Flag Day - June 14, 2011

Today is Flag Day 2011!

A common question we get as vexillologists is who responsible for designing the American Flag? The simple answer is Betsy Ross. No matter your view on Betsy Ross - she sewed US Flags for the government with plenty of records. She was one of many common men and women to create flags for the revolution.

Some people say it was all Francis Hopkinson's doing. Really? Can you believe that one man alone had total input for the nation's flag? Can you imagine there being no debate and all the congressional leaders listening to one man alone - congress gives a wink and nod to one man?

Francis Hopkinson
1737-1791

If this were the case Hopkinson would have written the whole process down in detail. Maybe he did, and its hidden and locked away by some super secret patriotic group? But how come nobody in his family continued the telling of Hopkinson's Bold design as a key player in our nation's flag? If you had a family member that was responsible for making something great wouldn't you want to know?

Anyhow, the design of the American Flag is certainly a continuum - and certain congresses can claim legal credit for having their hand in its design. But there are a few individuals who played essential roles as proverbial 'Heir's of Betsy Ross.'

Uncle Sam Reid (1783-1861)
Chief Architect of the US Flag

But the core architect who can be legally called an authentic designer of the American American Flag is Samuel Chester Reid. Mr. Reid set the base code of the US Flag.

Good old Chuck's idea was that the flag should return to the original design of 13 stripes instead of 15 - and that a star should be added for each new state. It may seem like a simple, logical and obvious choice. But really was a revolutionary and paradoxical design.

Thus the US flag is permanently retro while at the same time being perpetually modern. Thank You very much Uncle Sam of Connecticut.

Samuel Reid lived in the Cherry Blossom Era - the period after the Revolution and before the War Between the States. Captain Reid was born just after the American Revolution ended in 1783 and died just before the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.

Battle in the Azores - War of 1812

And during the War of 1812 Reid was captain of the General Armstrong and engaged the enemy at the Azores. It was during his service that the Star Spangled Banner was created. It had 15 stripes and 15 stars. But the Union had 18 states.

In 1812 there were flags with 18 stripes and 18 stars but they were unofficial. Also, the US Flag during the War of 1812 was made official on May Day 1795. Thus May 1 should be a Flag Day for the Star Spangled Banner.

Bottom line is that a Navy Man from the Nutmegger State is the paramount designer of our American Flag. But Captain Samuel Reid can not claim total credit. Several persons from distant generations have had small and big parts to play.

Link to an earlier post about Reid
with modern adaptations of his flag designs

Reid's sketches of the US flag with other designs that were rejected

Thuringia & Hesse: German Flag Symmetry - Part II

Flag of Thuringia
formerly a part of East Germany

Germany has 16 federal subjects and as in previous posts about the sub-federal bodies of Japan and Russia, the flags of Germany also align by coincidental flag aspects. The modern flag of Thuringia and Hesse are what I call "fraternal banners." Thuringia and Hesse feature a horizontally divided red and white background, with red and white striped lion on a shield of arms. Both the shields have golden crowns, but in different positions. The lion of Thuringia is wearing it, while the top of Hesse's shield is decorated with a crown.

Flag of Hesse
formerly a part of West Germany

The coincidence of stars with a red and white striped lion seems to reflect an essence of American Patriotism. Coincidentally during the American Revolution many German Units serving the British Empire came from Hesse. Much, much earlier, Hesse was united with Thuringia but broke away during the War of Thuringian Succession in the mid 1200s. In any case, military units from all over Western Germany assisted Parliament and King during the English American Colonial Rebellion in 1775. The majority came from Hesse, and consequently German soldiers were miscategorized as 'Hessians.'

A Battle Flag of the Hessian Troops

from the American Revolution
(note the similarity to the lions of Hesse and Thuringia)

In the middle ages, Hesse and Thuringia were divided by the Royal Powers. A few hundred years later, Hesse played a critical and well remembered role in the American Revolution - at the Battle of Trenton of 1776. This Patriot Victory restored Congresses' faith in General Washington and rallied the Patriots. A few hundred years later, the Americans were destined to return the favor. By dividing Modern Germany in the wake of WWII. Subsequently, Hesse was fated to be an ally of Western Europe, while Thuringia was chosen to be a servant of Eastern Europe.

Close up of modern shields

In 1936 Hesse and Thuringia were drafted to fight as brothers against the World in 1941. After 1945, the World saw that these German Brothers were impressed to fight against each other, until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

CLICK HERE FOR PART III
CLICK HERE FOR PART I