Flag Day and an African Nation

2016 students painting flags in my classroom.

 The birth of Old Glory is attributed to June 14, 1777 still during the early years of the Revolutionary War by the Continental Congress.  Less than a year after the Declaration of Independence the US need a symbol to separate itself from Great Britain and gain further recognition as a new country.  However, Flag Day was not made official until President Truman's proclamation in 1949.   The United States is not unique in the celebration of their nation's flag.  Over 50 other countries around the world commemorate a variety of historical events through their flags.  

Including Liberia, originally an American colony in Africa that declared independence from the US in 1847.   The first President of Liberia was Joseph Jenkins Roberts a free born African American from Virginia.  August 24th is celebrated as Flag Day and the influence of the United States is very evident in the red, white, and blue design.

Liberian Flag established by the United States

Source:  American Memory - Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun14.html

One Document to Rule them All

Today June 15, 2015 is the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta being sealed by King John.  This document signified the beginning of a population questioning the authority of an anointed monarch.  560 years later British subjects in the American colonies would reference the document in their rebellion to overthrow the rule of a monarch.  Later the 5th amendment to the constitution sounds much

Like these words from the Magna Carta:

"No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, disseised, outlawed, banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will We proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land."

"To no one will We sell, to no one will We deny or delay, right or justice."

Read more from the birthday article by NPR below that even feature a Google doodle.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/15/414616460/magna-carta-is-800-this-awful-thing-that-shaped-legal-rights

Happy Birthday Gen. Patton!

One of the most well know and controversial American Generals of all time is Gen. George Patton.  I find it very appropriate that Veteran's Day is also his birthday.  He was your quintessential soldier's soldier, and is even buried among his men that died fighting at the Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg.  From chasing Pancho Villa to fighting under Blackjack Pershing in WWI to pushing for the creation of the first US tank force to his most famous successful leadership in WWII Patton was a soldier from birth and never was bashful in proclaiming his desire to be a 20th century American hero.   His prayer below is very appropriate to take in as we remember our Veteran's.

"God of our fathers, who by land and sea have ever led us to victory, please continue your inspiring guidance in this the greatest of all conflicts. Strengthen my soul so that the weakening instinct of self-preservation, which besets all of us in battle, shall not blind me of my duty to my own manhood, to the glory of my calling, and to my responsibility to my fellow soldiers. Grant to our armed forces that disciplined valor and mutual confidence which insures success in war. Let me not mourn for the men who have died fighting, but rather let me be glad that such heroes have lived. If it be my lot to die, let me do so with courage and honor in a manner which will bring the greatest harm to the enemy, and please, oh Lord, protect and guide those I shall leave behind. Give us the victory, Lord."

General George Patton

 

How Springsteen "Cracked" the Berlin Wall

Again NPR revealed another unknown to me story that shows how small the world really is.  With the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall stories of life in East Germany and of this turning point in history have flooded the news, but the one that stuck out the most to me was the role the musician best known for his song "Born in the USA" had in the decline of communist Europe.   In July 1988 the GDP gave its youth wing permission to host a concert with a western singer to ease tensions.  It completely backfired.  "It was gradually dawning on everyone between about 20 and 30 years old that things couldn't just continue in East Germany the way they had been going. Something had to change. And when Springsteen came, his concert fitted right into all that."  Said Berliner Andrea Dubois (the guardian.com)

Just over a year later the wall fell.  Yes Reagan demanded, "Tear down this wall."  However, to 160,000 Springsteen said, “It’s great to be in East Berlin,” he said. “I’m not for or against any government. I came here to play rock & roll for you, in the hope that one day all barriers will be torn down.”

Halloween from the Celts

History of Halloween courtesy of the History Channel

I always play this video clip and show the article about the history of Halloween in my classes.  It does a great job showing the progression from the Celtic holiday Samhain to our modern concept of Halloween.

My Son Ethan the Pirate

Italian Architecture in Virginia

Besides the V and cross swords, the most well-known symbol of the University of Virginia is the Rotunda.  Anyone connected to the university or Charlottesville knows that this is the school Jefferson built.  He designed the buildings, gardens, and the academic curriculum.  However he did not create them brand new.  He used his studies and travels from Europe as inspiration.  I had the amazing pleasure to recently travel to Rome and got to experience Jefferson's inspirations first hand.  As a UVa grad the most powerful moment of my trip was standing in the Pantheon, which is the model for the Rotunda (finished in 1826 and added to the National Registrar for Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966).  With its amazing dome and columns this 2000 year old building overwhelmed me.  This will be the first in a few blog posts about Italian culture influence on the third American President.

 

An Unknown Declaration of Rights

“Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World”: The Principles of the Universal Negro Improvement Association

After international contributions that African Americans made in the First World War soldiers who had fought for both the French and the United States returned home and demanded the same rights for those of African heritage around the world.  Led by Marcus Garvey the UNIA combined elements of Wilson's 14 points and the Bill of Rights to show unity in the need for worldwide equality. 

This thought provoking document was the attempt of African Americans to take their movement to the world as they still faced extreme discrimination at home.  They hoped for international support at a time when the United States had risen to the pinnacle of power as victors of World War I.  The document lists both American atrocities of inequality and discrimination and also the actions of Europeans to dominate the African continent.  It would not be until after the next world war when Jim Crow and imperialism begins to fall does the goals of the UNIA begin to be realized.

Here is the document in its entirety:  http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5122/