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{{about|the American Revolution-era flag|the former flag of Maine|Flag of Maine (1901–1909)}}
{{Short description|American Revolutionary-era flag}}
{{Short description|American Revolutionary-era flag}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox flag
{{Infobox flag
| Name = An Appeal to Heaven Flag
| Name = Pine Tree Flag
| Article =
| Article =
| Image = An Appeal to Heaven Flag.svg{{!}}border
| Image = An Appeal to Heaven Flag.svg{{!}}border
| Image_size = 200px
| Image_size = 200px
| Imagetext = A modernized redrawn version of the flag
| Imagetext =
| Alt = Pine Tree Flag
| Alt = Pine Tree Flag
| Noborder = no
| Noborder = no
Line 13: Line 13:
| Symbol = {{FIAV|historical}}
| Symbol = {{FIAV|historical}}
| Proportion = 2:3
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = Used on American vessels by October 20, 1775;<ref name=RichardsonBook>{{Cite book |last=Richardson |first=Edward W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VK52AAAAMAAJ |title=Standards and Colors of the American Revolution |date=1982 |publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]] |isbn=0812278399 |pages=59, 90}}</ref> formally adopted by the [[Massachusetts Council]] on April 29, 1776<ref name=MarcLeepsonBook/>
| Adoption = October 21, 1775
| Design = A pine tree with the words "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" written in all capital letters above the tree, and a white field behind it.
| Design = A white field charged with a green pine tree, and the words "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" in capital letters above the tree.
| Designer =Joseph Reed
| Designer =
}}
}}
⚫
The '''Pine Tree Flag''' (or the '''An Appeal to Heaven Flag''') was one of the flags used during the [[American Revolution]]. The flag, which featured a [[pine tree]] with the motto "An Appeal to Heaven", or less frequently "An Appeal to God", was used by a squadron of six [[schooner]]s commissioned under [[George Washington]]'s authority as [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Continental Army]] beginning in October 1775.


⚫
The pine tree is a traditional symbol of [[New England]]. The phrase "appeal to heaven" appears in [[John Locke]]'s ''[[Second Treatise on Government]]'', where it is used to describe the [[right of revolution]].
⚫
The '''Pine Tree Flag''' (or the '''An Appeal to Heaven Flag''') was one of the flags used during the [[American Revolution]]. The flag, which featured a [[pine tree]] with the motto "An Appeal to Heaven", or less frequently "An Appeal to God", was originally used by a squadron of six [[frigate]]s commissioned under [[George Washington]]'s authority as [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Continental Army]] in October 1775.


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The flag is the [[Ensign (flag)|official maritime ensign]] for the [[Commonwealth of Massachusetts]], though the script was removed in 1971. It was used by state navy vessels in addition to [[privateer]]s sailing from Massachusetts.<ref>Naval History Center FAQ. Retrieved from http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq122-1.htm {{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20121004082423/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq122-1.htm |date=October 4, 2012}}.</ref>
⚫
The pine tree is a traditional symbol of [[New England]]. The phrase "appeal to heaven" appears in [[John Locke]]'s ''[[Second Treatise on Government]]'', where it is used to describe the [[right of revolution]].


It is also used by [[Libertarianism in the United States|liberty]] activists and enthusiasts of the American Revolution to commemorate the [[Pine Tree Riot]], one of the first acts of resistance by the American colonists to [[Great Britain|British]] royal authority eventually culminating in the [[American Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Michael |date=2024-06-04 |title=Nashua Says No to Displaying Historic N.H. Pine Tree Flag |url=https://nhjournal.com/nashua-says-no-to-displaying-historic-n-h-pine-tree-flag/ |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=NH Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
The flag is the [[Flag of Massachusetts|official maritime ensign]] for the [[Commonwealth of Massachusetts]], though the script was removed in 1971. It was used by state navy vessels in addition to [[privateer]]s sailing from Massachusetts.<ref>Naval History Center FAQ. Retrieved from http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq122-1.htm {{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20121004082423/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq122-1.htm |date=October 4, 2012}}.</ref>


⚫
==Design and adoption==
Use of the flag fell out of fashion{{Vague|date=May 2024}} until the 2020s, when it began to be used by supporters of former President [[Donald Trump]] among a [[Christian nationalism#United States|religious strand]] of his "[[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|Stop the Steal]]" campaign.<ref name="Kantor">{{Cite news |last1=Kantor |first1=Jodi |last2=Toler|first2=Aric|last3=Tate|first3=Julie|date=May 22, 2024 |title=Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/us/justice-alito-flag-appeal-to-heaven.html|access-date=May 23, 2024 |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523154434/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/us/justice-alito-flag-appeal-to-heaven.html|url-status=live |issn=0362-4331 |quote=This time, it was the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which, like the inverted U.S. flag, was carried by rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Also known as the Pine Tree flag, it dates back to the Revolutionary War, but largely fell into obscurity until recent years and is now a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, for a religious strand of the "Stop the Steal" campaign and for a push to remake American government in Christian terms.}}</ref>
⚫
[[File:1885 History of US flags med.jpg|thumb|upright|American school textbook, 1885, depicting the flag alongside the [[Gadsden flag|Gadsden Flag]], the [[Grand Union Flag]], a colonial [[Flag of New England|New England]] flag, the

