Fuck Betsy Ross
I have a new favorite flagmaker.
Growing up in Philadelphia, we always heard this legend of a mop-hatted lady who was the first to ever sew a United States Flag. Okay, okay - she's still awesome. I like seamstresses as much as the next girl. But, Do you know about Mary Pickersgill?
During the war of 1812, Mary and her mother Rebecca constructed a flag with 15 stars. This flag was requested to be so large that each star was 2 feet across. It flew at Fort McHenry and was so large that even far away, it was visible to Francis Scott Key when dawn broke after Baltimore held it's own against the British. So inspired by the sight of banner yet waving, he started to pen the poem that is now our national anthem.
But, what's more amazing than all of that - is that these two women were middle class widows and had this successful business where they dealt merchants and sewed probably thousands of signal flags for all sorts of ships.-
Maybe you don't think it's as awesome as I do, but if you go to The Flag House and Star Spangled Banner Museum you too can learn all about the Baltimore Bloodhounds burning down Toronto, and the amazing ladies who often times go unrecognized.
I love the idea that right around the corner, on Queens Street (as Pratt used to be called) there was this woman who changed history. I hate the idea that I'm just learning about it now. Wouldn't it be amazing if women's history in schools was important enough that we would have heard about more than just Betsy Ross?
You should go to the flag house and star-spangled banner museum.
Growing up in Philadelphia, we always heard this legend of a mop-hatted lady who was the first to ever sew a United States Flag. Okay, okay - she's still awesome. I like seamstresses as much as the next girl. But, Do you know about Mary Pickersgill?
During the war of 1812, Mary and her mother Rebecca constructed a flag with 15 stars. This flag was requested to be so large that each star was 2 feet across. It flew at Fort McHenry and was so large that even far away, it was visible to Francis Scott Key when dawn broke after Baltimore held it's own against the British. So inspired by the sight of banner yet waving, he started to pen the poem that is now our national anthem.
But, what's more amazing than all of that - is that these two women were middle class widows and had this successful business where they dealt merchants and sewed probably thousands of signal flags for all sorts of ships.-
Maybe you don't think it's as awesome as I do, but if you go to The Flag House and Star Spangled Banner Museum you too can learn all about the Baltimore Bloodhounds burning down Toronto, and the amazing ladies who often times go unrecognized.
I love the idea that right around the corner, on Queens Street (as Pratt used to be called) there was this woman who changed history. I hate the idea that I'm just learning about it now. Wouldn't it be amazing if women's history in schools was important enough that we would have heard about more than just Betsy Ross?
You should go to the flag house and star-spangled banner museum.
posted by j-e-s-s-i-c-a at 2:39 PM
7 Comments:
No, today's school children (much like yesterday's school children) are bored to death with stories about one white guy killing another thereby the victor seizes power of some useless jurisdiction. Teaching kids about interesting everyday life in yesterdayyear would upset the applecart on the schoolboard's decision about what is important. Of course, we'd keep the kids fascinated and reduce the drop-out rate, but let's stick to what is important.
Mary looks kind of constipated in that picture, but she was in her 70's when it was taken in the 1850's, so she couldn't smile because she probably didn't have any teeth. I'm sure right now she's smiling on the inside. For this blog, Jess, you get free admission to the Flag House anytime you want (at least while I still work there).
No one smiled in pictures at that time...It took 20 mintes to take ia picture and you had to sit still the whole time...Duh!
You're right, anonymous. I was probably being mean when I suggested Mary didn't have any teeth. I hope this doesn't mean I have to turn in my museum professional badge. Or that I'm cursed.
You spelled Betsy wrong.
You spelled Busty wrong.
Well said. I have been expressing the same disgust and disbelief for years. For instance, did you know women cut off their hair and disguised themselves as men in order to fight in the civil war. Currently, there are about 500 documented cases of soldiers being discovered as women. Experts estimated that there were probably thousands of women in the ranks and that we don't know about them because they lived and died as men while in the war. I never knew that nor was I ever taught that in my history classes. That angers me to no end.
Fool
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