[Ads-l] Quote Trace: We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country (Attributed to George Washington)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

A recent message from U.S. Homeland Security contained a quotation
about flag symbolism attributed to George Washington. See the subject
line. This caught the eye of The Fake History Hunter who initiated a
discussion thread. I received a request to trace the quotation from a
thread participant.

The U.S. National Archives operates the "Founders Online" website
which provides a comprehensive searchable database containing
correspondence and other writings from seven Founding Fathers
including George Washington who died in 1799. I was unable to find any
matching documents in this database for the quotation under
examination.

Hence, I performed a broader search. The earliest match appeared in
the "The American Almanac, Year-Book, Cyclopedia and Atlas of 1903".
The copyright date of this book was 1902 because it was assembled in
1902 for the succeeding year. The almanac was published by the "New
York American and Journal", Hearst's "Chicago American", and the "San
Francisco Examiner". The quotation occurred within an article titled
"Flag of the United States; Its 125th Anniversary" by Augustus
Bedford:

[Begin excerpt]
It has often been said in orations that the red meant valor, the white
purity, and the blue loyalty, but Washington gave us a sentiment that
is even grander. Gazing upon it, he said:

"We take the star from Heaven, the red from our mother country,
separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated
from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity
representing liberty."
[End excerpt]

I don't know where Augustus Bedford obtained this quotation. Bedford
did not provide a supporting citation. The lengthy period between the
death of George Washington and the emergence of this quotation
undercuts the attribution to Washington. Thus, the identity of the
creator remains anonymous.

The quotation may have originated in a fictionalized drama or story.
It appeared in Jane A. Stewart’s short 1908 work, “The Making of the
Flag: A Dialogue for Flag Day,” but that drama appeared after the
quotation was already in circulation.

Perhaps a list member will find relevant citations.

The full Quote Investigator article is available here:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/06/16/star-flag/

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole

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