Flag: An American Biography

Marc Leepson

Macmillan, May 30, 2006 - History - 352 pages

The thirteen-stripe, fifty-star flag is as familiar an American icon as any that has existed in the nation's history. Yet the history of the flag, especially its origins, is cloaked in myth and misinformation. Flag: 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 and historian Marc Leepson uncovers scores of little-known, fascinating facts as he traces the evolution of the American flag from the colonial period to the twenty-first century. 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.  It details the many colorful and influential Americans who shaped the history of the flag.
"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." "Our love for the flag may be incomprehensible to others, but at least we now have a comprehensive guide to its unfolding."
---The Wall Street Journal
 
"The fascination of history is in its details, and the author of Flag: An American Biography knows how to find them and turn them into compelling reading.... This book brings out the irony, humor, myth, and behind-the-scenes happenings that make our flag's 228-year history so fascinating."
---The Saturday Evening Post
 
"Timely and insightful."
---The Dallas Morning News

What people are saying

Flag, ¿An American Biography¿

User Review  - dadlove - Overstock.com

Flag, ¿An American Biography¿ by Marc Leepson¿ We salute it, we honor it, we pledge our allegiance to it and we are even willing to die for it ¿ the American Flag ¿ but, we don¿t know anything about ...

User Review -

I found this gem at Half Price Books. I picked it up to see what, if any, tidbits I could use in the Flag Retirement Ceremonies that our Cub and Boy Scout units perform.
I could not have found more in a single place I feel. For that, Mr. Leepson, thank you for doing your homework and making my job easier.
Ken . . . 

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Antecedents: 7
• The Birth of a Symbol: 21
• Mother of Invention: 37
• Our Flag Was Still There: 59
• Additions and a Subtraction: 77
• A Band of Brothers: 125
• The Golden Age of Fraternity: 143
• TWELVE: 163
• THIRTEEN: 174
• The Great War: 177
• FOURTEEN: 186
• One Hundred Percent Americanism: 193
• United We Stand: 205
• SIXTEEN: 212
• The Cold War: 219
• The Generation Gap: 227
• United We Stand Again: 245
• Stan and States: 267
• Bibliography: 309

About the author

Marc Leepson has written for many publications, among them The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Smithsonian. He is the author of five books, including Saving Monticello, and lives in Middleburg, Virginia.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Flag: An American Biography
• Author: Marc Leepson
• Contributor: Nelson DeMille
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Macmillan, 2006
• ISBN: 0312323093, 9780312323097
• Length: 352 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / General