Grand Union Flag

The Continental Colors
Other names	The Grand Union Flag, Continental Colours, Congress Flag, Cambridge Flag, First Navy Ensign
Adopted	December 3, 1775
Relinquished	June 14, 1777
Design	Thirteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white; in the canton, the Flag of Great Britain

The "Grand Union Flag", or the "Continental Colors", also known as the "Congress Flag", the "Cambridge Flag", and the "First Navy Ensign", was the first, unofficial national flag of the United States of America.^[1] First hoisted on December 3, 1775 by naval officer John Paul Jones, the flag was used heavily by the Second Continental Congress of the United States, and by George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.^[2]

Similar to the current U.S. flag, the Grand Union Flag has 13 alternating red and white stripes, representative of the Thirteen Colonies. The upper inner corner, or canton, features the flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain, of which the colonies were subjects until July 4, 1776.

^ "Short History of the United States Flag". American Battlefield Trust. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
^ "History", Our Flag, Federal Citizen Information Center, archived from the original on 2015-02-28, retrieved 2011-12-13