[LibWhacker]

So George Washington and those at the birth of the USA put the British flag happily as part of their own and you can't see that significance? Not happily, give me a break. They removed it. Can you not see the significance of that?

[CWOJackson]

Better yet...they removed the Union Jack from the nation.

[Jack2006]

Not happily, give me a break.

The flag was freely chosen after independence. If you want to deny the first Americans freely chose that then you deny the truth. I bet some of you didn't even know all this! As for it changing - well all flags change. The British flag has changed since 1776 too.

"The Grand Union 1775: Also known as the Continental flag, it is the first true U.S. Flag. It combined the British King's Colours and the thirteen stripes signifying Colonial unity. George Washington liked this design so well that he chose it to be flown to celebrate the formation of the Continental Army on New Years Day, 1776. On that day the Grand Union Flag was proudly raised on Prospect Hill in Somerville, near his headquarters at Cambridge, Massachusetts. "

http://www.usflag.org/history/grandunion1775.html