Liberty Tree Flag (1776) was adopted by the Massachusetts Council and became the original flag that the Sons of Liberty met under just before the Boston Tea Party. It derived its name from the elm tree in Hanover Square, Boston, where the patriots first met to protest the Stamp Act. The flag is a green tree on a white background, inscribed with the words Liberty Tree and:
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Another variation of the New England Pine Tree Flag was what George Washington used in the fall of 1775 on his squadron of six schooners, which he outfitted at his own expense. It was later modified and adopted by the Massachusetts Navy. Over a large green tree read
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1776LT001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Liberty Tree Flag, 1776, adopted by the Massachusetts Council. The World Book Encyclopedia, 18 vols. (Chicago, IL: Field Enterprises, Inc., 1957; W.F. Quarrie and Company, 8 vols., 1917; World Book, Inc., 22 vols., 1989), Vol. 2, p. 917; Vol. 6, p. 2590b-c.
1776LT002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Another variation of the New England Pine Tree Flag, George Washington used in the fall of 1775 on his squadron of six schooners, later modified and adopted by the Massachusetts Navy.