|
|
|
fun miscellaneous |
statue of andrew jackson in jackson square, new orleans © istockphoto |
|
|
|
The War of 1812 actually ended in 1815. Andrew Jackson became an American hero during the war when he led troops to victory in New Orleans. |
|
|
© istockphoto / david h. lewis |
Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction?
Some historians doubt her role in creating the first flag; others say it’ s true. We may never know the full story. Consider what we do know:
⋆ She did sew a flag. Betsy Ross was a seamstress in Philadelphia. Legend and affidavits from her family say that she was visited by a small flag committee( including George Washington) in June 1776 and asked to sew the nation’ s flag. No invoices or concrete proof exist, but we do know from records that were maintained that Ross did indeed sew flags during that time period.
⋆ Congress didn’ t adopt a flag until later. An official flag design wasn’ t adopted until July 1777, but the wording of that resolution is very unspecific. It appears that Congress was adopting a design already recognized as the national symbol. For more info on the debate, visit http:// www. ushistory. org / betsy / index. html.
|
Playlist facts about freedom songs
Song:“ God Bless America” Written: in 1918 by Irving Berlin and revised by him in 1938 Facts: Known as the unofficial national anthem,“ God Bless America” is a prayerful song often sung at sporting events and has gained in popularity since the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Berlin, who was Jewish, wrote the song while serving in the U. S. Army. He decided to give royalties from the song to a fund called The God Bless America Fund, which in turn distributed the money to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The song was first performed by singer Kate Smith on Armistice Day 1938, and quickly became her signature song. Berlin’ s song is sometimes preferred over the more musically complex“ Star-Spangled Banner.”
Song:“ The Star-Spangled Banner” written: in 1814( as a poem) by Francis Scott Key Facts: Key wrote his poem during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, a key battle in the War of 1812. Key, a lawyer, had been working with the British for the release of a prisoner. He was successful, but the British feared Key had heard their battle plans, and forced him and others to wait out the bombardment aboard a ship downstream from Fort McHenry, where the battle raged. When he saw the American flag flying proudly above the fort on the morning of September 14, 1814, he knew that America had not surrendered. He wrote the poem on an envelope in his pocket!
Song:“ America the Beautiful” Written: in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates Facts: Bates was an English professor at Wellesley College. In 1893, she took a train out to Colorado Springs, Colo., to teach a summer school session. As she rode from the East Coast to Colorado, the sights inspired her. She wrote a poem about everything she saw, and it was first published in 1895. The preferred tune is one written by Samuel Ward and published as a hymn called“ Materna.” That tune was first applied to Bates’ poem in 1904. Ward had passed away in 1903, though, so he never knew the renown his music would one day achieve. Many have lobbied Congress to elevate the song to the status of national hymn or even to serve as the national anthem, equal to or in place of“ The Star-Spangled Banner.”
If you’ re a baseball fan, you’ re probably gearing up for the MLB’ s All Star game. This year, the 80th All Star game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo., on July 14. This will be the fifth time the game has been played in St. Louis, though the last time was in 1966 the first season that the Cardinals played in old Busch Stadium. Will your favorite baseball player be among the All Stars? Let’ s hope!
© istockphoto / valerie loiseleux ec magazine jul 2009 | 27