The History of the Union Jack

The Union Jack is all over the place. It is the official flag of the United Kingdom. It is in the flag of Hawaii. It is the canton (the upper left portion) in numerous other country flags. It was even briefly on the official flag of the United States. And given the "jack" in its name, it has its origins in maritime usage.

The rules at sea have a long history and are strictly enforced. Maritime flags are an important aspect of maritime law, especially in the past when there was no radio communications. Vessels were required to fly flags that showed their country of registration. Ceremonies and rituals also developed where flags played a special role. There are two common types of maritime flags: ensigns and jacks. Ensigns are probably the most common flag. They are required to be shown when a vessel is entering or leaving harbour and when sailing foreign waters. During a battle, the lowering of an ensign would signal surrender. Jacks are generally only flown by warships and they are flown when the ship is not underway and possibly during special occasions. Generally an ensign is flown at the stern (back) of a vessel and the jack is flown at the bow (front). The term "jack" has another usage that likely predates this naval usage, being used as a diminutive, describing the physical flag as smaller variation.

James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones in 1603, creating personal union (a combination of two or more states with a common monarch, but remaining distinct states). A few years later, in 1606, a new flag was specified to represent this union. This new flag was meant only to be used at sea by vessels of England and Scotland. The political landscape of Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland would fluctuate over the following two centuries with variations of the 1606 flag growing in usage, becoming the flag on land as well as sea, when in 1801, the United Kingdom would be formed in the merging of Great Britain and Ireland. Officially called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom would create a sovereign state out of Britain, Scotland, and parts of Ireland. The Union Jack, as it is known today, was created to represents all three states. The red cross of St George represents England, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland, and the red saltire of St Patrick for Ireland.

With the name "Union Jack", one might think that the flag should only be used in the context of naval vessels. While that, technically, might be true, in reality it is has become acceptable to use it more generally. The name likely represents the original usage of the term "jack", referring to the size of the flag. In an article from The Flag Institute by Commander Bruce Nicolls it is stated that: "From its earliest days, the Admiralty often referred to the flag – however it was used – as the Union Jack. In 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that either name could be used officially. And in 1908 the UK Parliament approved this verdict, stating that ‘the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag’."

Somewhat surprisingly, an early flag of the United States of America, featured a union jack canton (as this was 1777, before the merging of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, this Union Jack does not include the St Patrick saltire). One might have assumed that, like the Confederacy would do, the revolutionaries might choose a flag to show their separation from England. This flag, adopted from late 1775 to 1777, was called the Grand Union flag. In his 2017 book The Union Jack : the story of the British flag, Nick Groom argues that the Grand Union was a statement of protest against British Parliament but continued loyalty to King George III, although his evidence is simply that the flag exists as it does. Whatever the cause, the Grand Union would not last long with it being replaced by a pattern requiring stars in the Flag Act of 1777. The United States would get what is called the Betsy Ross Flag, although she probably did not design it.

Today the Union Jack shows up in the canton of many flags, from unrecognized states to sovereign states. Probably the most well known are Australia and New Zealand, two states not too far separated from their British roots. The Union Jack also has special status in Canada. While Canada's current flag, the Maple Leaf, is most identifiable, it only became the national flag in 1965. Prior to that, there was no official flag. There were various proposals and unofficial flags prior to 1965, many of them with a Union Jack. The Union Jack retains official status, called the Royal Union flag, as a symbol of being a member of the Commonwealth.

While the United States may have removed the Union Jack in 1777 when they replaced the Grand Union flag, when Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, it got a the Union Jack back in the from of the Hawaiian state flag. The Hawaiian state flag was adopted in 1845. The flag has eight horizontal stripes to symbolize the eight islands, and the Union Jack, showing its origin as part of the United Kingdom.