Today we are lucky to participate in a zoom viewing of the Flag. We registered for the events on a really amazing webpage: https://constitutioncenter.org/calendar/flag-day-2023
This is an adorable free resource that helps you make a wreath with poppy cut out however they also include stars that you could use to make other crafts: https://constitutioncenter.org/education/classroom-resource-library/classroom/patriotic-wreaths
You have successfully registered
Please check the confirmation email sent to beststash22**@hotmail.com
TopicLive From The Museum: American Flag History and Raising Show
Date & Time
Selected Sessions:
Jun 14, 2023 12:00 PM
DescriptionYounger learners are invited to tune in for a special Flag Day celebration to discover the history and symbolism of the American flag! Together we’ll learn about the history of the flag, the proper way to display it, and test our knowledge with fun flag facts. View our Privacy Policy: https://constitutioncenter.org/about/terms-of-use-and-privacy-policy#privacy
and this event:
TopicVirtual Program: Betsy Ross: Beyond the First Flag
Date & Time
Selected Sessions:
Jun 14, 2023 01:45 PM
DescriptionBetsy Ross is perhaps best known for sewing the first American flag at the request of General George Washington, but did you know she also ran a successful woman-owned business in revolutionary Philadelphia? Or that she helped establish the Free Quaker Meeting House? Join historic interpreter Carol Spacht as she brings to life this beloved founding figure. As a historic interpreter, Carol Spacht performs hundreds of interactive programs to schools, libraries, and civic organizations. She appears regularly as Betsy Ross and has extensive knowledge of hand-sewing techniques, textiles, and the trade of the upholsterer in the 18th century. Presented in partnership with the Betsy Ross House. *Session is for learners of all ages. Teachers, please share your Zoom registration information with students for quick logins. View our Privacy Policy: https://constitutioncenter.org/about/terms-of-use-and-privacy-policy#privacy
In honor of Flag Day, here are 10 fascinating facts about the Stars and Stripes that may surprise you!
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1. The flag predates the Constitution
The flag was authorized by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The motion read, “Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white: that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” The Constitution was written 10 years after that and ratified in 1789.
2. Betsy Ross and the Flag
Historians are still debating Betsy’s role in designing the first flag, but she recounted that she was asked to sew the flag by her fellow churchgoer, George Washington. Ross had also done some seamstress work for Washington. You can read the debates online, but here’s what the historic marker in front of her house says: “Credited with making the first stars and stripes flag, Ross was a successful upholsterer. She produced flags for the government for over 50 years. As a skilled artisan, Ross represents the many women who supported their families during the Revolution and early Republic.”
3. What exactly is a vexillologist?
A vexillologist is a flag expert. It’s a relatively new word, coming into use in 1959. According to the North American Vexillological Association, there are currently no degrees offered on the subject.
4. Who approves design changes in the flag?
Congress and the president have ordered design changes in the past to accommodate the addition of new states. President James Monroe and Congress agreed in 1818 that there should be 13 stripes as well as one star for each state in the Union.
5. Who decides the rules for flag etiquette?
It’s in the federal code as Chapter 1 of Title 4. The law also includes the approved text of the Pledge of Allegiance.
6. Where outside the United States can you see the flag continuously 24 hours a day?
There are five American flags flying on the moon, thanks to the Apollo astronauts.
7. Which flag had the snake on it?
You've probably seen the yellow flag with a coiled rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread On Me.” This is the Gadsden flag, named after its designer, General Christopher Gadsden. The flag was used in the Revolutionary War. There are other variations of the flag with rattlesnakes and versions of the motto. Benjamin Franklin was one of the originators of the snake as an American political symbol, in a famous 1754 political cartoon.
8. Where was the first flag flown outside the U.S. in military action?
It was first flown over the shores of Tripoli. The Marines were involved in military actions against the Barbary pirates and after they hit the shore, they raised the Stars and Stripes. After the Battle of Derne in 1805, the flag was raised on foreign soil for the first time after a battle.
9. What is Francis Scott Key’s flag connection?
Key witnessed the American flag flying after a British attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore in 1814, while he was a guest on a British ship as he negotiated for the return of American prisoners. His experience inspired him to write a poem, “Defence of Fort McHenry.” After it was published, Key matched it up with music from a popular British tune, which eventually became “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our national anthem. By the way, if “vexillology” wasn’t enough fun, here’s another one: the act of adding new lyrics to an existing song is called “contrafactum.”
10. What’s the biggest American flag?
It’s so big you can’t fly it, but the “Superflag” conceived of by the late Thomas Demski measures 505 by 225 feet and weighs 3,000 pounds. It takes 600 people to unfurl. Each star is 17 feet high.
Bonus fact: The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia has its own giant American flag on display in its Grand Hall Overlook, surrounded by the flags of all the U.S. states and territories and with the iconic Independence Hall in the background. The flag has flown over the capitals of all 50 states and was hung by Muhammad Ali in a special Flag Day ceremony on June 14, 2003, when the museum opened. Source: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/how-much-do-you-know-about-the-american-flag
"OLD GLORY!"
This famous name was coined by Captain William Driver, a shipmaster of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1831. As he was leaving on one of his many voyages aboard the brig CHARLES DOGGETT - and this one would climax with the rescue of the mutineers of the BOUNTY - some friends presented him with a beautiful flag of twenty four stars. As the banner opened to the ocean breeze for the first time, he exclaimed "Old Glory!"
He retired to Nashville in 1837, taking his treasured flag from his sea days with him. By the time the Civil War erupted, most everyone in and around Nashville recognized Captain Driver's "Old Glory." When Tennesee seceded from the Union, Rebels were determined to destroy his flag, but repeated searches revealed no trace of the hated banner.
Then on February 25th, 1862, Union forces captured Nashville and raised the American flag over the capital. It was a rather small ensign and immediately folks began asking Captain Driver if "Old Glory" still existed. Happy to have soldiers with him this time, Captain Driver went home and began ripping at the seams of his bedcover. As the stitches holding the quilt-top to the batting unraveled, the onlookers peered inside and saw the 24-starred original "Old Glory"!
Captain Driver gently gathered up the flag and returned with the soldiers to the capitol. Though he was sixty years old, the Captain climbed up to the tower to replace the smaller banner with his beloved flag. The Sixth Ohio Regiment cheered and saluted - and later adopted the nickname "Old Glory" as their own, telling and re-telling the story of Captain Driver's devotion to the flag we honor yet today.
Captain Driver's grave is located in the old Nashville City Cemetery, and is one of three (3) places authorized by act of Congress where the Flag of the United States may be flown 24 hours a day.
A caption above a faded black and white picture in the book, The Stars and the Stripes, states that " 'Old Glory' may no longer be opened to be photographed, and no color photograph is available." Visible in the photo in the lower right corner of the canton is an appliqued anchor, Captain Driver's very personal note. "Old Glory" is the most illustrious of a number of flags - both Northern and Confederate - reputed to have been similarly hidden, then later revealed as times changed. The flag was given to his granddaughter or neice and she later donated it to the Smithsonian. Source: https://www.chamberofcommerce.org/usflag/old.glory.story.html
From Young Sheldon: https://youtu.be/LCkrO7V-ZE0
A thoughtful mind, when it sees a nation's flag, sees not the flag, but the nation itself.
Henry Ward Beecher
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