The Star-Spangled Banner national anthem is discussed and named after – well the Star-Spangled Banner. One can still check this out most famous and legendary of flags in the Smithsonian's National Museum of yankee History in Washington, D.C. The Star-Spangled Banner is without a doubt, among the Smithsonian National Museum of yankee History's most treasured artifacts, and great care is come to preserve the flag.
The Smithsonian museum is among the great Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. that everybody should visit. All flags are simply colored pieces of cloth that symbolize a concept and no flag originates to represent the American national pride and patriotism a lot more than this one.
The storyplot of Two Flags
The commander of Fort McHenry was Major George Armistead. He commissioned Mary Pickersgill (a Baltimore flag maker) to create two new flags for that fort. An inferior storm flag along with a larger garrison flag – the bigger one became the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
The flag was stitched together from the combination of cotton and dyed English wool bunting by Mary Pickersgill and her female relatives as well as an indentured black servant. It had been produced in Baltimore in July-August 1813.
At the start of the battle with the British, it had not been the Star-Spangled Banner flying. It had been the larger flag hoisted over Fort McHenry on the morning of September 14, 1814, to signal American victory over the British within the Battle of Baltimore. It had been this sight that inspired Francis Scott Answer to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
- Smaller Storm Flag: 17 by 25 feet
- Larger Garrison Flag: 30 by 42 Feet
Original Price of The Flags:
- Storm Flag: $168.54
- Garrison Flag: $405.90
The reason why small storm flag was flying at the time of the Battle of Baltimore was that the British attack had coincided having a heavy rainstorm. The smaller storm flag was later lost and it is unfamiliar if any kind from it survives today.
What To understand about The Star-Spangled Banner (Flag)
The flag has (or had) fifteen stars. These represented the thirteen original colonies of the nation, as well as the states of Vermont and Kentucky who had entered the union since that time. Today it has only fourteen stars as one cut out.
- Second Flag Act: Approved by Congress on January 13, 1794 – Updated The Flag To mirror The Admission of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792) In to the Union
- Third Flag Act: In 1818 Reduced the amount of Stripes Back To Thirteen To Honor The Thirteen Original Colonies Of The Union
The flag can also be the only real official American flag to possess more than 13 stripes. The flag has 15 stripes also representing the new entrants into the Union. Once the flag was made the concept of adding stripes to the flag hadn't yet been discontinued. Today the 50 stars around the US flag represent the 50 current states from the Union, as the 13 stripes represent the initial 13 founding colonies.
- Original size: 30 feet by 42 feet
- Current size: 30 feet by 34 feet
- Fifteen stars and fifteen stripes: One star has been eliminate
The flag is massive with every star is all about two feet in diameter and each stripe about 24 inches wide. Like a garrison flag, its purpose ended up being to be viewed at great distances – it's even bigger than the current garrison flags used today through the Army (they have a standard size of 20 by 38 feet).
Battle Mememto, Preservation, And Exhibition
After the war, it was preserved through the Armistead family like a memento from the battle. Eventually, it had been loaned towards the Smithsonian Institution in 1907 and then gifted permanently in 1912.
- National Anthem: Star-Spangled Banner Made The Official National Anthem By President Herbert Hoover on March 3, 1931.
It has been exhibited at the National Museum of American History since 1964 (aside from a long period of preservation work completed in the 2000s). It is not destined to live there for considerably longer because there are plans for a new permanent exhibition gallery underway.
- First loaned: Towards the Smithsonian Institution in 1907, converted to permanent gift in 1912
- Exhibited: At the National Museum of American History since 1964
- New Exhibition: Plans for brand new permanent exhibition gallery now underway
Today there are several relics or snipping from the flag around as well. The Armistead family received frequent requests for pieces of their flag and gave bits of it to veterans, government officials, along with other honored citizens.
If within the Chesapeake region, don't forget to see Virginia's informative Historic Triangle of the Commonwealth's colonial and Independence period.