⚫
==Design==
⚫
[[File:1885 History of US flags med.jpg|thumb|upright|An American school textbook depicting the flag alongside the [[Gadsden flag|Gadsden Flag]], the [[Grand Union Flag]], a colonial [[Flag of New England|New England]] flag, the
[[Bunker Hill flag]], and the [[Flag of the United States]]]]
[[Bunker Hill flag]], and the [[Flag of the United States]]]]
[[File:Pine Tree Flag illustration (MADELIA, MINN 1898 CHASE & SANBORN, AMERICAN FLAG HISTORY BOOKLET).jpg|thumb|232x232px|Illustration of the flag, [[Chase & Sanborn Coffee Company]] American history booklet, 1898]]
[[File:Appealtoheaven.png|thumb|upright|The pine tree flag with the motto "An Appeal to Heaven"]]
[[File:Flag of Maine (1901–1909).svg|thumb|upright|A modern rendition of the original [[Flag of Maine (1901–1909)|1901 Maine Flag]]]]
[[File:Flag of Maine (1901–1909).svg|thumb|upright|A modern rendition of the original [[Flag of Maine (1901–1909)|1901 Maine Flag]]]]
A flag with a pine tree on it, "a red flag with the [[cross of St. George]] in the canton with a green pine tree in the first quarter", was used in New England as early as 1704, and may have flown at [[Battle of Bunker Hill|Bunker Hill]] in 1775. It also appeared having a "white field with the motto 'An Appeal to Heaven' above the pine tree".<ref>{{cite journal |title=The American Flag |first=Harlan H. |last=Homer |journal=Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association |date=1915 |volume=14 |year=1915 |pages=108-121 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42890036}}</ref>
A flag with a pine tree on it, "a red flag with the [[cross of St. George]] in the canton with a green pine tree in the first quarter", was used in New England as early as 1704, and may have flown at [[Battle of Bunker Hill|Bunker Hill]] in 1775. It also appeared having a "white field with the motto 'An Appeal to Heaven' above the pine tree".<ref>{{cite journal |title=The American Flag |first=Harlan H. |last=Homer |journal=Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association |date=1915 |volume=14 |pages=108–121 |jstor=42890036 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42890036}}</ref>


In a letter dated October 20, 1775,<ref name=RichardsonBook/><ref name=MarcLeepsonBook>{{Cite book |last=Leepson |first=Marc |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qqjzyyZjYTEC |title=Flag: An American Biography |date=2005 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Griffin]] |isbn=978-0-312-32309-7 |location=New York |pages=14–15 }}</ref> General Washington's secretary, Colonel [[Joseph Reed (politician)|Joseph Reed]], suggested a "flag with a white ground and a tree in the middle, the motto AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" be used for the ships Washington commissioned.<ref name="uswacr">Wyatt, Rick (2002). [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-wacr.html Washington's Cruisers Flag] (U.S.)</ref> Two heavily armed American [[scow]]s, or "floating batteries," launched on the [[Charles River]] in September 1775 had used the Pine Tree flag as an ensign; in his letter, Reed described the banner he proposed as "the flag of our floating batteries."<ref name=RichardsonBook/><ref name=MarcLeepsonBook/> The six schooners commissioned by Congress beginning in October 1775 to intercept British ships entering Boston—the [[USS Hancock (1775)|USS ''Hancock'']], ''[[USS Lee (1775)|Lee]]'', ''[[USS Franklin (1775)|Franklin]]'', ''[[USS Harrison (1761)|Harrison]]'', ''[[USS Lynch (1776)|Lynch]]'', and ''[[USS Warren (1775)|Warren]]''—used the Pine Tree flag.<ref name=MarcLeepsonBook/><ref name=RichardsonBook/>
A later design of the flag came from General Washington's secretary, Colonel [[Joseph Reed (politician)|Joseph Reed]]. In a letter dated October 21, 1775, Reed suggested a "flag with a white ground and a tree in the middle, the motto AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" be used for the ships Washington commissioned.<ref name="uswacr" />


The following summer, on July 26, 1776, the [[Massachusetts General Court]] established the flag of the [[Massachusetts Naval Militia|state navy]] with a resolution that stated in part: "...that the Colours be a white Flag, with a green Pine Tree, and an Inscription, 'Appeal to Heaven'."<ref name="uswacr">Wyatt, Rick (2002). Washington's Cruisers Flag (U.S.). Retrieved from http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-wacr.html.</ref>
The following year, on April 29, 1776,<ref name=MarcLeepsonBook/><ref name=RichardsonBook/> the [[Massachusetts Governor's Council|Massachusetts Council]] established the flag of the [[Massachusetts Naval Militia|state navy]] with a resolution stating: "...that the Colours be a white Flag, with a green Pine Tree, and the Inscription, 'An Appeal to Heaven'."<ref name=RichardsonBook/><ref name=MarcLeepsonBook/><ref name="uswacr"/>


