September 11, 2025 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Stars and Stripes became the national banner, another symbol of liberty flew over American ships. Known as the Pine Tree Flag, or the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, it was one of the earliest wartime flags of the Revolution. In 1775, George Washington ordered it raised on six schooners that made up the first naval force of the colonies. Its white field and green pine tree came from New England symbolism, while its motto reflected John Locke’s political philosophy that when all earthly appeals failed, justice could be sought from above. For colonists, it was both a patriotic emblem and a symbol of liberty at a time when independence was still a daring idea. Our regular contributor, Ashley Hlebinsky, brings the story of this early American flag to life, connecting its 18th-century symbolism to the broader tradition of U.S. banners.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories.
Many flags from the Revolutionary War ere a feature of
pine Tree, a symbol that might seem innocent at first,
but once you know its history, the meaning is much deeper.
Here to tell the story is Ashley Lebinski. Ashley is
the former co host of Discovery Channels Master of Arms.
(00:32):
She's also the co founder of the University of Wyoming
College of Laws Firearms Research Center. Here's Ashley.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
You've probably heard of the Betsy Ross flag. In fact,
most people have probably heard of that, especially with the
anniversary of the American Revolution, but there were a lot
of flags that were popular during that timeframe. A lot
of people are aware of the Adsden flag, which has
is basically a broken up rattlesnake that represents the colonies
(01:05):
and has the infamous phrase don't tread on me. But interestingly,
there's another flag from the American Revolution that almost no
one talks about, and in some ways, it's got one
of the boldest messages that the colonies have ever sent
to the British and it's called the Pine Tree Flag.
But the reason that it's got this bold message is
(01:27):
because it has the words appeal to Heaven on the flag.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
And this story starts in seventeen seventy five, which is
right at the start of the revolution.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
General George Washington took command of the army in July
of seventeen seventy five, and to put it maybe not politely,
he basically inherited a hot mess.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
When he showed up in New England.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
He met a small, ragtag group of men and they
had very very limited resources. In addition to the army,
he also needed a navy. And the term navy also
might be too generous, because what Washington got was a
handful of small shoooners that were basically just meant to
harass British supply ships and the Massachusetts State Navy, and
(02:13):
these early colonial privateers, if you will, of course needed
a flag, something that they could use to project to
the world that this is who we are.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
It's kind of like a faked till you make it
kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And in October of seventeen seventy five, Washington Secretary Colonel
Joseph Reid suggested something.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
A little bit different. If you've seen in a lot
of the.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Different flags during the Revolution, you obviously see the stars
and stripes you see stars in a circle in different patterns.
But this flag was a plain white flag with a
green pine tree in the center, and across the top
in big block letters read an appeal to Heaven, and
sometimes it appeared as an appeal to God. Now this
(02:58):
expression wasn't just worn out of nowhere, It wasn't just
some religious or poetic slogan. It actually came from English
philosopher John Locke, and philosophers pleaded a really big role,
especially in the drafting of the constitution, so it's not
shocking that they would go to a philosopher for something
like this. And Locke wrote that when all earthly authorities fail,
(03:21):
there's still one higher court you can appeal to, and
that's God. And in seventeen seventy five, the colonists had
spent years being ignored by the King, being ignored by
the British, and so that phrase was a not so
subtle way of saying, basically, we're not asking you for anything,
(03:42):
because we're going to take this beyond the King.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
We're taking this to the highest authority we know.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
And since the revolution really got started into England, a
pine tree made a lot of sense, and it was
loaded with a lot of meaning because for New Englanders
it was a symbol of resilience and independence, and it
had already shown up on colonial coins and some earlier
flags in the area. And one of the things that
it did as well was it carried the memory of
(04:11):
the Pine Tree Riot of seventeen seventy.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Two, which those words don't sound.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Like they go together, but in New Hampshire that year
colonists rebelled against the Crown because the Crown was trying
to stake a claim on the tallest white pines that
they could use for Royal Navy masks, and the colors
were having it, so they basically cut down the trees
and prevented the Royal Navy from being able to use them.
