9781422287422

American Flag The Story of Old Glory

The Alamo: Symbol of Freedom American Flag: The Story of Old Glory Bald Eagle: The Story of Our National Bird

Confederate Flag: Controversial Symbol of the South The Declaration of Independence: Forming a New Nation Ellis Island: The Story of a Gateway to America Independence Hall: Birthplace of Freedom Jefferson Memorial: A Monument to Greatness Liberty Bell: Let Freedom Ring Lincoln Memorial: Shrine to an American Hero Mount Rushmore: Memorial to Our Greatest Presidents The Pledge of Allegiance: Story of One Indivisible Nation Rock ’n’ Roll: Voice of American Youth The Star-Spangled Banner: Story of Our National Anthem Statue of Liberty: A Beacon of Welcome and Hope Uncle Sam: International Symbol of America The U.S. Constitution: Government by the People Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Remembering a Generation and a War Washington Monument: Memorial to a Founding Father The White House: The Home of the U.S. President

American Flag The Story of Old Glory

Joseph Ferry

Mason Crest Philadelphia

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

© 2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechani- cal, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #PSA2014. For further information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book. Publisher’s note: all quotations in this book come from original sources, and contain the spelling and grammatical inconsistencies of the original text. First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file at the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-1-4222-3119-7 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-4222-8742-2 (ebook)

Patriotic Symbols of America series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3117-3

Contents

Patriotic Symbols and American History

6

Introduction by Barry Moreno

1. A Flag Is Born 2. The Flag Evolves

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15 23 29 37 42 43 45 45 46

3. Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction?

4. A Song for the Flag 5. Right or Disrespect

Chronology

Series Glossary of Key Terms

Further Reading Internet Resources

Index

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR :

Text-dependent questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Words to understand: ;OLZL ^VYKZ ^P[O [OLPY LHZ` [V \UKLYZ[HUK KLÄUP[PVUZ ^PSS increase the reader's understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Series glossary of key terms: This back-of-the book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader's HIPSP[` [V YLHK HUK JVTWYLOLUK OPNOLY SL]LS IVVRZ HUK HY[PJSLZ PU [OPZ ÄLSK Research projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives.

Patriotic Symbols and American History S ymbols are not merely ornaments to admire—they also tell us stories. If you look at one of them closely, you may want to find out why it was made and what it truly means. If you ask people who live in the society in which the symbol exists, you will learn some things. But by studying the people who created that symbol and the reasons why they made it, you will understand the deepest meanings of that symbol. The United States owes its identity to great events in history, and the most remarkable of our patriotic symbols are rooted in these events. The struggle for independence from Great Britain gave America the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, the American flag, and other images of freedom. The War of 1812 gave the young country a song dedicated to the flag, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which became our national anthem. Nature gave the country its national animal, the bald eagle. These symbols established the identity of the new nation, and set it apart from the nations of the Old World.

7 Introduction

To be emotionally moving, a symbol must strike people with a sense of power and unity. But it often takes a long time for a new symbol to be accepted by all the people, especially if there are older symbols that have gradually lost popularity. For example, the image of Uncle Sam has replaced Brother Jonathan, an earlier representation of the national will, while the Statue of Liberty has replaced Columbia, a woman who represented liberty to Americans in the early 19th century. Since then, Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty have endured and have become cherished icons of America. Of all the symbols, the Statue of Liberty has perhaps the most curious story, for unlike other symbols, Americans did not create her. She was created by the French, who then gave her to America. Hence, she represented not what Americans thought of their country but rather what the French thought of America. It was many years before Americans decided to accept this French goddess of Liberty as a symbol for the United States and its special role among the nations: to spread freedom and enlighten the world. This series of books is valuable because it presents the story of each of America’s great symbols in a freshly written way and will contribute to the students’ knowledge and awareness of them. It it to be hoped that this information will awaken an abiding interest in American history, as well as in the meanings of American symbols. — Barry Moreno, librarian and historian Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty National Monument

banner— originally a large, rectangular medieval flag; today, this refers to any rectangular piece of fabric used as a symbol. colonist— early settlers in the NewWorld were called colonists because they lived in one of the 13 colonies. field— the background of the flag surface.The Stars and Stripes has a blue field in the canton, with the balance of the field com- prised of horizontal red and white stripes. hoist— the act of raising the flag. Also, the height of the flag from top to bottom, or the area of the flag closest to the pole. national flag— the official flag of a country or nation. symbol— an item that represents or stands for something else. Union Jack— the national flag of Great Britain. Words to Understand

1

The newly created American flag flies at the left and center of this painting of a battle during the American War of Independence. The basic design of the American flag has not changed much in the more than 225 years since it was created in 1776.

