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National Capital Area Skeptics Public Lecture Series

Saturday, June 11, 2pm-4pm

The American Flag in History and Myth
Peter Ansoff


PDF flyer http://www.ncas.org/pdf/2005June.pdf

The American flag was created during the Revolutionary War for a
utilitarian purpose -- to identify the ships and fortifications of the
new nation. Two and a quarter centuries later, the flag is flown
everywhere, by government agencies and civilians alike, and is treated
as a quasi-religious icon. The founding fathers would be amazed to hear
about some of the mythology that surrounds the flag today. Mr. Ansoff
will present a very brief history of the origins of the American flag,
followed by a discussion of some of the more interesting myths and
legends that have become associated with it. Some of them are just
amusing, while others are downright creepy.

Hundreds of books have been written about the origins of the American
flag, but most have simply repeated and embellished the work of a small
group of mid-19th century historians. Though well-intentioned, these
authors' research was often cursory, and their conclusions were
distorted by their own assumptions and attitudes about the flag. Mr.
Ansoff will discuss some of these authors during his talk, and will
also provide a small show and tell of some of the rare flag books in
his collection.

Mr. Ansoff is the current President of the North American
Vexillological Association (NAVA) and has had a lifelong interest in
flags. In addition to NAVA conferences, he has made presentations at
the Star-Spangled Museum and Flag House in Baltimore, the Mariners
Museum in Newport News and the American Revolution Round Table of
Washington DC. In real life he is a support contractor to the US Navy's
aircraft carrier program office.

Mr. Ansoff is currently working on a series of papers that re-examine
the primary sources relating to early American flags and the events
surrounding their creation and use. His paper on the so-called First
Navy Jack flag received NAVAs Driver Award for original contributions
to vexillological scholarship, and was published in the NAVA journal,
the Raven in 2004. Two other papers, "The Flag on Prospect Hill, a New
Interpretation" and "The Sign Their Banners Bore, the Pine Tree Flag in
the American Revolution" have been presented at vexillological
conferences and are being prepared for publication. Other forthcoming
topics in the series will include Rattlesnake Flags and the creation of
the Stars and Stripes.

Montgomery County Library
Bethesda Branch
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, Maryland
(A short walk from the Bethesda Metro station)

FREE admission - Everyone welcome - members and non-members

For more information call the NCAS 24-hour skeptic line recording at
(301) 587-3827

Future Lectures

NCAS has does not have lectures during the summer. Our next lecture
will be in September. Information will be posted here over the summer.

Previous public lectures: Topics discussed at previous NCAS lectures.

About NCAS:
The National Capital Area Skeptics is an independent nonprofit
educational and scientific organization that promotes critical thinking
and scientific understanding. NCAS is based in the Washington,
Maryland, and Virginia community, where it serves as an advocate for
science and reason, actively promoting the scientific method, rational
inquiry, and education. NCAS is at the front lines in the battle
against gullibility and fraud. www.ncas.org