The American Flag

It is a popular belief that Betsy Ross designed and made the very first American flag for the general of the Continental army, George Washington, in 1777.

 But that is unfortunately a misconception. 
 

"The first American flag was a banner with thirteen alternating red and white stripes with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew set into to the upper left corner. These were symbols of the British throne and captured the hope that there might still be a political resolution that would maintain some connection between Americans and the throne of England."
{Don't Know Much About History by Kenneth C. Davis ISBN 0-06-008382-4}

I never knew that there was a flag design that predated the 13 star flag, but in a way it makes logical sense.

Originally the colonists did not want to be free of the English throne, they just wanted to feel like proper countrymen. The slogan "No taxation without representation" started because the English Parliament decided to tax the colonies to help pay the dept of the previous "Seven Years War", also known by the colonial name of the "French and Indian War".
This upset the colonists but it was really a minor thing in the long run, just something to get the people to start having ill-feelings towards the Crown.

As time went on the the tug-of-war between the colonies and England continued until Parliament decided to put its foot down and passed series of bills which the colonists called the Intolerable Acts, which spurred the colonists to convene for the First Continental Congress in 1774.

Even as the Revolution was beginning there were still many colonists who were loyal to the Crown and the patriots had to keep that in mind, thus the British symbols were incorporated into the flag to show that they were willing to work with the Crown but only to an extent.

As well all know by now, the English and the colonists could not come to an agreement and the Declaration of Independence was signed on the 4th of July, 1776.

The Revolutionary War does not officially end until the Treaty of Paris is ratified by Congress in January of 1784.

I find it interesting that we as Americans celebrate when we declared independence instead of when we actually acquired independence, but I can't really argue with the nationally holiday, now can I?

I am proud to say that I am an American; knowing that our country is not perfect, never has been and never will be, but we worked hard for our country to be a place of peace and prosperity.

Flying Shuttle

What comes to mind when you hear the words, "Flying Shuttle"?
The space ship?
The speeding bus from Harry Potter? {One of my favorite book series growing up}

How about cloth?
Cloth??? What does that have to do with a flying shuttle??

The flying shuttle was a device created by John Kay in 1733, that would increase the speed of cloth weaving and ultimately the production power of the looms.

Let me set the scene...

The Industrial Revolution began in England in the second half of the eighteenth century.
England was rich in raw materials secured from the colonies and worldwide trade. Wealthy men had the capital to invest in machinery and factories and the Agricultural Revolution provided the large pool of displaced workers needed to run them.

This revolution first took off in the textile industry {hence why we care about the flying shuttle}.
In the 1700s, as the demand for cotton goods grew, inventors came up with a string of devices that revolutionized the British textile industry.
John Kay's flying shuttle sped up the weaving by the loom and created a demand for more thread. One invention led to another, such as the spinning jenny, the water frame, the power loom and the cotton gin. The innovations in the textile industry improved productivity.
Improvements in chemicals, railways, ships, and heavy machinery would occur in the nineteenth century as the need for markets led to the development of different sectors of the economy.
{Credit: European History by Micheal J. Romano}

Why do I care about the flying shuttle or the British Industrial Revolution?

Because I love the BBC mini-series "North and South" based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell.

The main heart-throb Mr. John Thornton, played by Richard Armitage {aka the dwarf leader Thorin in the movie The Hobbit}, is a cotton mill owner/operator in England during this time period.

{sigh} So handsome.

Anywho, there is your random history for the day. :)

{Bonus pictures of Richard Armitage}

Yummy. ;)