⚫
==Appeal to Heaven and Locke==
⚫
==History==
⚫
The phrase "Appeal to Heaven" is a particular expression of the [[right of revolution]] used by British philosopher [[John Locke]] in his ''[[Two Treatises of Government|Second Treatise on Government]].'' The work was published in 1690 and rejected the theory of the [[divine right of kings]]. In chapter 14:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm|title=Second Treatise on Civil Government|author=[[John Locke]]}} - Chapter 3 Sect. 20-21 & Chapter 14 Sect. 168</ref>
⚫
Colonists adopted the pine as a symbol on flags and currency in the 17th century, including variants of the [[flag of New England]] and [[Massachusetts pound|coinage]] produced by the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] from 1652 to 1682.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling, "1652" |url=https://amhistory.si.edu/coins/printable/coin.cfm?coincode=1_00&coinside=front |url-status=dead |website=Legendary Coins & Currency |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of American History |access-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107152442/https://amhistory.si.edu/coins/printable/coin.cfm?coincode=1_00&coinside=front |archive-date=November 7, 2016}}</ref> The Pine Tree Flag was associated with the New England Colonies long before it became depicted, for instance, on the famous handkerchief of George Washington on horseback surrounded by four different flags (1776–77), by [[John Hewson (artist)|John Hewson]]. In 1775 and 1776, according to John R. Monsky, it was one of the most important flags in the colonies, and the central image of the pine tree stood for wealth and power, in part because the tall trees were so important to the Royal Navy, as masts for warships. Massachusetts adopted it as its official flag and put it on their currency; [[Jonathan Trumbull]] shows it in his 1785 painting of the events at [[Battle of Bunker Hill]].<ref name=mosky>{{cite journal |title=From the Collection: Finding America in Its First Political Textile |first=John R. |last=Monsky |journal=Winterthur Portfolio |volume=37 |issue=4 |year=2002 |pages=239-264 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/381643}}</ref>


⚫
{{quote|And where the body of the people, or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to {{strong|appeal to heaven}}, whenever they judge the cause of sufficient moment. And therefore, though the people cannot be judge, so as to have, by the constitution of that society, any superior power, to determine and give effective sentence in the case; yet they have, by a law antecedent and paramount to all positive laws of men, reserved that ultimate determination to themselves which belongs to all mankind, where there lies no appeal on earth, viz. to judge, whether they have just cause to make their {{strong|appeal to heaven}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Benner|first=Dave|date=April 16, 2017|title=John Locke's Appeal to Heaven: Its Continuing Relevance|url=https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2017/04/16/john-lockes-appeal-to-heaven-its-continuing-relevance/|access-date=August 27, 2020|website=Tenth Amendment Center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310102741/https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2017/04/16/john-lockes-appeal-to-heaven-its-continuing-relevance/|archive-date=March 10, 2021}}</ref>}}
The [[Flag of Maine (1901–1909)|flag of Maine]], the "pine tree state", featured a pine tree on a buff field with a blue star in the canton from 1901 to 1909.


⚫
Locke's enlightenment-age works on the topic of the philosophy of government were well-known and frequently quoted by colonial leaders in the 1760–1776 period prior to American independence. Locke's writing that most influenced the American philosophy of government was his Two Treatises of Government, and has been used to defend the secularization of American political structures.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://providencemag.com/2021/02/appeal-to-heaven-our-new-civil-war-us-capitol-johhn-locke/ |title=The Appeal to Heaven and Our New Revolutionary War| date=February 23, 2021 |last= Littlejohn |first=Brad |access-date = April 20, 2024 | publisher= Providence}}</ref>
⚫
==Appeal to Heaven and Locke==
⚫
[[Richard Henry Lee]], a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], saw the Declaration as being copied from that work. Locke was not only one of the most-cited political philosophers during the Founding Era (~1776 to 1779), but also the single most frequently-cited source in the years from 1760 to 1776 (the period leading up to the Declaration of Independence).<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=99156#FN33| title=John Locke – A Philosophical Founder of America| date=December 29, 2016| access-date=January 13, 2014| archive-date=January 13, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113103320/http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=99156#FN33| url-status=dead}}</ref>
⚫
The phrase "Appeal to Heaven" is a particular expression of the [[right of revolution]] used by British philosopher [[John Locke]] in his ''[[Two Treatises of Government|Second Treatise on Government]].'' The work was published in 1690 and refuted the theory of the [[divine right of kings]]. In chapter 14:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm|title=Second Treatise on Civil Government|author=[[John Locke]]}} - Chapter 3 Sect. 20-21 & Chapter 14 Sect. 168</ref>


