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Social Studies 5: The Stars and Stripes: Making the American Flag 11 Views
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Description:
You know that big cloth with all the stars and stripes? News flash: It didn't just poof into existence when the United States did. Someone made it. We're not quite sure who that someone is, but we know someone did it. Flags aren't self-replicating. Or self-aware. We checked.
Transcript
- 00:04
[Coop and Dino singing]
- 00:13
Alright, everyone, time to rise and pledge allegiance to the flag… [Students stand up and pledge allegiance]
- 00:17
It's possibly one of the most versatile images on the planet.
- 00:20
You can fly it, wear it, heck, you can even mail it.
- 00:25
But if you decide to wear it, try to avoid going the boxer route. [Man slips on banana]
Full Transcript
- 00:29
We're not quite sure if that counts as patriotism.
- 00:31
Anyway.
- 00:32
The flag is a symbol of unity, strength and sacrifice.
- 00:35
It even has its own special day, thanks to President Harry Truman.
- 00:39
He chose June 14th as Flag Day because it was on that date in 1777 that Congress passed [June 14th circled on calendar]
- 00:45
a resolution declaring what the official flag of the United States would be:
- 00:49
“Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white;
- 00:55
that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
- 01:00
But in writing this resolution, Congress wasn’t indulging its artistic side.
- 01:04
They were just describing the American flag as it already existed. [Adams and Franklin stood with American flag]
- 01:08
So who did design the American flag?
- 01:10
Why red, white, and blue?
- 01:11
And why stars and stripes instead of, oh, hashtags and swirls?
- 01:15
Drum roll please….it turns out….
- 01:20
…no one really knows the flag’s origin story.
- 01:23
…Huh. [Tomato thrown on stage]
- 01:24
That was kind of a let-down.
- 01:26
Some say that it was designed by this man: New Jersey congressman – and harpsichord
- 01:31
enthusiast – Francis Hopkinson.
- 01:34
It's also thought that the first flag was sewn by Betsy Ross. [Betsy Ross sewing American flag]
- 01:37
But even if we don't know much about the origin story of the flag, much more is known about
- 01:41
the folklore surrounding the flag.
- 01:43
For instance, you may have heard the flag referred to as “Old Glory.”
- 01:47
That’s a nickname sea Captain William Driver gave to the huge flag that flew above his boat.
- 01:51
Yep.
- 01:51
Dude was so patriotic he nicknamed his flag. [William Driver on a boat]
- 01:54
Not only that, the nickname soon caught on…
- 01:56
… and eventually “Old Glory” came to refer to any
- 01:59
American flag, regardless of age or size.
- 02:02
The American flag has even inspired songs. [American flag approaches radio and dances]
- 02:10
During the War of 1812, in the year of…1814…
- 02:13
…huh, could've named that better…
- 02:16
…lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key woke up one morning to discover that despite a
- 02:20
terrible bombardment by the British all through the night… [Francis yawns as building is on fire]
- 02:24
… the Fort still belonged to the Americans.
- 02:25
How could he tell?
- 02:27
Old Glory was still flying proudly above it.
- 02:30
That inspired Key to write the poem Defense of Fort McHenry.
- 02:34
The first verse of which was eventually set to music as the song, The Star-Spangled Banner.
- 02:41
And in 1931 Congress resolved to make The Star-Spangled Banner America’s national
- 02:46
anthem.
- 02:47
… thereby paving the way for celebrities ruining the song for all of us before major [Dino and Coop singing song]
- 02:51
sporting events.
- 02:52
And the cool thing about the flag is it's not set in stone!
- 02:56
The flag has changed over the years to represent our changing nation, getting a new star for
- 03:01
each new state.
- 03:02
Who knows what it might look like in the future…maybe one day, we'll be adding Mars among those stars… [American flag transforms and adds Mars to flag]
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