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{{Infobox flag
| Name = An Appeal to Heaven Flag
| Article =
| Image = An Appeal to Heaven Flag.svg{{!}}border
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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 that were commissioned under [[George Washington]]'s authority as [[Commandercommander-in-chief]] of the [[Continental Army]] in October 1775.
 
The pine tree is a traditional symbol of [[New England]]. The phrase "appeal to heaven" is used in [[John Locke]]'s ''[[Second Treatise on Government]]'' to describe the [[right of revolution]] .
 
It 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=2012-10-04 }}.</ref>
 
==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]].]]
[[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]].]]
 
The 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>
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According to legend, months prior to Colonel [[Joseph Reed (politician)|Joseph Reed]]'s suggestion for using the pine, the pine was used on the flag that the colonists flew at the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]] in June 1775, though this is disputed by modern scholars. The historically accepted flag has a red field with the green pine tree in the upper left corner as depicted in [[John Trumbull]]'s ''[[The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775]]'' painting. Provided Reed was aware of the Bunker Hill flag, there was a precedent to incorporate the pine in another Colonial martial flag.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
 
Given the pine tree's significance to the colonists and since the flag was to fly over colonial warships, the pine offered an appropriate and ironic symbol, as it flew atop the very structure (ship masts) for which the British had sought to harvest the white pine.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
 
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.
 
==Appeal to Heaven and Locke==
The phrase "Appeal to Heaven" is a particular expression of the [[right of revolution]] used by British philosopher [[John Locke]] in chapterhis 14''[[Two Treatises of his ''Government|Second Treatise on Civil Government]].'' whichThe work was published in 1690 asand part of ''[[Two Treatises of Government]]'' refutingrefuted 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>
 
{{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=16 April 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=27 August 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=10 March 2021}}</ref>}}
 
Locke's enlightenment-age works on the topic of the philosophy of government were well-known and frequently quoted by colonial leaders, being the most quoted authority on the government in the 1760–1776 period prior to American independence. Locke's specific 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 Inweb| fact,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=23 February 2021 |last= Littlejohn |first=Brad |access-date = 20 April 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=29 December 2016}}</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, it was used again by the Second Continental Congress in the Declaration of Independence.
 
==Modern usage==
 
The flag was prominently displayed in the introduction credits to HBO's [[John_Adams_(miniseries)|''John Adams'' miniseries]] (2008), referring to John Adams' proud, staunch [[New England]] identity.
 
In 2013, the flag was seen at a Million Vet March where it flew behind [[Sarah Palin]] in photographs. At the time, commentator [[Andrew Sullivan]] discussed the relevance of the flag's appearance, focusing on the connections between the historical message of the flag and its modern usage by political conservatives.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Andrew |title="Is Palin Invoking Locke's Right Of Rebellion?" |date=14 October 2013 |url=http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/10/13/is-palin-invoking-lockes-right-of-rebellion/}}</ref> In 2015, the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]] demanded the flag's removal from a county courthouse in [[Arkansas]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Release, "FFRF asks Ark. county to take down 'Appeal to Heaven' flag" |url=https://ffrf.org/news/news-releases/item/23154-ffrf-asks-ark-county-to-take-down-appeal-to-heaven-flag}}</ref> Also in 2015, the Appeal to Heaven flag and slogan were adopted by a conservative religious movement using the same name.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Griffith |first1=Wendy |title='It Ain't Over!' Christians Appeal to Heaven |url=https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2015/november/it-aint-over-christians-appeal-to-heaven |work=CBN News}}</ref> In 2019, Illinois State Representative [[Chris Miller (politician)|Chris Miller]] made a public appearance with the flag to "help focus attention" on a National Day of Prayer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Release, George Washington 'Appeal To Heaven' Flag Helps Focus attention on 'National Day of Prayer' Coming Up on May 2nd |date=4 April 2019|url=https://repcmiller.com/2019/04/04/george-washington-appeal-to-heaven-flag-helps-focus-attention-on-national-day-of-prayer-on-may-2nd/}}</ref> The flag was also flown by some [[Donald Trump|Trump]] supporters during the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jhaveri |first1=Ishaan |title= The Pine Tree flag: How one symbol at the Capitol riot connects far-right extremism to Christianity|url=https://towcenter.medium.com/the-pine-tree-flag-how-one-symbol-at-the-capitol-riot-connects-far-right-extremism-to-christianity-f02314a5f759}}</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, itthe phrase was used again by the Second Continental Congress in the Declaration of Independence.
In 2023, [[Mike Johnson (politician)|Mike Johnson (R LA)]], newly elected [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]], hung the flag outside his Congressional office.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Onishi|first1=Bradley|last2=Taylor | first2=Matthew| url= https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/mike-johnson-christian-nationalist-appeal-to-heaven-flag-1234873851/ |title= The Key to Mike Johnson’s Christian Extremism Hangs Outside His Office |work=RollingStone |date=Nov 20, 2023}}</ref>
 
==See also==
* [[Flag of New England]]
* [[Flag of Maine (1901–1909)|1901 Maine Flag]]
* [[American Enlightenment]]
* [[Thompson's War]]
* [[Pine Tree Riot]]
 
==References==
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==External links==
{{commonscat-inline|Pine Tree Flag}}
* [https://wallbuilders.com/an-appeal-to-heaven-flag/ History of An Appeal to Heaven flag], Wallbuilders
*[http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/48051-dutch-sheets-tells-story-behind-the-appeal-to-heaven-flag Dutch Sheets Tells Story Behind the Appeal to Heaven Flag]
 
[[Category:Flags of the American Revolution|Pine Tree Flag]]
[[Category:1775 introductions]]