flag terminology' with precise and technical meanings and is hence a form of Jargon.
The flag is based on the red naval ensign of the Royal Navy, which featured the cross of St. George in the canton. The Red Ensign or " Red Duster " is a Flag that originated in the early 17th century as an Ensign flown by the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The St George's Cross (or the Cross of St George is a centred red cross on a white background The ensign was used at both the Jamestowne and Plymouth colonies. Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 Plymouth Colony (sometimes New Plymouth or The Old Colony) was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 until 1691 Puritans in New England objected to the use of a Christian cross on their flag, and for a time flew a red flag with a plain white canton. [1]
A red New England flag with a tree filling the canton was used at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and is often used to represent that early battle of the American Revolution. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"
Another commonly seen flag has a plain blue flag with a canton quartered with cross of St. George (the symbol of England) and a tree in a quarter of the canton. The St George's Cross (or the Cross of St George is a centred red cross on a white background England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Although possibly inspired by the Blue Ensign of the Royal Navy, the blue field is said to have been due to an error in a wood engraving, causing confusion with painters. The Blue Ensign is a Flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. Wood engraving is a Relief printing technique where the end grain of Wood is used as a medium for Engraving, thus differing from the older technique of [2] John Trumbull, known for his historic detail, used a red flag in his painting The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill. John Trumbull ( June 6, 1756 &ndash November 10, 1843) was an American artist during the period of the American Revolutionary [3] However, Benson John Lossing writes in Field Book of the Revolution that the daughter of a Bunker Hill veteran told him that her father hoisted a blue flag on Breed's Hill prior to the battle. Benson John Lossing (1813-1891 was a prolific and popular American Historian, known best for his illustrated books on the American Revolution and Breed's Hill is the actual site where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place during the American Revolution, located in the Charlestown section of Boston [4]. Regardless of its authenticity, the blue variation of the New England flag has become a symbol of the Battle of Bunker Hill, and was featured on a 1968 US Postage Stamp.
Notes
- ^ Mastai, pg 16
- ^ Mastai, pg 16
- ^ Available on Wikimedia Commons
- ^ Lossing, Chapter 23, endnote 19
- Lossing, Benson J. 'Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution' 1850.
- Mastai, Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D'Otrange 'The Stars and the Stripes. The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present' ©1973. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ISBN 0-394-47217-9
External links
- 1968 Postage Stamps
- A History of the New England Flag with several variations
- Lossing's version of the flag
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