Grand Union Flag

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. 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.

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.