American Flag History



Name:___________________________

A New Nation creates an Identity

Directions: In the next few pages you will be reading about some of the icons and events that helped to create a strong national identity out of a very diverse population of peoples, in the United States early years. You need to read each section and then answer the corresponding questions.

1- The American Flag

Every country has its own myths and legends. In America, we have many. A cherished myth related to the history of the American flag deals with one Betsy Ross; Seamstress patriot, stuff of legend. However, she was most likely not the person responsible for creating the first American flag. According to the legend, George Washington himself approached Elizabeth Ross in 1777 and asked her to create a flag from a sketch he drew. She then sewed this first flag for the new country. However, the story is not true.

So what is the true origin of the flag? It is believed that Francis Hopkinson, a Congressman from New Jersey and patriot, was the true designer of the flag. In fact, the journals of the Continental Congress show that he designed the flag. For further information on this interesting figure, please see this page on the U.S. Flag Web Site.

At the time the American flag was created, it did not attract much attention from the general public; its primary function was to identify ships and forts.

This would start to change during the War of 1812. Often referred to as the “Second War of Independence,” the conflict inspired a fresh wave of patriotism in a generation too young to remember the Revolution. When Key declared that “our flag was still there,” he fused the physical symbol of the nation with universal feelings of patriotism, courage, and resilience. By giving the flag a starring role in one of the most celebrated victories of the war, Francis Scott Key’s song established a new prominence for the flag as an expression of national identity, unity, and pride. The emblem became something familiar and reminiscent, a symbol that Americans could connect with and claim as their own. The flag was no longer just an emblem of the nation; it became a representation of the country’s values and the ideals for which it stands. In the years since 1814, in times of celebration and crisis, pride and protest, people have raised the flag to express their ideas about what it means to be American.

Today the flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well: Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor, White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice

***Did you know? Robert G. Heft designed the current flag as a school project when Hawaii and Alaska were being discussed as possible states. He received a B minus for the assignment because his teacher said it lacked creativity. His teacher told him he would receive a higher grade if it was adopted by Congress, so he sent it on to his representative, where it eventually became the nation’s flag.

Questions:

1- What do the stars and stripes on the flag represent? ______________________________________________________ 2- How did the creation of a National Flag help unite the country? ____________________________________________

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2- War of 1812 (Battle of New Orleans)

The War of 1812 was a major turning point for the United States, and a severe test of the young republic’s resolve. During the three years of war, the country endured many hardships. However, it also achieved a number of decisive battlefield victories—triumphs that demonstrated the American people’s ability to overcome great odds, and that helped forge a new sense of national identity. The last battle of the war, the Battle of New Orleans, was such a dramatic and unexpected victory that it immediately took a prominent place in American popular culture. Under the leadership of General Andrew Jackson, a few thousand U.S. troops, including militiamen from Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana, successfully held off a much larger force of British troops and kept New Orleans from falling into enemy hands. The battle itself, meanwhile, was celebrated in poems, paintings, dances, and songs. A favorite theme of many songs was the key role rural militiamen and backwoods hunters played in the victory. The War of 1812 was the first conflict to bring men from many Southern states and territories together to fight for the U.S.

Hunter’s of Kentucky

Ye gentlemen and ladies fair,

Who grace this famous city,

Just listen if you've time to spare

While I rehearse a ditty,

And for the opportunity

Conceive yourself quite lucky,

For 'tis not often here you see

A hunter from Kentucky.

Chorus

Oh, Kentucky, The hunters of Kentucky

Oh, Kentucky, The hunters of Kentucky

You've heard, I s'pose, how New Orleans

Is famed for wealth and beauty,

There's girls of ev'ry hue it seems,

From snowy white to sooty;

So Pakenham he made his brags,

If he in fight was lucky,

He'd have their girls and cotton bags,

In spite of old Kentucky.

Chorus

But Jackson, he was wide awake,

And was not scared of trifles;

For well he knew what aim we take

With our Kentucky rifles;

He led us down to Cypress Swamp,

The ground was low and mucky;

There stood John Bull in pomp,

And here was old Kentucky.

