"Historical Bytes - Colonial Writings From the Quill of a Patriot Daughter"
John Adams
July 13th, 1776
On this day in history Abigail Adams receives John's letters and a copy of the Declaration of Independence. He writes,
"Nor am I a little gratified when I reflect that a person so nearly connected with me has had the honour of being a principal actor, in laying a foundation for it's (the country's) furture greatness. May the foundation of our new Constitution, be justice, truth and righteousness."
Some Other Important Flags Of Our Past 
SONS OF LIBERTY
1765
The original nine stripes of this flag represented the nine colonies that convened the "Stamp Act Congress" in 1765. After repeal of the Act in 1766, the flag became associated with the Sons of Liberty and became known to the British as the "Rebellious Stripes." The Sons reached their zenith of influence with the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, after which the nine colonies were joined by the rest.
GRAND UNION
This flag was never officially sanctioned by the Continental Congress but is considered the first flag of the United States and was in use from late 1775 until mid 1777. This flag was an alteration of the British Meteor flag. In its blue canton was the red cross of ST. George and the white cross of ST. Andrew. The thirteen stripes signified the original colonies. Retaining the British Union in the canton indicated a continued loyalty, as the Americans saw it, to the constitutional government against which they fought. On January 1,1776, this flag was first raised on Prospect Hill (then called MT. Pisgah), in Somerville, Massachusetts. At this time the Continental army came into formal existence. At the time it was known as the continental colors because it represented the entire nation. In one of Washington's letters he referred to it as the "Great Union Flag" and it is most commonly called the Grand Union today.
In 1751 Benjamin Franklin's paper carried an article recommending that a cargo of rattlesnakes be sent to England as a way to thank the Brits for their policy of sending convicted felons to America, American colonists should send rattlesnakes to England. Three years later, in 1754, Benjamin Franklin published a drawing of a snake cut into eight parts (Georgia was not included). This was to show the members of the Albany Congress the danger of disunity. Three years later, in 1754, he used a snake to illustrate another point. This time not so humorous. The segments of the snake had grown together, and the motto had been changed to read 'United Now Alive and Free Firm on this Basis Liberty Shall Stand and Thus Supported Ever Bless Our Land Till Time Becomes Eternity'. The rattlesnake had become a favored symbol among pre-Revolutionary War colonists.
Sketch Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette Benjamin Franklin sketched, carved, and published the first known political cartoon in an American newspaper. It was the image of a snake cut into eight sections. The sections represented the individual colonies and the curves of the snake suggested the coastline. New England was combined into one section as the head of the snake. South Carolina was at the tail. Beneath the snake were the ominous words "Join, or Die."
Which brings us to the Famous Gadsden Flag
The American Flag And The Great Seal
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. (There will be a blog later on the Great Seal) Historically colors have always had specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did however, not have meanings for the Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, beings that the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings, they were adopted. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated:
The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice. The accepted meanings above have now have come to repesent the meanings of the American Flag.
The Flag We Honor Today is The STARS AND STRIPES
HAPPY FLAG DAY
Piney Creek Chapter
