Subject Areas |
History and Social Studies
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U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government |
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Time Required |
| Lesson 1: A homework assignment, with a follow-up of less than one class period
Lesson 2: One class period or less
Lesson 3: Two periods
Lesson 4: One period or less
Lesson 5: One period as a whole-class exercise; longer if students work independently
Lesson 6: One period
Lesson 7: One or two periods
Lesson 8: Part of one period to explain the assignment, followed by work at home, and then one period to discuss the results of the survey
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Skills |
| primary document analysis
designing and administering a survey
poetry analysis |
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Additional Data |
| Date Created: 05/21/02 |
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Date Posted |
| 4/11/2002 |
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Oh, Say, Can You See What the Star-Spangled Banner Means?
Francis Scott Key's song "The Star-Spangled
Banner" did more than give the American flag a name; it changed the way Americans
looked at their flag. In the early 1800s, Americans, like people in other countries,
considered a national flag simply a military or naval emblem... Today the
flag is the primary symbol of American patriotism.
— Flag
as Patriotic Symbol IntroductionPrior
to 1814, other American symbols were more prominent than the American flag. Early
American gold coins, for example, featured the eagle and the "Liberty Cap." While
the Liberty Cap is scarcely recognized today, the American flag has grown in importance.
The flag became "the primary symbol of American patriotism" after Francis Scott
Key's poetic account of the bombardment of Fort McHenry stirred a powerful sentiment
in the American people. Using archival documents and images, students
will associate Key's words with historic events and recognize the sentiment those
words inspired. In the second part of the unit, students will review the symbols
within the flag and look at some historic images of the flag that have become
part of our national consciousness. Learning ObjectivesAfter
completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to: - Indicate
phrases from "The Star-Spangled Banner" that refer to the bombardment of Fort
McHenry.
- List ways in which the American flag is used.
- Discuss
the symbols within the American flag and some ways in which the flag has been
used as a symbol of the Unites States.
Guiding Questions:In
what ways do the lyrics of "The Star-Spangled Banner" reflect actual events? What
evidence do we have of its popularity? What are some events involving the flag
that have contributed to Americans' image of their flag and their country? Preparing
to Teach this Lesson - Review each lesson in this unit and select appropriate
archival materials to use in class discussions—particularly for Lesson
3. Bookmark them, if possible; download and print out the selected documents
and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing.
- Obtain
background information on the Star-Spangled Banner from:
- This unit is divided into two parts, each
of which can be used independently. The first section concentrates on the historic
origin of the Star-Spangled Banner. The second part concentrates on the flag's
symbolism. Throughout the lesson, engage students to think outside the historical
context; challenge them to think critically about what the flag and anthem mean
to Americans, to our country, and to the rest of the world.
- If
desired, familiarize the students with the following vocabulary words before beginning
this unit:
anthem |
| banner | | patriotism |
| preservation | spangled |
| stars and stripes | | symbol |
- The materials list in Lesson
3 identifies images that require no (or very little) reading and documents
that require reading at varying levels of difficulty. These materials can be assigned
to student groups or individuals or simply displayed around the room for everyone
to inspect. The extensive list of images and documents allows flexibility in adapting
the lesson to a particular class. One group, for example, may be more interested
in or comfortable with the documents than another.
- For Lesson
4, supply the students with copies of the first stanza (or more, if desired)
of the National Anthem.
- Lesson
5 is written as a teacher-directed lesson. Independent students can create
an annotated anthem on their own. For a whole-class version of Lesson 5, prepare
a large copy of the first stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner on a series of sheets
of large paper. Select excerpts that will allow for illustration using the documents
from Lesson 3, or student-created images.
Leave sufficient space to illustrate each excerpt with the images the class chooses
(or creates).
- For Lesson
6, obtain a large flag to share with the class and/or individual flags for
each student. Check with your local VFW Post.
- For Lesson
7, prepare copies of the poem to distribute as necessary. In addition, students
who will give the survey at home will need copies of the images. Reducing the
size of the images and placing them on one sheet would save paper.
- For further lessons about symbols and, specifically, American national symbols,
refer to these complementary EDSITEment lessons:
- The
Digital Classroom, available through EDSITEment, offers a series of worksheets
for analyzing primary source documents, including written documents and photographs,
that you may wish to use or adapt to help students in reviewing the materials
presented in this unit.
Suggested ActivitiesPart
I: The Star-Spangled Banner: A Flag, a Poem, a National Anthem Part II: What Does
the Flag Mean?
Extending
the Lesson
Part I The
Star-Spangled Banner: A Flag, a Poem, a National Anthem
Lesson 1 Flag Sightings A few days before
you begin the unit, challenge the students to look for the American flag everywhere.
Tell them the class will be compiling a list of all of their flag sightings. Their
sightings can include actual flags, images of flags and references to the flag.
Compile the class list of flag sightings. Follow with a discussion about
the flag. Pose the following sorts of questions to the students: Why is the flag
important in the military? Why did an American astronaut leave an American flag
on the moon? Why do American athletes cry when they see the flag and hear the
National Anthem played during the Olympics? Did anyone see any use of the flag
he/she felt was inappropriate? And finally, why does the American flag symbolize
pride for the United States?
Lesson 2 The Real Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner was made by Mary Pickersgill for Fort McHenry. It originally
measured 30 x 42 feet, about one-quarter the size of a basketball court, but a
large portion of the flag is now missing. Each star is about two feet across.
This flag design became the official United States flag on May 1, 1795. With
the addition of two stars for Vermont (admitted as the 14th state on March 4,
1791) and Kentucky (admitted as the 15th state on June 1, 1792), this flag was
to last for 23 years. The five Presidents who served under this flag were George
Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809),
James Madison (1809-1817) and James Monroe (1817-1825). The 15-star,
15-stripe flag was authorized by the Flag Act of January 13, 1794, adding two
stripes and two stars. The regulation went into effect on May 1, 1795. This flag
was the only American flag to have more than 13 stripes. It was immortalized by
Francis Scott Key during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, Sept 13, 1814 (see The
15-Star
Flag, on The Flag of
the United States of America, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library). The Star-Spangled Banner was likely damaged not
only in the Battle of Baltimore but also by time, the actions of its owners and
previous attempts to restore it. Have students look at a recent photograph
of the American
flag from Fort McHenry, which inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner" and is now
on display at the Smithsonian Institution, available online via a link from the
EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library. Why are so many people looking at the flag in the
photograph? What do students notice about the condition of the flag? How many
stars were there all together? What could have happened to the damaged star? What
in the classroom can help us visualize the size of the stars in this flag, which
are two feet across? How big does that make the whole flag? Why would a flag meant
to fly at a fort be made so large? What may have caused the present condition
of the flag? How can you tell? Look at The
Star-Spangled Banner, a 1913 portrait of Francis Scott Key reaching out toward
the flag, available on the EDSITEment resource America's
Library. This is the same flag as in the first photo. What's going on in the
painting? Identify the flag for the class as the Star-Spangled Banner.
Lesson 3 will help students answer
many of the questions posed in this lesson.
Lesson 3 The Star-Spangled Banner in Pictures and Words
Recite the first stanza of the National Anthem for the class. Tell students they
will understand the difficult words better and learn more about the early history
of the Star-Spangled Banner (flag and song) by analyzing some primary source materials.
Introduce the research questions the class will try to answer as they
review the materials: - What happened on Tuesday, Sept. 13, and Wednesday,
Sept. 14, 1814?
- What in the first verse of the National Anthem refers
to something that actually happened?
- Which objects show how the poem "The
Defense of Fort McHenry" by Francis Scott Key was being publicized?
- Which
objects indicate that Francis Scott Key's poem was popular? Why do you think the
poem was so popular?
- Did the song immediately become our National Anthem?
- What
caused the present condition of the flag known as the Star-Spangled Banner?
- What
indication is there that the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the subsequent events
surrounding Key's poem are considered important today?
Make available
to the class the images and documents you have selected from the list of EDSITEment
resources below. Include the captions with the image or document. These materials
could be displayed for the whole class or particular images or documents can be
assigned to student groups or individuals.
Images - An
Artist's Rendering of the Bombardment on Fort McHenry, available via a link
from Internet Public Library
- British
bombshell (like those bursting in midair), available on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from Internet
Public Library
- First
printed edition combining words and music (Baltimore: Thomas Carr, 1814 Printed
sheet music), available on the Library
of Congress website, a link from American
Memory
One of only ten copies known to exist, this copy of "The Star-Spangled
Banner" is housed today in the Library of Congress.
