Historical Spotlight: Star-Spangled Symbols

With Memorial Day right around the corner, many people are planning festivities to honor the brave men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.They took an oath of allegiance to the country and stood to protect the strength of our nation. The American Flag and Star-Spangled Banner are perceived differently across all segments of the population depending on historical implications, social status, and other factors. Join me as we shine a historical spotlight on the origins of the U.S. Flag and the original lyrics of the national anthem. 

Saluting the American Flag is a common practice in most major sporting arenas, churches, coliseums, and large areas of gathering. While the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag for the United States on June 14, 1777, a woman named Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross actually sewed the first flag in 1776 after being approached by General George Washington, financier Robert Morris, and Colonel George Ross. She never received credit for her work during her lifetime and the knowledge was only brought to public attention a century later in 1870 by her grandson, Wiliam Canby. 

Betsy’s original design went through numerous iterations before the flag was adopted as the unifying symbol of the newly formed United States of America. One of the first flags had the stars arranged in a circle, signifying that all colonies were equal. In 1810, Grace Wisher, a young Black indentured servant helped create the Star-Spangled Banner flag that we now know. It was an all hands on deck endeavor, as the immense size and six-week timeline for completion required multiple people to work on it. 

Grace was only 13 years old at the time, but Maryland law allowed courts to take children away from Black Americans who were considered “lazy or worthless” to force them into apprenticeship, often without fair compensation. Her design paid homage to the original 13 colonies that broke off from the British Crown and flew proud over Fort McHenry in Maryland. The thirteen stripes on the flag represented the struggle for independence, red stood for valor, white symbolized purity, and blue indicated loyalty.

Unfortunately, the new flag also served as a compromise between the North and the South, and effectively left the polarizing issue of slavery unresolved. While some individual states adopted Gadsden flags to show their stance in favor of slavery, there was not a firm denouncement of the act of slavery under the newly formed nation. States were free to handle slavery however they deemed suitable until the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation changed it on a national level. 

Similarly, the national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 as a way to unify the country during one of its very first victories against the British. At first glance the song seems patriotic, but when you take a deeper look, you realize it’s actually rooted in anti-Black racism and slavery. Francis was one of the richest men in America having been born into massive wealth from generational slaveholding and was unwilling to give up that stance in life. 

He politically upheld slavery throughout his life by shaping the U.S. Supreme Court’s stance in favor of the egregious act, being an advisor to President Andrew Jackson, and prosecuting early abolitionists during his time as the U.S. district attorney for the nation’s capital. He fought so hard to maintain the status quo that he even included a line about slavery in the original lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner.  

The phrase in the third stanza “the hireling and slave” has been interpreted to refer to American slaves who escaped to the British military during the Revolutionary War after being offered freedom to fight against U.S. forces. This part in particular was meant to be a warning that those who escaped would be hunted down and killed. The song was officially adopted as the national anthem by Congress in 1931 and often omits the troublesome words to conceal the true sentiment of the song. 

The American flag has stood as a symbol of freedom, justice, and liberty for over 225 years and serves as a living piece of history. It forewarns enemies during wars and shows strength to friends during times of peace that democracy is safe. It embodies the power and glory of our nation and serves as a point of pride and unity for all Americans. Allegedly. 

European immigrants fled from poor living conditions, unfair taxation, and lack of opportunity to America for a better chance of life. The gold rush sparked settlers and explorers to clear land in search of riches while expansive southern plains made for fertile farmland that quickly turned a profit in times of prosperity. 

Throughout the entire conception of America, Black Americans have been denied simple rights, liberties, and freedoms that other people have benefited from. Not only were our ancestors forced to work day in and day out clearing treacherous land, battling starvation, and being beaten to death, but they were also denied the chance to economically benefit from their hard work. 

We’ve seen time and time again broken promises to receive 40 acres and a mule as retribution for crippling the demographic that literally built the nation brick by brick. Still to this day, that debt hasn’t been nullified. It’s important to keep bringing up the past egregious acts against Black Americans to create a system of justice instead of continuing with a system of injustice. 

For Black Americans, you can argue the American Flag is a symbol of the culture we live in. There’s freedom, but only to a certain extent for most Black people in society. Professional athletes like Colin Kaepernick and many others put their careers on the line when they chose to stand up against the injustices that the Black community continues to experience. Most chose to exercise their right to peacefully protest while others sparked nationwide debates that hopefully will lead to lasting change. 

We’re all taught at a very early age how to salute the American Flag and recite at least the beginning of the national anthem. That tradition continues throughout your life and you’re often looked down upon or shunned if you try to reject the status quo. While everyone born here is an American citizen, the current system definitely values some more than others. It’s important to use our voice and speak out against the injustices that impact us. 

Since its inception, the flag has expanded to include all 50 states and the particularly racist lines have been omitted from the Star-Spangled Banner, but the underlying tone of anti-Black racism still persists to this very day. Unfortunately, it’s ingrained and passed on the younger generations by those in power who don’t want to see the status quo change. As long as we stay diligent, on code, and actively making our demands known, eventually we will succeed in getting reparations for the hard work, blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors. 

So, as you gather with your family members for the holiday, it’s important to remember and truly understand that there’s a portion of the American population that has always had to fight the good fight against racial, economic, and systemic injustices despite the idea that all Americans are united under one government. There is, in fact, still much work to do to achieve a system of true fairness and justice. We have to take initiative and be the change we want to see in the world. 

If you enjoyed this episode, let me know by giving this video a thumbs up, leaving a comment, and subscribing to my channel. I’ll see you in the next episode! 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie