Flag: An American BiographyRead about another book on the list.
by Marc Leepson
From the Continental Colors to the current thirteen-stripe, fifty-star iteration (first flown on July 4, 1960), Leepson traces the geneaology of the flag of the United States of America and the powerful emotions it stirs. Originally used as a military insignia, the flag became a powerful emblem of Union solidarity during the Civil War, and in the era after World War II rose to represent the dreams of generations of immigrant Americans. Leepson introduces a host of historic figures including Francis Scott Key and U.S. Navy Capt. Samuel Driver, who coined the phrase "Old Glory".
--Marshal Zeringue