What happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? What kind of men were they? The men were lawyers, jurists, merchants, farmers, large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well what they were putting at risk. They were British subjects at the […]
Continue reading
2500 years ago Spartan King Leonidas and his men stood against an invading Persian army under King Xerxes. Xerxes sent a message to Leonidas, requesting that he surrender and “Deliver up your arms.” The famous reply was “Molon Labe,” literally translated as “After you come, take.” Sparta was in a region of Greece known as […]
Continue reading
It was 1775 when American Colonel William Moultrie took possession of a fort made of palmetto logs in South Carolina, and he needed a flag. His troops’ clothing was blue. They had silver crescents on their caps, and the words “Liberty or Death.” So a blue flag was sewn, with a crescent in the upper […]
Continue reading
One of the most unusual American flags was that of explorer and first Republican Party candidate for President, John C. Fremont. Fremont led several expeditions into the American West, some into areas claimed by Mexico. His wife Jessie created a unique banner for his exploration. The Stars and Stripes design is clearly represented, with […]
Continue reading
When the chips are down, a man will fight with whatever he has to hand. More than once, what he had was a potato. Everyone knows about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Not every ship was armed, and not every man on an armed ship had weapon ready. Hansen was an engineer on the […]
Continue reading
If Hollywood ever wants to create another box office hit war movie complete with mystery, romance, and swashbuckling action, it would have to be centered around Revolutionary War hero Peter Francisco. A five-year-old boy who was abandoned at a harbor in Virginia grew up to be one of our courageous soldiers in the War for […]
Continue reading
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain over violations of American maritime rights. The Americans objected to the British Empire restricting their trade and snatching their sailors to serve on British ships. During this conflict Oliver Hazard Perry was aboard the USS Chesapeake as it engaged the British ship […]
Continue reading
The battle was on Christmas Day of 1776. The place was Trenton, on the Delaware River of New Jersey. It was the scene of “Washington crossing the Delaware.” America had declared its independence not quite six months before, but the year’s battles had been one disaster after another. Philadelphia was in panic. The Continental Congress […]
Continue reading
Betsy Ross made flags for 50 years, and we are all familiar with the famous circular 13-star design. Fewer know about Francis Hopkinson, signer of the Declaration of Independence and designer of our Stars and Stripes. Letters between Hopkinson and the Continental Congress tell the story, and these letters can be found in the National […]
Continue reading
Americans love their Stars and Stripes, and fly it proudly. But many do not know that it was not the one flying when the 13 Colonies declared Independence on July 4th, 1776. The first flag that the early United States used as its “national flag” is known by several names, like Continental Colors and Grand […]
Continue reading