This Day in History: Appeal to Heaven
At about this time in 1775, a flag is proposed for George Washington’s new, fledgling Navy. The design would be simple: a pine tree on a white background, accompanied by three words: “Appeal to Heaven.”
Why would our forefathers fly such a flag? And what did those words mean to the men risking their lives against the powerful British Navy?
One reason for a flag was practical: George Washington’s ships needed a way to identify each other. “Please to fix upon some particular Colour for a Flag—& a Signal, by which our vessels may know one another,” Col. Joseph Reed wrote on October 20.
The Continental Army was then holding the British under siege in Boston. Floating batteries—essentially floating artillery platforms—had been dispatched to help. Those batteries were already flying an Appeal to Heaven flag.
“What do you think of a Flag with a White Ground, a Tree in the Middle—the Motto (Appeal to Heaven),” Reed concluded. “This is the Flag of our floating Batteries.”
But what would have prompted the words “Appeal to Heaven”?
The words date back to English philosopher John Locke, whose writings were influential among the colonists. His 1690 treatise had discussed what to do when rights are violated and there is no earthly recourse.
“And where the Body of the People, or any single Man, is deprived of their Right. . . and have no Appeal on Earth, there they have a liberty to appeal to Heaven,” Locke wrote.
His words resonated, and the colonists began using the phrase. For instance, General Israel Putnam’s troops flew a flag including the phrase at Prospect Hill in July 1775. Moreover, an April 1775 address from the Massachusetts Provincial Congress to the inhabitants of Great Britain turned toward this logic after describing the “persecution & Tyranny of [the King’s] cruel Ministry.”
“We will not tamely Submit appealing to Heaven for ye Justice of our Cause,” the declaration concluded. “We determine to die or be free.”
That might explain “Appeal to Heaven,” but why a pine tree?
Part of it had to do with regional identity. The Eastern White Pine was a recognizable feature of New England. Indeed, pine trees already appeared on some colonial coinage and other flags.
But perhaps there was another reason, too? The King had placed restrictions on these trees because he wanted them for Royal Navy masts. There was even a riot over it in 1772.
In other words, maybe the pine tree was an expression of defiance and independence by this juncture.
Either way, the proposal for an “Appeal to Heaven” flag seems to have been accepted by the new Navy, although it’s not clear that every ship actually ended up using it.
For instance, the Hancock and Franklin, two early ships in Washington’s Navy, had already been fitted out and were ready to depart not long after the October 20 proposal. They had “none but their old Colours” and left anyway. On the other hand, some of the vessels clearly did fly the flag, as documented by one British admiral when discussing the captured brig Washington.
“Captain Medows has brought the American vessel’s colours,” Sir Hugh Palliser wrote, “it is a white field with a green pine tree in the middle: the motto, Appeal to Heaven.”
Washington’s Navy operated for about six months during the Boston siege, capturing roughly 55 prizes. The seizures helped supply the American troops during those months.
It would be a long, uphill contest. Washington’s men could not then know that they would accomplish the seemingly impossible: an upset victory over the mighty British Army and Navy.
But, then again, maybe their earthly efforts weren’t the decisive factor. They’d leaned on an Appeal to Heaven—and it worked.
What do you think?
A note for those who are interested: Some of you might know I am running an experiment in history reels. If you are so inclined, check out my YouTube channel and/or subscribe to those HERE. Don’t miss the reel I created about Baseball & the Electoral College, posted over the weekend.
Primary Sources:
Address from Joseph Warren to the Inhabitants of Great Britain (April 26, 1775)
Colonel Joseph Reed to Colonel John Glover and Stephen Moylan, Salem, 20 October 1775 (Naval Documents of the American Revolution)
Craig L. Symonds, The Naval Institute Historical Atlas of the U. S. Navy (1995)
George Washington's Headquarters and Home (Longfellow House—Washington's Headquarters, National Historic Site; Feb. 29, 2012) (National Park Service)
Stephen Moylan and Colonel John Glover to Colonel Joseph Reed, 22 October 1775 (Naval Documents of the American Revolution)
The Case of the Blown Up Battery (Boston1775 blog; Oct. 17, 2007)
The U.S. Navy’s Jack (Naval History & Heritage Command)
Tim McGrath, Give Me a Fast Ship: The Continental Navy and America’s Revolution at Sea (2014)
Terry M. Mays, Historical Dictionary of the American Revolution (2d ed. 2009)
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