⚫
Prior to Colonel Reed's suggestion and Massachusetts General Court establishing the Pine Tree flag as the standard of the Massachusetts navy, "an appeal to Heaven" or similar expressions had been invoked by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in several resolutions, [[Patrick Henry]] in his Liberty or Death speech, and the [[Second Continental Congress]] in the [[Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms]]. Subsequently, the phrase was used again by the Second Continental Congress in the Declaration of Independence.{{fact|date=May 2024}}
⚫
{{quote|And where the body of the people, or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to {{strong|appeal to heaven}}, whenever they judge the cause of sufficient moment. And therefore, though the people cannot be judge, so as to have, by the constitution of that society, any superior power, to determine and give effective sentence in the case; yet they have, by a law antecedent and paramount to all positive laws of men, reserved that ultimate determination to themselves which belongs to all mankind, where there lies no appeal on earth, viz. to judge, whether they have just cause to make their {{strong|appeal to heaven}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Benner|first=Dave|date=April 16, 2017|title=John Locke's Appeal to Heaven: Its Continuing Relevance|url=https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2017/04/16/john-lockes-appeal-to-heaven-its-continuing-relevance/|access-date=August 27, 2020|website=Tenth Amendment Center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310102741/https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2017/04/16/john-lockes-appeal-to-heaven-its-continuing-relevance/ |archive-date=March 10, 2021}}</ref>}}

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==History==
[[File:Washington's Cruisers Flag - Historic Flag Series - 6c 1968 issue U.S. stamp.jpg|left|thumb|1968 [[Postage stamps and postal history of the United States|U.S. stamp]] with the Pine Tree Flag, or "Washington's Cruisers Flag"]]
[[File:Black Lives Matter protest signs.jpg|thumb|Pine Tree Flag being displayed at a [[Black Lives Matter]] protest, July 2020|alt=refer to caption]]
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The pine tree symbol may have been used by the [[Iroquois|Iroquois League]] before the arrival of the [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]]. The term "pine tree" also referred to oaks, willows, and other trees.<ref name="Vile">{{cite book |last=Vile |first=John R. |date=October 5, 2018 |title=The American Flag: An Encyclopedia of the Stars and Stripes in U.S. History, Culture, and Law |location=Santa Barbara, California |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |page=255 |isbn=9781440857898 |lccn=2018010859}}</ref> Colonists adopted the pine as a symbol on flags and currency in the 17th century, including variants of the [[flag of New England]] and [[Massachusetts pound|coinage]] produced by the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] from 1652 to 1682.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling, "1652" |url=https://amhistory.si.edu/coins/printable/coin.cfm?coincode=1_00&coinside=front |url-status=dead |website=Legendary Coins & Currency |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of American History |access-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107152442/https://amhistory.si.edu/coins/printable/coin.cfm?coincode=1_00&coinside=front |archive-date=November 7, 2016}}</ref> The Pine Tree Flag was associated with the New England Colonies long before it became depicted, for instance, on the famous handkerchief of George Washington on horseback surrounded by four different flags (1776–77), by [[John Hewson (artist)|John Hewson]]. In 1775 and 1776, according to John R. Monsky, it was one of the most important flags in the colonies, and the central image of the pine tree stood for wealth and power, in part because the tall trees were so important to the Royal Navy, as masts for warships. Massachusetts adopted it as its first official flag and put it on their currency; [[Jonathan Trumbull]] shows it in his 1785 painting of the events at [[Battle of Bunker Hill]].<ref name="mosky">{{cite journal |title=From the Collection: Finding America in Its First Political Textile |first=John R. |last=Monsky |journal=Winterthur Portfolio |volume=37 |issue=4 |year=2002 |pages=239–264 |doi=10.1086/381643 |jstor=10.1086/381643 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/381643}}</ref> The [[Flag of Maine (1901–1909)|flag of Maine]], the "pine tree state", also featured a pine tree on a buff field with a blue star in the canton from 1901 to 1909.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |title=Maine's once forgotten original state flag is making a comeback |url=https://bangordailynews.com/2018/02/13/homestead/maines-once-forgotten-original-state-flag-is-making-a-comeback/ |access-date=2018-10-19 |work=Bangor Daily News }}</ref> The flag was a popular regional New England flag and was used to muster troops during the [[American Revolution]] before Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes. The flag may have served as partial inspiration for [[Symbolism in the French Revolution#Liberty Tree|liberty trees]] and [[liberty pole]]s.<ref name="Vile" />


The [[Maine Army National Guard|Maine National Guard]] also cites the Appeal to Heaven flag as a historic military symbol of Maine, stating that it was presented in July 1775 to the [[Massachusetts Line|31<sup>st</sup> Massachusetts Regiment of Foot]], whose soldiers were recruited from present-day Maine.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Maine Army Guard Shoulder Sleeve Insignia |url=https://www.me.ng.mil/About/Our-History/Maine-Army-Guard-Shoulder-Sleeve-Insignia/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331201253/https://www.me.ng.mil/About/Our-History/Maine-Army-Guard-Shoulder-Sleeve-Insignia/ |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=www.me.ng.mil}}</ref> The regiment marched to Boston following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and served in the [[Siege of Boston]].<ref name=":0" />[[File:Flag - Museum of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts - IMG 6907.JPG|thumb|The flag displayed in [[Faneuil Hall]], [[Boston]], 2010|227x227px]]In 1968, the Pine Tree flag, or "Washington's Cruisers Flag," was featured in the 6¢ Historic American Flags postage stamp series printed by the [[Bureau of Engraving and Printing]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1968 U.S. Postage Stamp Issues Identifier |url=https://1847us.com/byyear/1968-year/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827043444/https://1847us.com/byyear/1968-year/ |archive-date=August 27, 2018 |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=U.S. Stamp Catalog and Identifier |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=6c Washington's Cruisers Flag single |url=https://collections.si.edu/search/record/ark:/65665/hm8004a5b32ab5f4fe488450a099a77f59a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528222529/https://collections.si.edu/search/record/ark:/65665/hm8004a5b32ab5f4fe488450a099a77f59a |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |access-date=2024-05-28|publisher=Collections Search Center, [[Smithsonian Institution]]}}</ref>
⚫
Locke's enlightenment-age works on the topic of the philosophy of government were well-known and frequently quoted by colonial leaders in the 1760–1776 period prior to American independence. Locke's writing that most influenced the American philosophy of government was his Two Treatises of Government, and has been used to defend the secularization of American political structures.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://providencemag.com/2021/02/appeal-to-heaven-our-new-civil-war-us-capitol-johhn-locke/ |title=The Appeal to Heaven and Our New Revolutionary War }| date=February 23, 2021 |last= Littlejohn |first=Brad |access-date = April 20, 2024 | publisher= Providence}}</ref>
⚫
[[Richard Henry Lee]], a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], saw the Declaration as being copied from that work. Locke was not only one of the most-cited political philosophers during the Founding Era (~1776 to 1779), but also the single most frequently-cited source in the years from 1760 to 1776 (the period leading up to the Declaration of Independence).<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=99156#FN33 | title=John Locke – A Philosophical Founder of America| date=December 29, 2016}}</ref>


From 1964 to 2024, the flag was flown outside [[San Francisco City Hall]] as part of a collection of historic American flags.<ref>{{cite news|title=S.F. removes controversial 'Appeal to Heaven' flag from Civic Center Plaza, saying it has been co-opted|last=Swan|first=Rachel|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/appeal-to-heaven-flag-civic-center-plaza-19483162.php|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref> It is also displayed at [[Faneuil Hall]] in [[Boston]], in the Museum of the [[Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company {{!}} Museum & Armory |url=https://www.ahac.us.com/include/museum.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119062919/https://www.ahac.us.com/include/museum.php |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=www.ahac.us.com |publisher=[[Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts]]}}</ref>
⚫
Prior to Colonel Reed's suggestion and Massachusetts General Court establishing the Pine Tree flag as the standard of the Massachusetts navy, "an appeal to Heaven" or similar expressions had been invoked by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in several resolutions, [[Patrick Henry]] in his Liberty or Death speech, and the [[Second Continental Congress]] in the [[Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms]]. Subsequently, the phrase was used again by the Second Continental Congress in the Declaration of Independence.


In the 2020s, the flag was flown at events attended by various [[Radical right (United States)|far-right]] groups including a [[Christian nationalism#United States|Christian nationalist]] strand of [[Donald Trump]]'s "[[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|Stop the Steal]]" movement.<ref name=NYTimes5.22.24>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/us/justice-alito-flag-appeal-to-heaven.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|title=Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home: The justice's beach house displayed an 'Appeal to Heaven' flag, a symbol carried on Jan. 6 and associated with a push for a more Christian-minded government.|author=Kantor, Jodi; Toler, Aric; Tate, Julie|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=May 22, 2024|access-date=May 30, 2024|archive-date=May 26, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526042302/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/us/justice-alito-flag-appeal-to-heaven.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Examiner |first=Brady Knox, Washington |date=2024-05-23 |title=What are the flags Alito is under fire for?|url=https://gazette.com/news/wex/what-are-the-flags-alito-is-under-fire-for/article_2b8e993e-34f8-50fc-a7c8-2df36ff84072.html |access-date=2024-05-28|newspaper=[[Colorado Springs Gazette]]|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Modern use ==
The flag has been used as a symbol of [[Christian nationalism#United States|Christian nationalism]] and support for President [[Donald Trump]] and his "[[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|Stop the Steal]]" campaign among [[Radical right (United States)|far-right]] groups.<ref name="Kantor" /><ref name="AP May232024">{{Cite news |last1=Fields |first1=Gary |last2=Mascaro |first2=Lisa |last3=Amiri |first3=Farnoush |date=May 23, 2024 |title=The 'Appeal to Heaven' flag evolves from Revolutionary War symbol to banner of the far right |work=The Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/alito-supreme-court-flags-history-symbol-protest-a5415aeba90e21a86a50f8489fc54b7a |access-date=May 23, 2024 |archive-date=May 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524005504/https://apnews.com/article/alito-supreme-court-flags-history-symbol-protest-a5415aeba90e21a86a50f8489fc54b7a |url-status=live}}</ref> It has been described as "a symbol of right-wing extremism"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lawandcrime.com/u-s-capitol-breach/delaware-man-previously-known-to-fbi-after-war-crimes-in-bosnia-tiktok-post-charged-with-jan-6-crimes/ |access-date=May 23, 2024 |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Delaware Man Previously Known to FBI After 'War Crimes in Bosnia' TikTok Post Charged with Jan. 6 Crimes |first=Marisa |last=Sarnoff |website=Law & Crime}}</ref> and a "banner of the far right."<ref name="AP May232024" /> In 2021, the flag was flown by several participants in the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/1/6/some-history-behind-the-christian-flags-at-the-pro-trump-capitol-coup |newspaper=Religion Unplugged |first=Kimberly |last=Winston |date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=May 23, 2024 |title=The history behind the Christian flags spotted at the pro-Trump U.S. Capitol 'coup'}}</ref> where it represented Christian nationalism.<ref name="Kantor" />


In May 2024, news outlets reported that the [[Samuel Alito flag display controversy|flag had been flown]] at the vacation home of [[U.S. Supreme Court]] Justice [[Samuel Alito]] in 2023. This drew media attention because of the flag's use by "Stop the Steal" supporters.<ref name=NYTimes5.22.24/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24698837/letter-from-justice-alito-to-senators-durbin-and-whitehouse.pdf |title=Letter from Justice Alito to Senators Durbin and Whitehouse |accessdate=2024-05-29 |quote=I recall that my wife did fly that flag for some period of time, but I do not remember how long it flew. And what is most relevant here, I had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kruzel |first=John |date=May 22, 2024 |title=US Supreme Court Justice Alito's home flew another provocative flag |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-justice-alitos-home-flew-another-provocative-flag-nyt-2024-05-22/ |access-date=May 27, 2024 |work=Reuters}}</ref> The justice stated that his wife had displayed the flag, referred to the historic background of the symbol, and refused to recuse himself from ongoing cases involving the [[2020 United States presidential election]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-justice-alitos-letters-rejecting-calls-to-recuse-himself-from-jan-6-supreme-court-cases#:~:text=Alito%20said%20his%20wife%20was,merits%20his%20recusal%2C%20he%20wrote | title=Read Justice Alito's letters rejecting calls to recuse himself from Jan. 6 Supreme Court cases | website=[[PBS]] | date=May 29, 2024 }}</ref>.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/alito-flag-supreme-court-roberts-justice-senate-e53c1d1fef7b81f9dc87fa31b1622c4c|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|title=Alito rejects calls to quit Supreme Court cases on Trump and Jan. 6 because of flag controversies|author=Sherman, Mark|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=May 29, 2024|access-date=May 30, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240529184142/https://apnews.com/article/alito-flag-supreme-court-roberts-justice-senate-e53c1d1fef7b81f9dc87fa31b1622c4c}}</ref>
In 2023, it was flown at the New Jersey vacation home of [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] Justice [[Samuel Alito]]. Alito declined to comment.<ref name="Kantor" /> It also hangs outside the office of [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker]] [[Mike Johnson (Louisiana politician)|Mike Johnson]]'s office in the [[Cannon House Office Building]] in [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title = The Key to Mike Johnson's Christian Extremism Hangs Outside His Office|first1 = Bradley|last1 = Onishi|first2 = Matthew D.|last2 = Taylor|date = November 10, 2023|access-date = May 24, 2024|magazine = [[Rolling Stone]]|url = https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/mike-johnson-christian-nationalist-appeal-to-heaven-flag-1234873851/}}</ref> Johnson said he has used the flag for as long as he can remember because of its use by Washington, and did not know it was associated with the “Stop the Steal” campaign.<ref name="AP May232024" />


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category:Flags of the American Revolution|Pine Tree Flag]]
[[Category:Flags of the American Revolution|Pine Tree Flag]]
[[Category:1775 introductions]]
[[Category:1775 introductions]]
[[Category:Christian symbols]]
[[Category:Flags of Massachusetts]]

Latest revision as of 03:20, 5 August 2024

This article is about the American Revolution-era flag. For the former flag of Maine, see Flag of Maine (1901–1909).

Pine Tree Flag
Pine Tree Flag
UseOther Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion2:3
AdoptedUsed on American vessels by October 20, 1775;[1] formally adopted by the Massachusetts Council on April 29, 1776[2]
DesignA white field charged with a green pine tree, and the words "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" in capital letters above the tree.

