16 Star US Boat Ensign, Johnson Brothers, Bath ME, 1850's
The 16 stars on this flag suggest that it is an abolitionist exclusionary flag. The Fugitive Slave Act, which passed as one of the elements of the Compromise of 1850, allowed slave catchers to roam the North in search of any individual who had escaped slavery. The presence of these individuals in New England particularly enraged abolitionist elements there, with some extremists going so far as to advocate Northern secession from the Union rather than submit to the resulting actions of the Fugitive Slave Act. Exclusionary Stars and Stripes made during the period from 1850 to 1860 reflected that sentiment. Such flags featured stars only for the Northern free states and excluded the 15 slave states from the represented total.

U.S. Ensign from the ship works in Bath, Maine. New England was the spiritual home of the abolitionist movement. This ensign is marked (U.S.) Ensign from Johnson Bros: Bath, Maine

From 1854 through 1863 the US Navy made unitized 16 star boat flags for small boats. This could also be an example of such a flag. However, it does not conform to known Boat Flags.

In 1795 the U.S. flag law changed the flag from having 13 stars and stripes to 15 of each. However, no provision was made for recognizing the entry of new States into the union. In 1796 Tennessee entered as the 16th State, but no 16 star flags were authorized after its admission. Despite this lack of change in the flag law, some people added additional stars and stripes to the flag. These actions eventually led to the flag act of 1818. In 1817, during a debate in Congress on changing the flag law, Congressman Peter Wendover of New York discussed the lack of uniformity among U.S. flags and the lack of compliance with the law in their use. To illustrate his point, he pointed to the flag over the U.S. Navy Yard, which had 9 stripes, and the flag flying over the capitol building, which had 18.

The 16 star flag meant for small boats may have been the result of simple visual symmetry, creating a way to still have stars, but large stars on a flag that were not intended to change with the admission of new states and thus would save the frugal Navy some money. However, another view is that the 16 stars were intentional and commemorative of the fact that there were 16 states in the Union when the US Navy was reconstituted in 1798 for the Quasi-War with France. Some combination of both theories is likely true. From at least 1857 through 1861, U.S. Navy "boat flags" bore 16 stars, set in 4 rows of 4 stars each.

ZFC Significant Flag

Provenance:
• Johnson Brothers, Bath, ME, 1850-1860s.
• Sold via Cowan's Auction, Cincinnati, Ohio, to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2005.


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