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The Origins of a Now-Familiar Banner
When the American colonies first took up arms against the might of the British Empire, their cause seemed hopeless. The world’s greatest army and navy stood against a loose collection of farmers, merchants, and tradesmen. There was no nation, no established government, and no official army flag—only a yearning for liberty and faith that justice would prevail.
Out of that crucible of uncertainty emerged one of the most stirring banners of the Revolution: a simple white flag emblazoned with a solitary pine tree and the words “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN.”
[Washington’s Cruisers’ Flag]
But the origins of the “Appeal to Heaven” flag stretch back decades before the Revolution, rooted in New England’s maritime and religious traditions.
The pine tree was already a powerful colonial symbol. The towering white pines of New England were among the finest in the world—straight, tall, and prized by shipbuilders for masts. The British Crown had long claimed ownership of these trees, marking the best ones with the King’s Broad Arrow, forbidding colonists from cutting them. To New Englanders, this royal decree was an affront to their independence and industry.
[Sturdy New England Pine Trees During the American Revolution]
By the early 1770s, the pine tree had become a symbol of resistance to imperial overreach. It appeared on flags flown by New England militias, most famously during the Pine Tree Riot of 1772 in New Hampshire, when colonists defied British law by seizing and cutting marked trees. When open conflict broke out in 1775, the pine tree became an emblem of New England’s defiance—a natural, distinctly American symbol of strength and self-reliance.
Meanwhile, the colonies faced a practical problem. The nascent Continental Army, led by George Washington, had no navy and no official naval colors. Yet Washington, ever resourceful, recognized the need for maritime defense. In the fall of 1775, he commissioned a small fleet of armed schooners to intercept British supply ships off the New England coast. These vessels—modest fishing and trading ships converted for war—would become known as “Washington’s Cruisers” and proudly flew their own Pine Tree Flag.
[Washington’s Cruisers in Action]
History: From Washington’s Fleet to the Revolution’s Symbol
The “Appeal to Heaven” flag spread rapidly beyond Washington’s ships. It was adopted by the Massachusetts Navy when the colony formally established its own naval force later in 1775. For several years, Massachusetts naval vessels sailed under this flag, making it one of the most widely recognized maritime symbols of the Revolution.
For many patriots, the flag’s message offered spiritual fortitude. As the war dragged on and hardships deepened, “An Appeal to Heaven” reminded soldiers and citizens alike that the justice of their cause did not depend on immediate victory. It echoed Washington’s own quiet faith that divine providence guided their struggle.
Indeed, Washington himself embodied the flag’s meaning. Known for his humility and restraint, he consistently framed the Revolution as a moral contest rather than one of power.
Under this flag, Washington’s cruisers captured British supply ships, seized valuable cargo, and disrupted enemy logistics. More than mere tactical victories, these actions sent a symbolic message: the colonists were no longer pleading subjects—they were a people willing to fight, guided by conscience and conviction.
The flag’s white field represented the purity of that cause. Its appeal to heaven declared the colonists’ faith that their struggle was just, even against overwhelming odds.
Design: Simplicity as a Statement of Faith
Washington’s flag was elegant in its simplicity. On a plain white field, representing purity of purpose, stood a green pine tree, centered and unadorned. Above it, in stark black lettering, appeared the phrase “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN.” The motto derived from the writings of John Locke, the English philosopher whose ideas of natural rights and social contract profoundly influenced the American founders. In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke wrote that when all earthly authorities become corrupt and tyrannical, leaving no legal recourse, the people may appeal to heaven for justice.
[John Locke]
In adopting those words, Washington’s flag proclaimed that the American cause rested not on the might of arms, but on moral righteousness. The colonists had appealed to the king, to Parliament, and to reason itself—and all appeals had been ignored. Now, they appealed to the highest judge of all.
The pine tree beneath the motto linked the Revolution’s philosophical roots to the soil of New England. It symbolized the natural rights of man—born not of royal decree, but of the earth and heaven alike.
Legacy: The Moral Spirit of a Nation
Though the official Stars and Stripes would eventually replace it as the national flag, Washington’s Cruisers’ Flag never vanished. Its symbolism endured as a representation of America’s founding principles: faith, justice, and moral courage against tyranny.
Modern scholars have noted that the flag’s power lies in its restraint. Unlike other revolutionary banners, it does not boast of might or vengeance. It speaks instead to a deeper conviction—that freedom is not granted by governments but by the Creator, and that when all earthly appeals fail, the right remains to stand in defense of one’s liberty.
The flag’s influence can also be seen in the enduring mottoes and symbols of later American history. Its phrase “An Appeal to Heaven” foreshadowed the moral language that would define the nation’s rhetoric from the Declaration of Independence to Lincoln’s calls for divine guidance during the Civil War.
[Abraham Lincoln Appeals for Divine Guidance Just Before the Civil War]
Even today, the flag resonates as a reminder of the Revolution’s spiritual and ethical foundation. To the founders, liberty was not merely a political principle but a sacred trust. Ultimately, when George Washington’s small fleet sailed under that banner, they did more than engage the British—they declared that America’s revolution would be govern