The Pine Tree Flag (or the An Appeal to Heaven Flag) was one of the flags used during the American Revolution. The flag, which featured a pine tree with the motto "An Appeal to Heaven", or less frequently "An Appeal to God", was used by a squadron of six schooners commissioned under George Washington's authority as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army beginning in October 1775.

The pine tree is a traditional symbol of New England. The phrase "appeal to heaven" appears in John Locke's Second Treatise on Government, where it is used to describe the right of revolution.

The flag is the official maritime ensign for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, though the script was removed in 1971. It was used by state navy vessels in addition to privateers sailing from Massachusetts.[3]

It is also used by liberty activists and enthusiasts of the American Revolution to commemorate the Pine Tree Riot, one of the first acts of resistance by the American colonists to British royal authority eventually culminating in the American Revolution.[4]

Design and adoption

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American school textbook, 1885, depicting the flag alongside the Gadsden Flag, the Grand Union Flag, a colonial New England flag, the Bunker Hill flag, and the Flag of the United States
Illustration of the flag, Chase & Sanborn Coffee Company American history booklet, 1898
A modern rendition of the original 1901 Maine Flag

A flag with a pine tree on it, "a red flag with the cross of St. George in the canton with a green pine tree in the first quarter", was used in New England as early as 1704, and may have flown at Bunker Hill in 1775. It also appeared having a "white field with the motto 'An Appeal to Heaven' above the pine tree".[5]

In a letter dated October 20, 1775,[1][2] General Washington's secretary, Colonel Joseph Reed, suggested a "flag with a white ground and a tree in the middle, the motto AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" be used for the ships Washington commissioned.[6] Two heavily armed American scows, or "floating batteries," launched on the Charles River in September 1775 had used the Pine Tree flag as an ensign; in his letter, Reed described the banner he proposed as "the flag of our floating batteries."[1][2] The six schooners commissioned by Congress beginning in October 1775 to intercept British ships entering Boston—the USS Hancock, Lee, Franklin, Harrison, Lynch, and Warren—used the Pine Tree flag.[2][1]

The following year, on April 29, 1776,[2][1] the Massachusetts Council established the flag of the state navy with a resolution stating: "...that the Colours be a white Flag, with a green Pine Tree, and the Inscription, 'An Appeal to Heaven'."[1][2][6]

Appeal to Heaven and Locke

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The phrase "Appeal to Heaven" is a particular expression of the right of revolution used by British philosopher John Locke in his Second Treatise on Government. The work was published in 1690 and rejected the theory of the divine right of kings. In chapter 14:[7]

And where the body of the people, or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to appeal to heaven, whenever they judge the cause of sufficient moment. And therefore, though the people cannot be judge, so as to have, by the constitution of that society, any superior power, to determine and give effective sentence in the case; yet they have, by a law antecedent and paramount to all positive laws of men, reserved that ultimate determination to themselves which belongs to all mankind, where there lies no appeal on earth, viz. to judge, whether they have just cause to make their appeal to heaven.[8]

Locke's enlightenment-age works on the topic of the philosophy of government were well-known and frequently quoted by colonial leaders in the 1760–1776 period prior to American independence. Locke's writing that most influenced the American philosophy of government was his Two Treatises of Government, and has been used to defend the secularization of American political structures.[9] Richard Henry Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, saw the Declaration as being copied from that work. Locke was not only one of the most-cited political philosophers during the Founding Era (~1776 to 1779), but also the single most frequently-cited source in the years from 1760 to 1776 (the period leading up to the Declaration of Independence).[10]

Prior to Colonel Reed's suggestion and Massachusetts General Court establishing the Pine Tree flag as the standard of the Massachusetts navy, "an appeal to Heaven" or similar expressions had been invoked by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in several resolutions, Patrick Henry in his Liberty or Death speech, and the Second Continental Congress in the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms. Subsequently, the phrase was used again by the Second Continental Congress in the Declaration of Independence.[citation needed]

History

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1968 U.S. stamp with the Pine Tree Flag, or "Washington's Cruisers Flag"
refer to caption
Pine Tree Flag being displayed at a Black Lives Matter protest, July 2020

The pine tree symbol may have been used by the Iroquois League before the arrival of the Pilgrims. The term "pine tree" also referred to oaks, willows, and other trees.[11] Colonists adopted the pine as a symbol on flags and currency in the 17th century, including variants of the flag of New England and coinage produced by the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1652 to 1682.[12] The Pine Tree Flag was associated with the New England Colonies long before it became depicted, for instance, on the famous handkerchief of George Washington on horseback surrounded by four different flags (1776–77), by John Hewson. In 1775 and 1776, according to John R. Monsky, it was one of the most important flags in the colonies, and the central image of the pine tree stood for wealth and power, in part because the tall trees were so important to the Royal Navy, as masts for warships. Massachusetts adopted it as its first official flag and put it on their currency; Jonathan Trumbull shows it in his 1785 painting of the events at Battle of Bunker Hill.[13] The flag of Maine, the "pine tree state", also featured a pine tree on a buff field with a blue star in the canton from 1901 to 1909.[14] The flag was a popular regional New England flag and was used to muster troops during the American Revolution before Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes. The flag may have served as partial inspiration for liberty trees and liberty poles.[11]