A Flag Is Born

I n December 1775, as the possibility of a war for inde- pendence from England drew closer, a small group of important American colonial leaders met at a dinner party. Inevitably, the conversation turned to the question of a flag to represent the fight for freedom. A debate raged about what should be included on the flag until Benjamin Franklin offered a suggestion. “While the field of our flag must be new in the details of its design, it need not be entirely new in its elements,” suggested Franklin. “There is already in use a flag with which the English government is familiar and which it has not only recognized but also protected for more than half a century, the design of which can be readily modi- fied, or rather extended, so as to most admirably suit our purpose.”

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10 American Flag: The Story of Old Glory

Franklin was referring to the flag of the East India Company, which featured a field of alternating red and white stripes and the Cross of St. George—a red cross on a white field—in the upper left hand corner. His propos- al was received enthusiastically by others in the group, including George Washington. On January 1, 1776, only 20 days after the dinner, Washington hoisted this national flag for the first time at Prospect Hill, near Cambridge, Massachusetts. The flag had 13 alternating red and white stripes, with the Union Jack in the upper left corner. It was called the Grand Union flag. Later, it was called the Cambridge flag and the Continental flag. Of course, the Union Jack would eventually be replaced by the 13 white stars arranged in a circle on a blue background, signifying the 13 original colonies. But why was it so important to have a flag in the first place? After all, isn’t a flag only a piece of cloth, attached to a pole with a bunch of different colors? Actually, a flag is much

Make Connections According to a book published by the U.S. Congress in 1989, the colors of the flag do not have special meaning. However, tradition has given the following meanings: White, purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valor; blue, vigi- lance, perseverance and justice.

more than that. A flag is a symbol . It represents people united by a common bond or cause. This bond can be military, state, religious, or national. The flag is often used as a rallying point, as it

11 A Flag Is Born

was for Washington’s out- manned and under- supplied troops. It served as a source of pride, because it encompassed the hopes and ideals of the people it repre- sented. The first forms resembling modern

The Grand Union Flag was one of the earliest banners used by the Continental army.

flags were banners . They were made of cloth and dis- played on a staff. Their main function was to indicate a person of importance, such as a king, a duke, or a mili- tary leader. Banners were mentioned in the Bible during the days of Solomon more than 3,000 years ago. During the Middle Ages, a number of independent city-states in Italy used banners to establish an individ- ual symbol of identity. These cities were the first to use an extension of the banner as a symbol that would represent them. Thus, the concept of the flag was born. It is generally accepted that the first real flag ever flown in North America was a white flag with a black raven on it. According to legend, this flag was carried by Erik the Red and his son, Leif Eriksson. They were Viking explorers believed to have landed in the Americas some 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

12 American Flag: The Story of Old Glory

VITAL FIGURE: George Washington The commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, George Washington was born

February 22, 1732. As a young man, Washington worked as a surveyor, even though he had little or no formal schooling. Later, he became a tobacco farmer. During the French and Indian War, he fought with the British Army. Washington’s public opposition to unpopu- lar British polices helped him win election as a Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and the Second Continental Congress the following year. In 1775, Congress placed Washington in charge of the Continental Army when fighting broke out between the British and citizens of Massachusetts.

After the end of the Revolutionary War, Washington was elected the country’s first president in 1789. He left office in 1797 to retire to his estate in Mount Vernon, where he died on December 14, 1799.

In the more than 225 years that have passed since the colonists declared themselves free of British rule, the American flag, with its red and white stripes and white stars neatly arranged on a blue background, has become perhaps the most recognizable symbol of freedom and democracy in the world. The flag represents not only the struggle by colonists for independence, but also the determination of settlers to push the frontier boundaries. It has also come to represent the thousands of American lives lost in battle in the country’s history.

In a 1996 proclamation, President Bill Clinton had this to say about the American flag: “It continues to exemplify the profound commitment to freedom, equal- ity, and opportunity made by our founders more than two centuries ago. Our flag’s proud stars and stripes have long inspired our people, and its beautiful red, white, and blue design is known around the world as a beacon of liberty and justice.” 13 A Flag Is Born

Text-Dependent Question What was first flag that was hoisted over the Continental army’s camp, and meant to represent all 13 of the American colonies, called? Research Project The Vikings may have been the first people to fly a flag in North America. Using the Internet, find out about their Vineland settlement, established more than 1,000 years ago in Newfoundland.

Words to Understand

canton— originally a word describing the four quarters of a shield and always less than one-quarter of the total surface of a flag. In modern times, as used when referring to flags, it means the area in the top corner next to the pole or staff. ensign— originally, a standard, badge emblem, symbol, or sign. It may also be a military or naval flag or banner. jack— a naval flag smaller than an ensign and flown at a ship’s bow as a mark of distinction or to show nationality.The American Jack is the canton of the Stars and Stripes, a blue field contain- ing 50 five-pointed stars. standard— a flag or banner that is adopted as an emblem or sym- bol by a nation. union— the combining of two or more entities into one. In the flag of Great Britain, for example, the union is a combination of the St. George Cross, the St.Andrew Cross, and the St. Patrick Cross. In the American flag, the union refers to the canton, or the union of the states represented by the stars.