- Fragment
of the Fort McHenry flag, available on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from Internet
Public Library
Certain people were granted the privilege of cutting fragments
from the flag as souvenirs. "Indeed had we have given all we had been importuned
for," Georgiana Appleton wrote, "little would be left to show." Owners of some
of these historic fragments have given theirs to the Smithsonian.
- Images
of Red Chevron, available on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from Internet
Public Library
Louisa Armistead sewed the red chevron on one of the flag's
white stripes. According to her daughter, she intended it to be the letter A,
probably for "Armistead."
- The
Star-Spangled Banner ... Written by F. Key, Esq., during the conflict between
Fort M' Henry, and the British Fleet, in 1814. Swain typ. [181-], available
on American Memory
The full text of the Star-Spangled Banner on satin, a commercial product of the
typographer, Swain. Note that this product was produced in 1814, the same year
the poem was written.
- Francis
Scott Key. "The Star-Spangled Banner." Washington, D.C., October 21, 1840. Holograph
manuscript. Music Division, Library of Congress (65), available on the Library
of Congress website, a link from American
Memory
Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) witnessed the British bombardment
of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor on the night of September 13 and 14, 1814.
Exhilarated by the successful defense of the fort, Key wrote the words that became
in 1931 the National Anthem of the United States. Key wrote the poem in 1814;
rewriting it by hand in 1840 indicates the ongoing popularity of the piece.
- The National Anthem was officially adopted in 1931. Before that time, others
had attempted the writing of a National Anthem. An example
from 1879 is available via a link from American
Memory; an 1883 anthem, America:
A National Anthem, is available on American
Memory.
- Fourth
of July Flag Image, available on Fort
McHenry, a link from Internet
Public Library
Documents - Official
Account of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry, available on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from Internet
Public Library
- Francis
Scott Key's Original Manuscript, available on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from Internet
Public Library
Complete version (transcript) of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
showing spelling and punctuation from Francis Scott Key's manuscript in the Maryland
Historical Society collection.
- First
Known Printing of Key's Poem, available on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from Internet
Public Library
- Transcript
of the First Printing of Key's Poem (broadside, probably printed in Baltimore
on Sept. 17, 1814), available on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from Internet
Public Library
- Proclamation
2795 (Fort McHenry declared one of only two places where the American flag is
allowed to fly, day and night), available on Fort
McHenry, a link from Internet
Public Library
(Note: An audio clip of the Star-Spangled Banner is
available online. The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library, has a page devoted to the song, with audio clips of the Anacreontic
Song — the musical template for the Star-Spangled Banner — and an 1854 version
of the Star-Spangled Banner. How is it similar to and different from the song
students recognize today?) After reviewing the images and documents,
discuss student reactions as a class. Allow students to share their hypotheses
regarding the questions presented at the beginning of the lesson and to identify
specific documentary evidence to support their theories.
Lesson 4 What Does It Mean? Recite the
words of the first stanza of the National Anthem with the class. Go through the
stanza phrase by phrase. What does the class understand each to mean, or refer
to, now? Lesson 5 The
Annotated Anthem As a culminating activity,
challenge the class, under your guidance, to use materials from Lesson
3 to create an annotated copy of the first stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
On large pieces of paper, display appropriate sections of the first-stanza lyrics.
Ask students to select an image or document, or to design an image to illustrate
the words on each page. Attach the appropriate image or document to each excerpt.
Put a brief explanation (as suggested by students) at the bottom of each page.
Technically savvy students could turn this product into a slide presentation using
PowerPoint or HyperCard.
Part II What Does the Flag Mean?
Lesson 6 Symbols in a Symbol: What Does the Flag Mean? A Mini-Lesson
A symbol stands for an idea. Over the years, a symbol tends to take on a meaning
related to its history, function or appearance. Ideas can also be gradually transferred
to an object over time. In this way, an object can take on new meanings. For example,
when you see the Star-Spangled Banner, you may simply see a large flag, you might
think about its history, or you may have personal feelings about the flag based
on your own experiences. Over the course of our country's history, the flag has
become more important as a symbol of our country, though each American can still
endow it with a personal meaning. The flag resonates with the symbols
of its original design (colors, stars, stripes) and the meanings that have become
associated with it since then. Review with your students the definition of a symbol.