(04:37):
And that act of defiance made the pine tree basically
a perfect emblem for the Revolution. It's a good emblem
for Christmas, but back in the seventeen seventies definitely something
that was a little more rebellious, and the pine tree
also appeared a lot earlier, and it did appear on
one flag, which was a red flag that had the
(04:58):
cross St. George and I was used in New England
as early as seventeen oh four, and some say that
it actually flew at Bunker Hill, so that's kind of
the start of the American.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Revolution, but we're not sure if that's actually true.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
The flag was suggested in seventeen seventy five and it
started appearing, but it wasn't officially adopted until April twenty ninth,
seventeen seventy six.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
And it was in.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Massachusetts that it was officially adopted for the state Navy.
And there were six shooners commissioned by Congress that were
meant to intercept British ships that were entering into Boston,
and that was the USS Hancock, the Lee, Franklin, Harrison, Lynch,
and Warren, and all of these shooners use this flag,
(05:46):
and you have to imagine that out on the water,
especially if you're trying to harass British ships.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
This is a very unique flag.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
But it would also stand out because you've got kind
of the darkness of the water, the darkness of the ocean,
and you've got the ships which have a more dark
tone in them, and then you have this flag with
a bright white background and a bold green tree that
stood out for miles. The pine tree flag never fully
(06:16):
disappeared after the war, it did remain, especially in New England,
for a really long time, actually, well into the late
twentieth century. Massachusetts actually kept it as a maritime flag
until nineteen seventy one, but of course by that point
culturally people weren't as big of a fan of the
slogan on the flag, so Massachusetts quietly dropped that off
(06:41):
from the motto and they left the pine tree. In
nineteen oh eight, Massachusetts also adopted a state flag that
wasn't that same flag, but on the reverse side of
the flag, there was a pine tree with a blue shield.
Outside of Massachusetts, in Maine, which is known as the
Pine Tree States, a similar flag was used into the
(07:01):
early nineteen hundreds, and even in twenty twenty four there
was a push to bring it back but voters ultimately
they put it on the ballot to try to bring
that back as the state flag, but ultimately voters.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Didn't go for it.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But you will still see it around in on souvenirs,
sport jerseys.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
And historical sites across New England.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Also recently, it's been associated with some modern political movements,
including that flag or version of that flag flying in
front of Justice Samuel Alito's vacation home.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Although despite all these proposals to change the main state.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Flag, it was interestingly supported by both Democrats and Republicans,
so it's kind of odd and it's kind of a
shame that Maine didn't adopt it. Throughout history, the Pine
Tree Flag started as a rallying cry for unity and defiance,
and it was flown on the decks of scrappy ships
that dared.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Challenge the British Navy, and.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Today it's stilster's passions in some areas, specifically in New England.
But whether you see it as a proud piece of
revolutionary heritage, a regional icon, or a modern political statement,
the Pine Tree Flag is a reminder that the past
isn't locked away in museums. In fact, sometimes it's flying
(08:20):
right in front of us, even if we don't know
why or where it came from.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Hengler, and a special thanks to
Ashley Libinski. She's a regular contributor here in Our American Stories.
She's the former co host of Discovery Channel's Master of Arms,
and she is also the co founder of the University
of Wyoming College of Laws, Firearms Research Center, and always
(08:47):
she does such a beautiful job for us, and what
a story. You know, we've all probably seen the flag
at some point or another or heard about it. Those
words the appeal to Heaven and then those other words,
an appeal to God. Those are on those early pine
Tree flags. And the reason was quite fascinating. And it
didn't come from theologians. It came from John Locke, a
(09:08):
philosopher and a part, a fundamental part of the nation's founding.
And this quote from him is worth repeating. When all
earthly authorities fail, there is still a higher authority to
appeal to, Locke wrote God. And by the way, that's
what the founders were doing. And that's what the patriots
(09:28):
were doing. They were taking their appeal to a higher authority.