Chorus

A bank was rais'd to hide our breast,

Not that we thought of dying,

But the we always like to rest,

Unless the game is flying;

Behind it stood our little force

None wished it to be greater,

For ev'ry man was half a horse,

And half an alligator.

Chorus

They found, at last, 'twas vain to fight,

Where lead was all the booty,

And so they wisely took to flight,

And left us all our beauty.

And now, if danger e'er annoys,

Remember what our trade is,

Just send for us Kentucky boys,

And we'll protect ye, ladies.

Chorus

Questions: 1- Describe why the Battle of New Orleans created a sense of pride among Americans. ________

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3- War of 1812(Star Spangled Banner)

Attorney Francis Scott Key was a gifted amateur poet and witnessed the twenty-five hour bombardment of Fort McHenry from a British troopship anchored some four miles away. He had boarded the ship to negotiate the release of an American civilian imprisoned by the British, and had been held aboard. Inspired by the sight of the American flag flying over Fort McHenry the morning after the bombardment, he scribbled the initial verse of his song on the back of a letter. Back in Baltimore, he completed the four verses and copied them onto a sheet of paper, probably making more than one copy. A local printer issued the new song as a broadside. Shortly afterward, two Baltimore newspapers published it, and by mid-October it had appeared in at least seventeen other papers in cities up and down the East Coast.

Questions: 1- Describe how this national anthem would help unite U.S. citizens. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4- National Road

The National Road, in many places known as Route 40, was built between 1811 and 1834 to reach the western settlements. It was the first federally funded road in U.S. history. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson believed that a trans-Appalachian road was necessary for unifying the young country. In 1806 Congress authorized construction of the road and President Jefferson signed the act establishing the National Road. It would connect Cumberland, Maryland to the Ohio River.

In 1811 the first contract was awarded and the first 10 miles of road built, it extended an existing route already in use. By 1818 the road was completed to Wheeling and mail coaches began using the road. By the 1830s the federal government conveyed part of the road's responsibility to the states through which it runs. Tollgates and tollhouses were then built by the states, with the federal government taking responsibility for road repairs.

As work on the road progressed, a settlement pattern developed that is still visible. Original towns and villages are found along the National Road, many barely touched by the passing of time. The road, also called the Cumberland Road, National Pike and other names, became Main Street in these early settlements, earning the nickname "The Main Street of America." The height of the National Road's popularity came in 1825 when it was celebrated in song, story, painting and poetry. Maryland was the beginning of the flow of cultures, races, religions and ethnic traditions that formed the Main Street of America.  British, German and Irish settlers founded towns on the models of their European homes that are still evident today.  Industry was able to expand as the road opened land for the mining of coal. It became a physical translation of the ideals of Jeffersonian democracy, a nation of citizens whose values and politics were tied to the land.  It was the great highway for moving people and commerce in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Questions: 1- Why was the national road constructed? ___________________________________________ 2- Describe how the national road helped unite the United States. _________________________

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5- Erie Canal Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. Ships would then have the ability to move between the Atlantic and the Great Lakes and the western portion of the U.S. quickly. An engineering marvel when it was built, some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. In order to open the country west of the Appalachian Mountains to settlers and to offer a cheap and safe way to carry produce to a market. However, after it was built it was realized that canals cost more then roads and took longer to build.

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Questions: 1- Why was the canal constructed? _________________________________________________ 2- Describe how the canal helped to unite the country. __________________________________

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6- Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine was a speech made by President James Monroe to Congress in 1823. The speech was written to help protect the new nations of Central and South America, who had recently revolted against Spanish rule. In the speech Monroe stated that North and South America could no longer be colonized by any European nation. In other words, no new colonies could be created in the Americas. President Monroe also went on to say that any attempt at colonization would be seen as an attack on the United States. Europeans were outraged by the demand. However, Americans were thrilled with the message. They were proud to see the U.S. stand up for democracy, liberty and freedom in both the Americas. The message also told the world that the U.S. was strong and confident and needed to be respected by the world.

Questions: 1- Describe how the Monroe Doctrine helped to unite the United States. ____________________

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