The Maine National Guard also cites the Appeal to Heaven flag as a historic military symbol of Maine, stating that it was presented in July 1775 to the 31st Massachusetts Regiment of Foot, whose soldiers were recruited from present-day Maine.[15] The regiment marched to Boston following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and served in the Siege of Boston.[15]

The flag displayed in Faneuil Hall, Boston, 2010

In 1968, the Pine Tree flag, or "Washington's Cruisers Flag," was featured in the 6¢ Historic American Flags postage stamp series printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.[16][17]

From 1964 to 2024, the flag was flown outside San Francisco City Hall as part of a collection of historic American flags.[18] It is also displayed at Faneuil Hall in Boston, in the Museum of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.[19]

In the 2020s, the flag was flown at events attended by various far-right groups including a Christian nationalist strand of Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" movement.[20][21]

In May 2024, news outlets reported that the flag had been flown at the vacation home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in 2023. This drew media attention because of the flag's use by "Stop the Steal" supporters.[20][22][23] The justice stated that his wife had displayed the flag, referred to the historic background of the symbol, and refused to recuse himself from ongoing cases involving the 2020 United States presidential election[24].[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Richardson, Edward W. (1982). Standards and Colors of the American Revolution. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 59, 90. ISBN 0812278399.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Leepson, Marc (2005). Flag: An American Biography. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-312-32309-7.
  3. ^ Naval History Center FAQ. Retrieved from http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq122-1.htm Archived October 4, 2012, at the Library of Congress Web Archives.
  4. ^ Graham, Michael (June 4, 2024). "Nashua Says No to Displaying Historic N.H. Pine Tree Flag". NH Journal. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Homer, Harlan H. (1915). "The American Flag". Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association. 14: 108–121. JSTOR 42890036.
  6. ^ a b Wyatt, Rick (2002). Washington's Cruisers Flag (U.S.)
  7. ^ John Locke. "Second Treatise on Civil Government". - Chapter 3 Sect. 20-21 & Chapter 14 Sect. 168
  8. ^ Benner, Dave (April 16, 2017). "John Locke's Appeal to Heaven: Its Continuing Relevance". Tenth Amendment Center. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  9. ^ Littlejohn, Brad (February 23, 2021). "The Appeal to Heaven and Our New Revolutionary War". Providence. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "John Locke – A Philosophical Founder of America". December 29, 2016. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Vile, John R. (October 5, 2018). The American Flag: An Encyclopedia of the Stars and Stripes in U.S. History, Culture, and Law. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 255. ISBN 9781440857898. LCCN 2018010859.
  12. ^ "Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling, "1652"". Legendary Coins & Currency. Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Monsky, John R. (2002). "From the Collection: Finding America in Its First Political Textile". Winterthur Portfolio. 37 (4): 239–264. doi:10.1086/381643. JSTOR 10.1086/381643.
  14. ^ "Maine's once forgotten original state flag is making a comeback". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Maine Army Guard Shoulder Sleeve Insignia". www.me.ng.mil. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  16. ^ "1968 U.S. Postage Stamp Issues Identifier". U.S. Stamp Catalog and Identifier. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "6c Washington's Cruisers Flag single". Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  18. ^ Swan, Rachel. "S.F. removes controversial 'Appeal to Heaven' flag from Civic Center Plaza, saying it has been co-opted". San Francisco Chronicle.
  19. ^ "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company | Museum & Armory". www.ahac.us.com. Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Kantor, Jodi; Toler, Aric; Tate, Julie (May 22, 2024). "Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home: The justice's beach house displayed an 'Appeal to Heaven' flag, a symbol carried on Jan. 6 and associated with a push for a more Christian-minded government". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Examiner, Brady Knox, Washington (May 23, 2024). "What are the flags Alito is under fire for?". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Letter from Justice Alito to Senators Durbin and Whitehouse" (PDF). Retrieved May 29, 2024. I recall that my wife did fly that flag for some period of time, but I do not remember how long it flew. And what is most relevant here, I had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag.
  23. ^ Kruzel, John (May 22, 2024). "US Supreme Court Justice Alito's home flew another provocative flag". Reuters. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Read Justice Alito's letters rejecting calls to recuse himself from Jan. 6 Supreme Court cases". PBS. May 29, 2024.
  25. ^ Sherman, Mark (May 29, 2024). "Alito rejects calls to quit Supreme Court cases on Trump and Jan. 6 because of flag controversies". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
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Media related to Pine Tree Flag at Wikimedia Commons

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