If desired, use the following activity, as described in the EDSITEment lesson
The Statue of Liberty: The Meaning and Use of a Symbol: Give students the
opportunity to explore an interactive
lesson on symbols, available on the EDSITEment-reviewed website The
Metropolitan Museum of Art's Explore and Learn. If access to technology is
limited, adapt the lesson for direct instruction by downloading and duplicating
the image of one or both statues; then use the museum activity as a guide to your
discussion. Larger images of the statues referenced in this lesson are
also available: Have the class compare a contemporary
flag in your classroom with the "first flag" on Betsy
Ross, Washington, and the Flag, an image and brief background information
available on the EDSITEment resource America's
Library (a larger
image may be found on the EDSITEment-reviewed website American
Memory). The flag design does change at times. Why? What do the changes represent?
(A new star for every state, an attempt to increase the number of stripes as new
states were admitted.) However, certain properties of the flag have never changed.
What are they? (Colors, stars, general design.) Why were those designs
and colors chosen? To answer this question, share with the class Symbols
of U.S. Government: The American Flag, a brief essay on Ben's
Guide to Government for Kids, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library. Lesson
7 What Does the Flag Mean? Share the following
poem with the class. Consider reading it to the class during your usual story
time. (Note: It is not necessary to identify all of the historical events mentioned
in the poem, or to identify what is factually correct or incorrect in it, to discuss
the author's intention. Though composed by a famous songwriter — Johnny Cash —
this piece was written as a poem and is not available as a song.) This poem is
also available from EDSITEment in PDF
format (Download
Adobe Acrobat Reader). You may wish to download the poem and make copies.
"Ragged Old Flag" By Johnny Cash I walked through a county courthouse
square, On a park bench an old man was sitting there. I said, "Your old
courthouse is kinda run down." He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit, And that's a Ragged Old Flag
you got hanging on it." He said, "Have a seat," and I sat down. "Is
this the first time you've been to our little town?" I said, "I think it is."
He said, "I don't like to brag, But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.
"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there When Washington took
it across the Delaware. And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing Oh, Say Can You See.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at
its seams. "And it almost fell at the Alamo Beside the Texas flag,
but she waved on through. She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill. There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard
and Bragg, And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.
"On Flanders Field in World War I She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II. She hung limp and low by the time it
was through. She was in Korea and Vietnam. She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam. "She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home. In her own good land
she's been abused— She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused.
"And the government for which she stands Is scandalized throughout the
land. And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin, But she's in good
shape for the shape she's in. 'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more. "So we raise her up every
morning, Take her down every night. We don't let her touch the ground
And we fold her up right. On second thought, I DO like to brag, 'Cause
I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."
"Ragged Old Flag" written by Johnny Cash, © 1974 (renewed) SONG OF CASH, INC.
(ASCAP) / Administered by BUG MUSIC / All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
Discuss the poem. What made the old man in the poem proud of the flag? According
to the old man, where had the flag been? Do you think he was talking about the
flag in front of the courthouse or the American flag itself? What would you say
the flag meant to the old man? The flag is important to Americans. For
example, think about medal-winning athletes who break into tears when they see
the flag. People associate the flag with our country's ideals and its history.
In this lesson, students decide what the flag means to them. Share with
the class an appropriate number of the following images and their captions from
EDSITEment resources. For each, ask students to write one sentence describing
what the picture brings to mind about the American flag and the United States.
They should react to each image you present, even if they are unfamiliar with
the historical moment portrayed. - Betsy
Ross, Washington and the Flag, available on America's
Library
The flag as a symbol of our country's history.
- U.S.
Marines raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, in February
1945, available via a link from American
Memory
The flag as a symbol of the fight for freedom around the world.
- "Photograph of President Lyndon B. Johnson placing a wreath before the flag-draped
casket of President John F. Kennedy, during funeral services for Kennedy in the
Capitol rotunda," available on The
Digital Classroom (Using the NAIL
Expert Search, check the box "Only Descriptions Linked to Digital Copies"
and search for the words "Johnson," "wreath" and "Kennedy.")
The flag as a
symbol of American heroes who died in service to our country.
