What was the first American flag used by the United Colonies before the 1777 Stars and Stripes?

The Grand Union Flag was the first American flag used by the United Colonies before the 1777 Stars and Stripes.

Also called the Continental Union Flag, it combined thirteen red-and-white stripes with the British Union Flag in the canton. The stripes represented the thirteen colonies, while the canton reflected the colonies’ continuing political relationship with Britain during the early Revolutionary War.

The flag first appeared publicly on December 3, 1775, when it was raised aboard the Continental Navy ship USS Alfred at Philadelphia. It remained the de facto national flag until the Continental Congress adopted the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777. That later design replaced the British Union in the canton with thirteen white stars on a blue field. The name “Grand Union Flag” became common only later; during the Revolution, it was also called the Continental Colours or the flag of the United Colonies.