Purchase
Flag, June 2005
Hardcover
An American Biography
Thomas Dunne Books
June 2005
352 pages
ISBN: 0312323085
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction | Historical
The nation turns to it as an emotional, political, and
patriotic symbol in good times and bad. Americans fly it
everywhere we live and everywhere we go, from front porches
in Florida to pickup trucks in Alaska. We display the
red-white-and-blue American flag at festive events to
celebrate and, at times of national tragedy, to grieve and
show our resolve. We wrap ourselves in it in displays of
patriotism, politics, nationalism, and jingoism. The thirteen-stripe, fifty-star flag is as familiar an
American icon as any that has existed in the nation’s
history. It stirs something in the hearts of Americans like
no other symbol. Yet the history of the flag, especially its
origins, is cloaked in myth and misinformation. Flag: An
American Biography rectifies that situation by presenting a
lively, comprehensive, illuminating look at the history of
the American flag from its beginnings to today. Journalist, historian, and author of the highly acclaimed
Saving Monticello, Leepson uncovers scores of little-known,
fascinating facts as he traces the evolution of the American
flag from the Colonial period to its prominent role as a
symbol of American resolve in today’s war against terrorism. Flag sifts through the historical evidence to---among many
other things---uncover the truth behind the Betsy Ross myth
and to discover the true designer of the stars and stripes.
The book also shines informing light on a string of colorful
and influential Americans who shaped the history of the
American flag. Leepson analyzes the influence and impact of the maker of
the star-spangled banner, Mary Pickersgill; the author of
the national anthem, Francis Scott Key; the coiner of the
phrase "Old Glory," U.S. Navy Capt. Samuel Driver; the first
officer killed in the Civil War, Union Col. Elmer Ellsworth,
who died defending the flag; the first African-American
Medal of Honor recipient, William Carney, who carried the
flag and led troops through a viciously bloody Civil War
battle; the creator of Flag Day, Wisconsin schoolteacher B.
J. Cigrand; the father of the pledge of allegiance, Francis
Bellamy; and Joe Rosenthal, the AP photographer who took the
most reproduced image of the twentieth century, the marines
raising the American flag at Iwo Jima. The American flag was seen as a symbol of a "divine plan"
for the American ideal during the Civil War; as a symbol of
the nation’s historical heritage at the 1876 centennial
celebrations; as a symbol conveying respect for the
government and our social institutions---the so-called "cult
of the flag"---in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
century. During the Vietnam War, the flag was a divisive
emblem in a bitterly divided nation. In the wake of the
events of September 11, 2001, the flag became an instant and
widely used symbol of a nation united against terrorism. "Flag," as the novelist Nelson DeMille says in his preface,
"is not a book with an agenda or a subjective point of view.
It is an objective history of the American flag, well
researched, well presented, easy to read and understand, and
very informative and entertaining."
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy