“The aged, as well as the young, daily march out under the banners of liberty, and discover a determined resolution to maintain her cause even until death.”
—The Pennsylvania Mercury, June 9, 1775
The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, with a “shot heard ’round the world.” To mark the 250th anniversary of that historic day, the Museum of the American Revolution brought together the largest gathering of original flags from the war since the close of the eight-year conflict in 1783.
The assembled flags, carried by regiments of the Continental Army and American militia, once waved in the smoke on battlefields from South Carolina to New England. Although they are now faded, and a few are tattered, the distinctive colors and decorations of the flags originally made them stand out. Symbols and mottos on each flag speak to the motivations and political ideals of the Revolutionary cause and the growth of an American national identity. One of the flags, George Washington’s headquarters standard, is a treasure of the museum’s collection.
Today these flags are rare and fragile artifacts. Of the hundreds of flags made and carried by the American Revolutionaries, only about 30 are known to survive. The flags gathered by the Museum of the American Revolution have been carefully preserved. They help to tell the story of the American Revolution by serving as iconic links to the revolutionary generation. Under these flags, diverse people forged a new nation based on the ideals of liberty, equality, and self-government.
Students can view these “Banners of Liberty,” and read the history behind them, in the online exhibit of the Museum of the American Revolution.