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Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags

April 19 - August 10, 2025
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  • April 19 - August 10, 2025
  • Museum of the American Revolution
  • Explore Now

    Online Exhibit: Banners of Liberty

    Explore the Museum's Banners of Liberty online exhibit to learn more about rarely seen flags used by the Continental Army and Militia in the Revolutionary War.

This image shows the words Banners of Liberty in blue to the left with the words An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags in red underneath and a painting of soldiers marching into battle with a large flag.
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The aged, as well as the young, daily march out under the banners of liberty, and discover a determined resolution to maintain her cause even until death.
The Pennsylvania Mercury, Philadelphia, June 9, 1775

The Museum marked the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States Armed Forces (Army, Navy, and Marine Corps) with a new special exhibition, Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags. The exhibition, displayed in the Museum's first-floor Patriots Gallery, featured the largest gathering of rare and significant Revolutionary War flags in more than two centuries.

Armies and navies in the 1700s employed artistically embellished flags to identify their armed forces on land and sea, to aid in maneuvers, and to instill "esprit de corps" within military units. Flag makers, including Philadelphia’s Rebecca Flower Young and Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross, employed colors and designs to represent national identity and political ideals. For America’s Revolutionary generation, the flags that flew over their regiments and ships were perhaps the first visual expressions of liberty and independence that they saw.

Of the hundreds of flags made and carried in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) by the Continental Army and American militia, only about 30 are known to survive. Working with institutional and private lenders, the Museum assembled and displayed more than a dozen original flags that were carried in military campaigns stretching from northern New England to South Carolina.

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Key Flags to be Displayed

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This blue silk flag with 13 six-pointed white stars descended in the Washington family with the history of being used to mark George Washington’s position in camp and on the battlefield.
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The First Troop was organized in 1774 as the Light Horse of the City of Philadelphia. Also known as the First City Troop, the organization is the oldest military unit in the United States still in active service.
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This flag used by the Delaware Militia, also known as the “Dansey Flag,” was captured by British Army officer Captain William Dansey in September of 1777 and brought back to England as a war trophy. Courtesy of the Delaware Historical Society
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This flag was used by the 2nd Spartan Regiment of Militia in South Carolina. It remained in possession of the family of the regiment's commanding officer until recently.
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Believed to have been carried by a Massachusetts militia company in 1775, this flag was altered after the Declaration of Independence to remove the British Union from its canton.
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One of two 2nd New Hampshire Regiment flags in the exhibition, this flag is painted with the “Chain of States” and the motto “We Are One” to represent unity among the states. New Hampshire Historical Society, Gift of Edward Tuck; Conserved with support from the Artist Preservation Group
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This flag, like the other 2nd New Hampshire Regiment flag in the exhibition, is known to be sewn by Boston-based milliner Fanny Johonnot Williams and sent to England as a war trophy after the Battle of Hubbardton in 1777. New Hampshire Historical Society, Gift of Edward Tuck; Conserved with support from the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire

Banners of Liberty is the culmination of a series of popular special exhibitions and public programs that have explored the history of the American flag, including A New Constellation: A Collection of 13-Star Flags (2019), the True Colours Flag Project (2021), and Flags and Founding Documents, 1776-Today (2021). The Museum is honored to kick off the nation’s 250th anniversary in the Revolutionary capital with this unprecedented exhibition of rare and dramatic "banners of liberty."

Additional Resources: 

  • Audio Tour: An audio tour, with transcriptions, was available to guests.

  • Programs and Events: The exhibition came to life with special events and daily programs, including family-friendly activities, and speaker and Museum Member events. 

  • For Kids & Families: Families were able to enjoy the special exhibition with a printed scavenger hunt for younger visitors, as well as hands-on activities and crafts, pop-up talks, and a discovery cart with replica objects related to the exhibition. 

  • Digital Resources: Online visitors were invited to explore the online Banners of Liberty exhibit, as well as the Museum's digital resources about previous related exhibitions and programs that have explored the history of the American flag, including A New Constellation: A Collection of 13-Star Flags (2019), the True Colours Flag Project (2021), and Flags and Founding Documents, 1776-Today (2021). 

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Painting in exhibit graphic: Howard Pyle (1853-1911), The Nation Makers, ca. 1902, oil on canvas, 40 ¼ x 26 in. Brandywine Museum of Art, Purchased through a grant from the Mabel Pew Myrin Trust, 1984.

A list of presenting and additional sponsors for the Banners of Liberty exhibition
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