Flag: An American Biography

by Marc Leepson, Nelson DeMille (Foreword)

The nation turns to it as an emotional, political, and patriotic symbol in good times and bad. Americans fly it everywhere we live and everywhere we go, from front porches in Florida to pickup trucks in Alaska. We display the red-white-and-blue American flag at festive events to celebrate and, at times of national tragedy, to grieve and show our resolve. We wrap ourselves in it in displays of patriotism, politics, nationalism, and jingoism.The thirteen-stripe, fifty-star flag is as familiar an American icon as any that has existed in the nation’s history. It stirs something in the hearts of Americans like no other symbol. Yet the history of the flag, especially its origins, is cloaked in myth and misinformation. An American Biography rectifies that situation by presenting a lively, comprehensive, illuminating look at the history of the American flag from its beginnings to today.Journalist, historian, and author of the highly acclaimed Saving Monticello, Leepson uncovers scores of little-known, fascinating facts as he traces the evolution of the American flag from the Colonial period to its prominent role as a symbol of American resolve in today’s war against terrorism. Flag sifts through the historical evidence to---among many other things---uncover the truth behind the Betsy Ross myth and to discover the true designer of the stars and stripes. The book also shines informing light on a string of colorful and influential Americans who shaped the history of the American flag. Leepson analyzes the influence and impact of the maker of the star-spangled banner, Mary Pickersgill; the author of the national anthem, Francis Scott Key; the coiner of the phrase “Old Glory,” U.S. Navy Capt. Samuel Driver; the first officer killed in the Civil War, Union Col. Elmer Ellsworth, who died defending the flag; the first African-American Medal of Honor recipient, William Carney, who carried the flag and led troops through a viciously bloody Civil War battle; the creator of Flag Day, Wisconsin schoolteacher B. J. Cigrand; the father of the pledge of allegiance, Francis Bellamy; and Joe Rosenthal, the AP photographer who took the most reproduced image of the twentieth century, the marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima. The American flag was seen as a symbol of a “divine plan” for the American ideal during the Civil War; as a symbol of the nation’s historical heritage at the 1876 centennial celebrations; as a symbol conveying respect for the government and our social institutions---the so-called “cult of the flag”---in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. During the Vietnam War, the flag was a divisive emblem in a bitterly divided nation. In the wake of the events of September 11, 2001, the flag became an instant and widely used symbol of a nation united against terrorism.“Flag,” as the novelist Nelson DeMille says in his preface, “is not a book with an agenda or a subjective point of view. It is an objective history of the American flag, well researched, well presented, easy to read and understand, and very informative and entertaining.”

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Biography

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Historian and journalist Marc Leepson is the author of nine books, including Ballad of the Green Beret: The Life and Wars of Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler (Stackpole, 2017); What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life (Palgrave, 2014); Lafayette: Lessons in Leadership from the Idealist General, a concise biography of the Marquis de Lafayette (Palgrave, 2011); Desperate Engagement, the story of the Civil War Battle of Monocacy (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007); Flag: An American Biography, a history of the American flag from the beginnings to today (Thomas Dunne, 2005); and Saving Monticello, the first complete history of Thomas Jefferson's House (Free Press, 2001, University of Virginia Press, 2003, paperback).

A former staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, Marc Leepson is the arts editor, senior writer, and columnist for The VVA Veteran, the magazine published by Vietnam Veterans of America.

He has written about the Vietnam War and Vietnam veterans and other topics for many other newspapers and magazines, including the Washington Post, New York Times, New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Newsday, the Arizona Republic, Smithsonian, World War II, Vietnam, Military History and Preservation Magazines, Civil War Times, the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Encyclopedia Americana, and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.


He has been a guest on many television and radio news programs, including All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, On the Media, CBS This Morning Saturday, History Detectives, The Diane Rehm Show,Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CBC (Canada), the BBC News Hour, and Irish Radio. And he has given talks at many colleges and universities, including the University of Maryland, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Miami, Appalachian State University, the College of Southern Maryland and Georgetown University.


He tought U.S. history at Lord Fairfax Community College in Warrenton, Virginia from 2008-2015. He graduated from George Washington University in 1967. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army and served for two years, including a year in the Vietnam War. After his military service, he earned an MA in history from GWU in 1971. He lives in Middleburg, Virginia, with his wife. They have two adult children.

Reviews

[Alex Valencic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I readily admit that one of the great failings of my public school education is that I have little knowledge of what happened in United States history after the Reconstruction that took place after the Civil War. But I've also realised that my knowledge of what happened during the first eight decades or so of this nation's history is pretty sketchy.

I first learned about "Flag" in an article that sought to debunk the Betsy Ross myth. I was intrigued and put it on an Amazon wish list as a book I wouldn't mind owning. I received as a gift not too long ago, but it languished on my To Be Read pile for some several months. As part of my goal to conquer this pile over the summer, I finally read it. I can honestly say I feel like I have a better grasp of American history having read the history of our flag than I have had from classes and other books! Marc Leepson wrote a masterful biography of the great icon of our nation and I heartily recommend it to al!

My one complaint is that there aren't enough pictures! For a book that is all about a very visual object, I would have liked more illustrations to support it. Fortunately, my smartphone was handy as I read and so I was able to search for images, videos, or websites as often as needed!

[Douglas Graney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad but read like newspaper accounts of the dramas of Old Glory. Some chapters were better than others. Clever in that Leepson makes the flag into a biography; you get to see the flag grow up with the rest of the country.

[Sharon Edelmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting history, but I had a bit of a hard time getting through it...

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding march through American history from the flag's lofty vantage point.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be required reading material for every American. This is THE quintessential book on the American flag. It is very well written and informative beyond measure.

[Brian E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most interesting books I have read. This book goes through the history of the FLAG from the beginning up to modern day. It goes through of the thoughts of adding stars to the FLAG and states come into the Union. The book was written in 2005. It dismisses the lore of Betsy Ross as the designer of the FLAG. It is funny how lore is sometimes taught as truth! I know where I live that is on display today. There is a group using lore and symbolism to twist historical truth, when reading and studying all the facts of events would give a better sense of history. History is enough to stand on its own! This is a great book and I highly recommend it!!