Danielle Tritt Writing Prompt #3 Raymond 30 January 2014

Flag of England Some of my great ancestors from my moms side of the family arrived to the United States from England. The flag of England started with the St Georges Cross. The cross is red, lying over top of a solid white background. The red cross was an emblem of England that can be traced back to the middle ages. Though the English flag has no official status within the United Kingdom, it was used as a constituent in the design of the Union Flag in 1606. The English version of the First Union Flag was identified with the same red cross; however, it now lays over top of a navy blue background with a white x intertwined. The English flag has been of great use since the 1990s, particularly at national sporting events. Although there is no official national anthem, Land of Hope and Glory is considered a regional anthem, where as, God Save the Queen is used at many events and considered the anthem of England. Land of Hope and Glory was composed by Edward Elgar in 1902 and was used at the coronation of George V. Thomas Augustine Arne composed God save the Queen in the 18th century. It was sung for the first time in 1745 during the Jacobite invasion of England. Led by Charles Edward Stewart, the Jacobites were trying to restore the House of Stuart to the throne. Stewart was proclaimed the King of England after defeating George IIs army. To apply for British citizenship, you must be 18 years of age, have a sound mind, a good character, lived in the UK for at least 5 years before application, spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months, and not broken any immigration laws while in the UK.

References Barrow, M. (20013). Project Britain. Retrieved from http://projectbritain.com/anthem/england.htm Crown. (2014, January 22). Become a British citizen. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-citizen Raeside, R. (2013, June 13). Flags of the World. Retrieved from http://fotw.net/flags/gb-eng.html