American Studies 2 (bezemtoets)
Lecture notes
1. American Symbols
The Flag
this is how Americans see it, it means everything the country stands for according to them
50 stars = 50 states
13 stripes = 13 colonies
the Flag is sometimes referred to Old glory or Stars and Stripes
The Americans care about the flag in a way Dutch people shall never understand
History
Designer: possibly by Congressman Francis Hopkinson
Made by: Betsy Ross 1776
No particular order of proportions until Executive Order in 1912
June 14, 1777 first Flag Act: 13 stripes, red and white, 13 stars, white and blue
Later acts: more stars, proportions and arrangements of stars in rows with one point upward
Last change 1959: Eisenhower: arrangement of 50 stars
Adding states = adding stars
Etiquette
Never let the flag touch the ground
Never let the sun set on the flag
Hang the flag with the stars on the left
Red = courage
White = purity
Blue = loyalty
Folding the Flag
Flag Code: Public Law 829
Folded in triangular shape, no wrinkles
,Flag Day
July 4th = Independence Day, June 14th is Flag Day (people display their flag, but most people
do this every day)
Isn’t celebrated particularly anymore
Since 1885 in Wisconsin
1916: Woodrow Wilson established 14 June as Flag Day
1949: Harry Truman signed Act of Congress
Citizens called on to display flag that week (many citizens do this all the time)
The star-spangled banner (national anthem/song but also another name of the Flag itself)
History of the anthem
A poem about the War of 1812
There was a flag flying above the fort in Baltimore
General Armistead, commander at Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, ordered a flag large enough for
the British to see from a distance (30 x 42 inches)
This inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem commemorating the War of 1912
He wrote this poem about the flag which was still waving after this big battle in Baltimore
The poem fit the tune of an old melody
Poem and melody appeared in Baltimore newspapers and others
1916: President Wilson ordered it, played at military events
1918: first played at a baseball game as a gesture for US soldiers in France
1931: President Hoover made it the official anthem (but without words)
Every baseball game, football game, etc. starts with the national anthem
National anthem: learnt in school (start of the day)
the words of the National Anthem: a way to say: look how amazing it is the flag is still there at the
end of this big battle
The Pledge of Allegiance (to the flag)
taught in school (flag in back classroom, children
pledge of Allegiance to the flag, hand against chest) the word “under God” is not always in there,
, History
1892: first published in a children’s magazine in honor of Columbus Day (commemorating the
day when Columbus’ birthday who “discovered” America
Written by Francis Bellamy
Columbus Day that year: 12 million children recited it (400th anniversary, after Columbus
died)
1923: change in words from “my flag” to “the flag of the United States of America”
1942: officially recognized as the pledge of Allegiance of America
1943: Supreme Court ruled that children could not be forced to recite it, that happened
because of Jehovah’s witnesses, they didn’t believe in it.
religion is really important to America
Under God is left out because kids of atheist, they don’t want to be swearing about God, because
they don’t believe in God.
Uncle Sam
From video:
Uncle Sam’s origin lies in a meatpacking plant in Troy, NY in 1812. The government inspector whose
name was Elbert Anderson purchased meat from this factory from the manager Sam Wilson. The
meat was destined for troops fighting in the War of 1812. They packed the meat in old barrels and
they stamped the meat EA – for the name Elbert Anderson and US – as United States Government
Store. But a number of workers in the factory got together and decided to, as a joke, refer to the US
as Uncle Sam. That joke spread out to the entire factory and also throughout that town, Troy NY, and
eventually throughout New England, as early as the late 1820s individuals were referring to the US
Government already as Uncle Sam. In the 1830s people were asking the question throughout New
England: What did Sam Wilson actually look like? They characterized him as very long and thin (which
he maybe was), but that character continued on throughout the 19th century.
History
War of 1812
Barrels of meat stamped “US” Uncle Sam (see explanation video above)
Sam Wilson: meat supplier
There is another possible explanation and that is that Irish immigrants, who worked in the
meat packing industry, used this phrase: Stait Aontaithe Mheiricea, which spells out SAM,
that means USA (United States of America), it is the Irish/Celtic word for USA. This a could be
true as well.
