The motto of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, is “Non incautus futuri,” which means “Not unmindful of the future.” But the campus has had to be very mindful of the past in recent months because of a dispute over Confederate flags. The dispute, which was recently settled, began in April, when 12 law… continue
John Philip Sousa, the 19th century March King, celebrated flags, such as his “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Jeanne Fourquet, a 15th century French peasant, is honored for desecrating a flag. How they came together at the White House makes for an interesting trek through history. At the beginning of the Civil War, a newspaper in… continue
On the Fourth of July 1864 – 150 years ago – Mary Wadsworth sat down in her Washington, D.C., home and began writing to Abraham Lincoln. With thoughts of Gettysburg and another, more recent Civil War battle, she wanted a favor, and her appeal included references to her late husband and the U.S. flag. Mary’s… continue
Just before the Civil War, Albert Myer, an obscure telegrapher who became an Army doctor, combined his experience in both fields to invent a means of communicating by waving flags to troops. His effort spawned the Army’s Signal Corps. Today, the Signal Corps sends messages by modern means. But Myer knew nothing of cellphones, emails… continue
After Norman Rockwell, James Montgomery Flagg might be the best-known popular painter of the 20th century. Given his name, it’s no surprise that his artwork contained so many images of bright stars and broad stripes. If you can picture Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you, you know Flagg’s most famous work – and maybe… continue