- Flag
on the Moon, available on Man
on the Moon, a link from Internet
Public Library
The flag as a symbol of our country's technological achievements.
- Michael
Johnson with American flag, available on the International
Olympic Committee website, a link from Internet
Public Library (click on the link to Michael Johnson's picture)
The flag
as a symbol of individual achievement by American heroes. Discuss the
images and the students' reactions. Which images stirred the students the most?
What does the flag mean to the students?
Lesson 8 A Survey: What Does the Flag Mean to Americans?
Now that the class has reacted to various images of the flag, students will attempt
to determine if older Americans react in a similar way. What does the flag mean
to their parents and/or other significant adults in their lives? During class
discussion, have students prepare a few questions for a survey they will present
to various adults, and decide which images to use (one or more of those from Lesson
6, or others that you or the students select). When the questions are ready,
have students complete the survey with an assigned number of adults; provide a
deadline when surveys should be completed. After students have had a
chance to give the survey, discuss the results. What are the similarities between
adult and student reactions to the images? Differences? Is it possible to sharpen
the definition of what the flag means to Americans in general or were reactions
mostly individual? Extending the Lesson
- Read A
New Flag Flew Over the U.S. Capitol on the EDSITEment resource America's
Library. There has been discussion of Puerto Rico or Washington, D.C., becoming
a 51st state. How would students propose to arrange 51 (or 52) stars?
The designer of the 50-star flag has already designed a 51-star flag. For the
story behind both designs, visit Robert
G. Heft: Designer of America's Current National Flag, available on The
Flag of the United States of America, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed
website Internet Public Library.
- Students interested in the controversy over the condition of the flag can
try the interactive activity You
Solve the Mystery on The
Star-Spangled Banner, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library. For further information, read The
Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project or Facts
and Details about the Preservation Project, both available on The
Star-Spangled Banner.
- Did Betsy Ross really create the first
flag? Though many scholars believe she did not, others believe she did. Information
on both sides of the controversy may be found on Betsy
Ross and the Betsy
Ross Homepage, both available via links from the EDSITEment-reviewed website
Internet Public Library.
- Many EDSITEment resources and links have information on the history of and
etiquette regarding the American flag. Additional information is available on
related subjects, such as the Pledge of Allegiance. Some particularly useful sites
include:
- Interested students can learn more about
the Battle of Baltimore and the War of 1812. Through the website Fort
McHenry, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library, students can research further key people or places associated
with the Star-Spangled Banner, such as Francis Scott Key, General Armistead and
Fort McHenry. A
memorandum in which President Madison describes his futile attempt to organize
a military defense of the nation's capital on August 24, 1814 is available
on the Library of Congress
website, a link from the EDSITEment resource American
Memory.
- Every state has its own symbols, such as flags, mottoes
and songs. A good place to start an investigation of state symbols is 50
States & Capitals, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library. It also contains a link to every official state website (click
on the state name at the top of each state's page).
- The Star-Spangled
Banner has four verses. Generally, only the first is sung. Students who want to
become familiar with the entire song can find the lyrics on Songs
and Oaths: The Star-Spangled Banner, available on Ben's
Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library.
- Your local VFW Post may have a program to
bring to your classroom about the history and/or etiquette of the flag.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
- American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov -
America's Library
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
- Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/ -
The Digital Classroom National Archives and Records Administration
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html
- Internet Public
Library
http://www.ipl.org
-
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/index.html
-
The Flag
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/flag.html -
Betsy Ross Homepage
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/ -
Celebrating America's Freedoms
http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/index.htm
- The Flag of the
United States of America
http://www.usflag.org/ -
Fort McHenry
http://www.bcpl.net/~etowner/patriot.html -
International Olympic Committee
http://www.olympic.org/ -
Man on the Moon
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/moon/
- The
Star-Spangled Banner
http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/
-
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Explore and Learn
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/index.asp
Other Resources:
Recommended
reading from the Learning Page of American
Memory - Old, Wendie C. George Washington.
Springfield, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 1997.
Recommended reading from
"Our Flag" (U.S. Government Printing Office Washington: 1998), available on Ben's
Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, a link from Internet
Public Library - Mountain, Lee. Uncle Sam
and the Flag. Illustrated by Jeanne Pearson. Oddo Publishing Inc., 1990.
(Grades 2-4; ISBN: 0877831459)
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