THE HERALDRY OF THE AMERICAN FLAG. By CHARLES J. LUKENS, of Philadelphia. "When kingly presumption loosed war's desolation, And symboled it well in our blazon of arms. "The white of the field proved their hate of oppression, It aye should be met and repulsed from their shore. Youth and strength light the stars, that have ne'er paled or set: Year by year they increase - may God grant that their levin, Extending, shall re-youth the continents yet! The handsomest banner that rides on the breeze. A quarter that stoops to no nation for quarter, "As the stars and the stripes are our States interwoven, Having grown thus from weakness to far-spreading might, Then perish the villain who, wanting them cloven, Would quench their resplendence in treachery's night!" PART IV. THE STARS AND STRIPES. 1818-1861. THE FLAG OF THIRTEEN STRIPES, AND A STAR FOR EACH STATE OF THE UNION. "Hail to our banner brave, All o'er the land and wave, No folds to us so fair, Thrown on the summer air, None can with thee compare, In all the world."-W. P. Tilden. THE admission of the States of Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, and Indiana made some change in the flag desirable. Accordingly, on the admission of Indiana, in 1816, the Hon. Peter Wendover, of New York, offered a resolution "that a committee be appointed to inquire into the expediency of altering the flag of the United States." Consequently a committee was appointed, and reported a bill on the 2d of January, 1817, which was not acted upon. While this committee had the matter under consideration, Mr. Wendover called upon Captain S. C. Reid, then in Washington, and famous for his defence of the privateer General Armstrong, in Fayal Roads, and asked him to make a design for our flag, which would represent the increase of the States, without destroying its distinctive character, the committee being dis Same Meid posed to increase both stars and stripes to twenty, the whole number of States then existing in the Union. Captain Reid, thus called upon, recommended reducing the stripes to thirteen, to represent the original States, and the stars to be increased to the number of all the States, formed into one great star, whose brilliancy should represent their union, and thus symbolize in the flag the origin and progress of the country, and its motto, ‘E Pluribus Unum.' He also proposed there should be the addition of a star for each new State admitted. The flag thus designed he intended for merchant vessels, and proposed as a distinction that the stars on the ensigns of vessels of war should be placed in parallel lines. Conformably to Captain Reid's suggestions, the committee reported: "That they have maturely examined the subject submitted to their consideration, and we are well aware that any proposition essentially to alter the flag of the United States, either in the general form or in the distribution of its parts, would be as unacceptable to the legislature and to the people, as it would be uncongenial with the views of the committee. "Fully persuaded that the form selected for the American flag was truly emblematical of our origin and existence as an independent nation, and that, as such, it has received the approbation and support of the citizens of the Union, it ought to undergo no change that would decrease its conspicuity or tend to deprive it of its representative character. The committee, however, believe that a change in the number of States in the Union sufficiently indicates the propriety of such a change in the arrangement of the flag as shall best accord with the reason that led to its adoption, and sufficiently points to important periods in our history." "The original flag of the United States was composed of thirteen stripes and thirteen stars, and was adopted by a resolution of the Continental Congress on the 14th of June, 1777. On the 13th of January, 1794, after two new States had been admitted into the Union, the national legislature passed an act, that the stripes and stars should, on a day fixed, be increased to fifteen each, to comport with the then independent States. The accession of new States since that alteration, and the certain prospect that at no distant period the number of States will be considerably multiplied, render it, in the opinion of the committee, highly inexpedient to increase the number of stripes, as every flag must, in some measure, be limited in its size, from the cir cumstance of convenience to the place on which it is to be displayed, while such an increase would necessarily decrease their magnitude, and render them proportionally less distinct to distant observation. This consideration has induced many to retain only the general form of the flag, while there actually exists a great want of uniformity in its adjustment, particularly when used on small private vessels. "The national flag being in general use by vessels of almost every description, it appears to the committee of considerable importance to adopt some arrangement calculated to prevent, in future, great or extensive alterations. Under these impressions, they are led to believe no alteration could be made more emblematical of our origin and present existence, as composed of a number of independent and united States, than to reduce the stripes to the original thirteen, representing the number of States then contending for and happily achieving their independence, and to increase the stars to correspond with the number of States now in the Union, and hereafter to add one star to the flag whenever a new State shall be fully admitted. "These slight alterations will, in the opinion of the committee, meet the general approbation, as well of those who may have regretted a former departure from the original flag, as of such as are solicitous to see in it a representation of every State in the Union. "The committee cannot believe that, in retaining only thirteen stripes, it necessarily follows they should be distinctly considered in reference to certain individual States, inasmuch as nearly all the new States were a component part of, and represented in, the original; and inasmuch, also, as the flag is intended to signify numbers, and not local and particular sections of the Union. "The committee respectively report a bill accordingly." 1 The bill, through pressure of other business before Congress, remained unacted upon; but on the reassembling of Congress, on the 16th of December, 1817, Mr. Wendover renewed his resolution, "that a committee be appointed to inquire into the expediency of altering the flag of the United States, and that they have leave to report, by bill or otherwise." Mr. Wendover said he would make but few remarks, the subject not being a novel one, a bill relative thereto having been submitted at the last session. Had the flag never undergone alteration, he should not propose to make a further alteration. now. Having once been altered, he thought it could be improved. It was his impression, and he thought it was generally believed, that 1 The British Naval Chronicle' for 1817 publishes this report in full, and calls it "a curious historical document." |