On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the
Flag Resolution which stated: “Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United
States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen
stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Until this time, the flag had thirteen red and white horizontal
stripes, but in the northwest corner was what we call the Union Jack. It’s
probably just a weird coincidence, but June 14 is also the anniversary of
California's Bear Flag Revolt. On this day in 1846, thirty-four settlers
arrested the Mexican general in Sonoma, and declared their new “Bear Flag
Republic” an independent nation. A flag emblazoned with a star (a nod to the
lone star flag of Texas) above a grizzly bear was raised as a symbol of their
independence from Mexico. When California became a state in 1850, it kept the
bear and star.
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