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Jerry,Goldrushcam Photographer
| | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 8:23 am: | |
Happy Fourth Of July, Have a safe and sane day, watch out for other drivers on the road today and tonight! The town of Mariposa has a big day planned for today,come and enjoy and old fashioned Fourth Of July in and old west town. |
Jerry, Goldrushcam Photographer
| | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 8:37 am: | |
For a little history:
Thanks to Betty for finding this !
Thinking about the Stars and Stripes? Many Americans are--and not just because it's Fourth of July weekend.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment giving Congress the power to ban "desecration" of the flag. The amendment still has steep hurdles to clear before it can be added to the Constitution: the Senate has to pass it by a two-thirds vote, and 38 states must approve it. But the process has begun.
Whatever your feelings about the amendment, the flag remains a powerful symbol of patriotism for many Americans. But where did those stars and stripes come from in the first place? This Fourth of July, unfurl the whole story.
Today's Knowledge
Flag Facts for the Fourth
What Came Before the "Stars and Stripes"?
Try the "Continental Colors." It had 13 red and white stripes representing the 13 colonies and a British Union Jack in the corner. George Washington raised this flag as the banner of the Continental Army on January 1, 1776.
Other early American flags depicted a pine tree--which had appeared on the early-17th-century seal of the Massachusetts Bay colony--or a snake. There were several versions of the "Gadsden flag," which was yellow with a rattlesnake coiled over the words "Don't Tread on Me!"
Betsy Ross--Did She or Didn't She?
Many Americans believe that a Philadelphia seamstress named Betsy Ross (1752-1836) designed and sewed the first Stars and Stripes. The story may be true, but unfortunately, there's almost no evidence to support it.
The legend of Betsy Ross began when her grandson, William Canby, spoke on the origin of the flag to the Pennsylvania Historical Society in 1870. Canby said his grandmother had told him that she designed and sewed the flag in June 1776 at the request of George Washington, who visited Ross at her shop. Still, despite the fact that Betsy Ross was a good businesswoman who kept careful records, Canby admitted that he could find no documents to back up the story.
Canby claimed that Washington approached Ross because he was part of a congressional committee in charge of creating a new flag. But no one has found any evidence that the committee existed. In fact, no one has been able to prove that Washington ever visited Ross's shop, or that the two even knew each other. Betsy Ross did make flags, but for now, the legend of Betsy Ross sewing the first-ever Stars and Stripes remains a legend.
So Who Came Up with the Stars and Stripes?
Historians have not been able to document any official discussion about the creation of a new national flag before June 14, 1777. On that date, the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the following resolution, without comment or debate:
"Resolved, That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
Congress said nothing about the stars' arrangement, so different versions of the Stars and Stripes appeared during the following years, with different star patterns. These included the "Betsy Ross flag," with the stars in a circle.
Many historians now believe that the Stars and Stripes may have been the work of Francis Hopkinson, a congressman, artist, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1780, Hopkinson wrote a letter to the Admiralty Board about designs he had made for official seals and symbols, including the "Flag of the United States of America." He noted that he hadn't been paid, and asked for a "quarter cask" of wine as compensation (designing flags is thirsty work).
Why Red, White, and Blue?
Like much of this story, the answer to that question is a little mysterious. No official explanation of the color scheme was ever established. Yet in 1782, Charles Thomson, the congressional secretary in charge of choosing a Great Seal for the United States, did explain the meaning of the Seal's red, white, and blue. He said, "White signifies purity and innocence. Red hardiness and valour, and Blue . . . signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice."
On the other hand, the flag may be red, white, and blue simply because the United States started out as a British colony--and those are the colors of the British flag. Maybe early Americans weren't quite as rebellious as they thought.
Jeffery Vail
July 1, 2005
Learn more at KnowledgeNews.Net
Hum along with the history of "The Star Spangled Banner"
http://knowledgenews.net/moxie/members/
mamericana/star-spangled-banner.shtml
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grizzy, CA
| | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 11:37 am: | |
that flag flying high is a beautiful sight.
GOD BLESS AMERICA |
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