And that's where we get those great words and lines
from Thomas Jefferson that our inalienable rights come from God
and not from government, and the consent of the govern
and how we will run our country is through the
consent of the governed. In other words, the government's not
going to get between man and God again here in America.
(09:51):
The story of the Pine Tree Flag, as told by
Ashley Lebinski here on our American stories.
This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories.
Many flags from the Revolutionary War ere a feature of
pine Tree, a symbol that might seem innocent at first,
but once you know its history, the meaning is much deeper.
Here to tell the story is Ashley Lebinski. Ashley is
the former co host of Discovery Channels Master of Arms.
(00:32):
She's also the co founder of the University of Wyoming
College of Laws Firearms Research Center. Here's Ashley.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
You've probably heard of the Betsy Ross flag. In fact,
most people have probably heard of that, especially with the
anniversary of the American Revolution, but there were a lot
of flags that were popular during that timeframe. A lot
of people are aware of the Adsden flag, which has
is basically a broken up rattlesnake that represents the colonies
(01:05):
and has the infamous phrase don't tread on me. But interestingly,
there's another flag from the American Revolution that almost no
one talks about, and in some ways, it's got one
of the boldest messages that the colonies have ever sent
to the British and it's called the Pine Tree Flag.
But the reason that it's got this bold message is
(01:27):
because it has the words appeal to Heaven on the flag.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
And this story starts in seventeen seventy five, which is
right at the start of the revolution.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
General George Washington took command of the army in July
of seventeen seventy five, and to put it maybe not politely,
he basically inherited a hot mess.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
When he showed up in New England.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
He met a small, ragtag group of men and they
had very very limited resources. In addition to the army,
he also needed a navy. And the term navy also
might be too generous, because what Washington got was a
handful of small shoooners that were basically just meant to
harass British supply ships and the Massachusetts State Navy, and
(02:13):
these early colonial privateers, if you will, of course needed
a flag, something that they could use to project to
the world that this is who we are.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
It's kind of like a faked till you make it
kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And in October of seventeen seventy five, Washington Secretary Colonel
Joseph Reid suggested something.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
A little bit different. If you've seen in a lot
of the.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Different flags during the Revolution, you obviously see the stars
and stripes you see stars in a circle in different patterns.
But this flag was a plain white flag with a
green pine tree in the center, and across the top
in big block letters read an appeal to Heaven, and
sometimes it appeared as an appeal to God. Now this
(02:58):
expression wasn't just worn out of nowhere, It wasn't just
some religious or poetic slogan. It actually came from English
philosopher John Locke, and philosophers pleaded a really big role,
especially in the drafting of the constitution, so it's not
shocking that they would go to a philosopher for something
like this. And Locke wrote that when all earthly authorities fail,
(03:21):
there's still one higher court you can appeal to, and
that's God. And in seventeen seventy five, the colonists had
spent years being ignored by the King, being ignored by
the British, and so that phrase was a not so
subtle way of saying, basically, we're not asking you for anything,
(03:42):
because we're going to take this beyond the King.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
We're taking this to the highest authority we know.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
And since the revolution really got started into England, a
pine tree made a lot of sense, and it was
loaded with a lot of meaning because for New Englanders
it was a symbol of resilience and independence, and it
had already shown up on colonial coins and some earlier
flags in the area. And one of the things that
it did as well was it carried the memory of
(04:11):
the Pine Tree Riot of seventeen seventy.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Two, which those words don't sound.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Like they go together, but in New Hampshire that year
colonists rebelled against the Crown because the Crown was trying
to stake a claim on the tallest white pines that
they could use for Royal Navy masks, and the colors
were having it, so they basically cut down the trees
and prevented the Royal Navy from being able to use them.
