The lessons of America’s first flag outside the USA
Article excerpt
Deep within Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle, inside the ancient fortress’s prison vaults, is the oldest depiction of the “Stars and Stripes” outside the United States. The carving on a wooden door dates to the American Revolutionary War, when prisoners-of-war were either locked in ships or sent to prisons overseas by the Royal Navy. The anonymous POW’s […]
Deep within Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle, inside the ancient fortress’s prison vaults, is the oldest depiction of the “Stars and Stripes” outside the United States. The carving on a wooden door dates to the American Revolutionary War, when prisoners-of-war were either locked in ships or sent to prisons overseas by the Royal Navy.
The anonymous POW’s fate is uncertain, but more than likely, he sacrificed his life, fortune, and sacred honor, much like the thousands of Americans who succumbed to disease and malnutrition during the war.
At the time, the Stars and Stripes was still relatively new. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress enacted the Flag Act, resolving, “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.” It has appeared similarly ever since, aside from additional stars in the “new constellation.”
Yet, even in its infancy, the flag already elicited feelings of patriotism, independence, and hope. To the prisoner, locked in the Scottish prison, the Stars and Stripes he carved symbolized the pursuit of liberty and the birth of a new nation, which he may not have seen realized.
As America celebrates 250 years, the flag continues to embody the striving toward a more perfect union and the enduring truth that “all men are created equal,” as expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
Throughout American history, the Stars and Stripes has been intrinsic in the nation’s defining moments. It flew over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key penned the national anthem. During World War II, U.S. soldiers raised the flag after the Battle of Iwo Jima. And it appeared alongside civil rights marchers seeking equal treatment and was planted by the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon in 1969.
An American flag waves in the breeze during an NCAA baseball game between North Florida and Florida A&M on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Gary McCullough/AP Photo)
Yet the flag’s significance extends beyond America’s borders as well. Countless immigrants and refugees have viewed it as a symbol of salvation and a beacon of liberty. New citizens receive an American flag when naturalized, and throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, oppressed peoples, most recently the Venezuelan and Iranian diaspora, wave it as a mark of liberation from authoritarian regimes.
Today, however, there are troubling trends demonstrating Americans’ national pride is waning, slipping to record lows. Concurrently, polarization has steadily increased within the past decade, and Gen Zers, the nation’s next leaders, have expressed record-high favorability toward communism and socialism, ideals contrary to those enshrined at Independence Hall in 1776.
This decline in love of country has perniciously spread disillusionment with the foundational aspects of American civic life and ethos.
Despite these odds, Americans can largely agree on one thing: The Stars and Stripes evokes positive emotions. But the flag is only cloth. Symbols rest on a foundation, and when that foundation is crippled, and the shared principles are neglected, malnourished, or even disdained, the symbol then is rendered meaningless.
To the unknown prisoner in Edinburgh Castle, who risked his life for America’s independence, the flag was a profound emblem: the hope for a freer tomorrow. For generations of Americans and aspiring Americans alike, it has carried that same meaning. To neglect this history would do a disservice to his sacrifice and to others who laid down their lives.
RESTORING AMERICA: THE FLAG WE SHARE AND THE MESSAGES WE SEND
We have a duty to uphold and recommit ourselves to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
As President Ronald Reagan once warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Today, Americans must reinvigorate our national pride so that the Stars and Stripes can forever wave with purpose and power, inspiring future generations to preserve and defend liberty.
Andrew Fowler is the editor of RealClearReligion.