Minerva Teichert (1888-1926), The Title of Liberty, 1949-1951, oil on masonite, 35 15/16 x 48 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1969.
On this day in 1774, colonists in Taunton, Massachusetts raised a red flag displaying the words “Liberty and Union,” in defiance of British Rule. Flown atop a 112-foot tall liberty pole, the Taunton flag was one of the first flags flown as an act of rebellion against the British crown in the time leading up to the American Revolution. Now the official flag of the city of Taunton, its slogan is timeless and universal. The story of the Taunton flag may remind Book of Mormon readers of Captain Moroni’s Title of Liberty, here painted by Minerva Teichert. Mounted on a white stallion, Moroni waves the inscribed banner, ready to lead his people in faith. Indistinct figures behind Moroni may include the soldiers' wives and children, and in the background are the structures of a large city. Thus the soldiers have before them their families and their land--two of the reasons they have covenanted to fight and to remain righteous. In the mural, a soldier with a horn summons the men on the right to assemble around Moroni. To Teichert, the red, white, and blue banner was symbolic of the emblems of Israel and therefore was an appropriate rallying point for the Nephites.