(04:37):
And that act of defiance made the pine tree basically
a perfect emblem for the Revolution. It's a good emblem
for Christmas, but back in the seventeen seventies definitely something
that was a little more rebellious, and the pine tree
also appeared a lot earlier, and it did appear on
one flag, which was a red flag that had the
(04:58):
cross St. George and I was used in New England
as early as seventeen oh four, and some say that
it actually flew at Bunker Hill, so that's kind of
the start of the American.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Revolution, but we're not sure if that's actually true.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
The flag was suggested in seventeen seventy five and it
started appearing, but it wasn't officially adopted until April twenty ninth,
seventeen seventy six.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
And it was in.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Massachusetts that it was officially adopted for the state Navy.
And there were six shooners commissioned by Congress that were
meant to intercept British ships that were entering into Boston,
and that was the USS Hancock, the Lee, Franklin, Harrison, Lynch,
and Warren, and all of these shooners use this flag,
(05:46):
and you have to imagine that out on the water,
especially if you're trying to harass British ships.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
This is a very unique flag.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
But it would also stand out because you've got kind
of the darkness of the water, the darkness of the ocean,
and you've got the ships which have a more dark
tone in them, and then you have this flag with
a bright white background and a bold green tree that
stood out for miles. The pine tree flag never fully
(06:16):
disappeared after the war, it did remain, especially in New England,
for a really long time, actually, well into the late
twentieth century. Massachusetts actually kept it as a maritime flag
until nineteen seventy one, but of course by that point
culturally people weren't as big of a fan of the
slogan on the flag, so Massachusetts quietly dropped that off
(06:41):
from the motto and they left the pine tree. In
nineteen oh eight, Massachusetts also adopted a state flag that
wasn't that same flag, but on the reverse side of
the flag, there was a pine tree with a blue shield.
Outside of Massachusetts, in Maine, which is known as the
Pine Tree States, a similar flag was used into the
(07:01):
early nineteen hundreds, and even in twenty twenty four there
was a push to bring it back but voters ultimately
they put it on the ballot to try to bring
that back as the state flag, but ultimately voters.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Didn't go for it.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But you will still see it around in on souvenirs,
sport jerseys.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
And historical sites across New England.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Also recently, it's been associated with some modern political movements,
including that flag or version of that flag flying in
front of Justice Samuel Alito's vacation home.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Although despite all these proposals to change the main state.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Flag, it was interestingly supported by both Democrats and Republicans,
so it's kind of odd and it's kind of a
shame that Maine didn't adopt it. Throughout history, the Pine
Tree Flag started as a rallying cry for unity and defiance,
and it was flown on the decks of scrappy ships
that dared.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Challenge the British Navy, and.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Today it's stilster's passions in some areas, specifically in New England.
But whether you see it as a proud piece of
revolutionary heritage, a regional icon, or a modern political statement,
the Pine Tree Flag is a reminder that the past
isn't locked away in museums. In fact, sometimes it's flying
(08:20):
right in front of us, even if we don't know
why or where it came from.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Hengler, and a special thanks to
Ashley Libinski. She's a regular contributor here in Our American Stories.
She's the former co host of Discovery Channel's Master of Arms,
and she is also the co founder of the University
of Wyoming College of Laws, Firearms Research Center, and always
(08:47):
she does such a beautiful job for us, and what
a story. You know, we've all probably seen the flag
at some point or another or heard about it. Those
words the appeal to Heaven and then those other words,
an appeal to God. Those are on those early pine
Tree flags. And the reason was quite fascinating. And it
didn't come from theologians. It came from John Locke, a
(09:08):
philosopher and a part, a fundamental part of the nation's founding.
And this quote from him is worth repeating. When all
earthly authorities fail, there is still a higher authority to
appeal to, Locke wrote God. And by the way, that's
what the founders were doing. And that's what the patriots
(09:28):
were doing. They were taking their appeal to a higher authority.
And that's where we get those great words and lines
from Thomas Jefferson that our inalienable rights come from God
and not from government, and the consent of the govern
and how we will run our country is through the
consent of the governed. In other words, the government's not
going to get between man and God again here in America.
(09:51):
The story of the Pine Tree Flag, as told by
Ashley Lebinski here on our American stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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