Larry Mendte Curtis Sliwa America 250th June 15

Curtis Sliwa shares the story on the creation of the United States flag and the people responsible for every detail.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Curtis and Larry celebrate two fifty Stories that made America
on sevent ten wo.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Nobody else is doing this in broadcasting. Each in every
program we take another time important history. Having unveiled to
us this nation of ours that fought the crown and
one of liberty and our freedom against the Union Jack

(00:32):
and the Union Jack, well, that was the flag of
the British Empire. They didn't have other flags. That was
their only flag. So this new nation that was already
organizing to free ourselves from tyranny of the king, had
to come up with a symbol. From Lexington and Concord.

(00:53):
When we first fired the shots in which the Brits
understood that wow, the rebels are added, they started basically
hand weaving different types of flags at each and every location,
so Lexington Concord then at Bunker Hill. There was no
single official flag at the start of the American Revolution.

(01:17):
In fact, hundreds of different handmade banners emerged and were
flown by local militias, regiments, naval ships. Whether it was
pine trees, a rattlesnake model, you name. It had to
be very confusing for the Brits, including the Hessians and mercenaries.
Who fought with them, because they all fought under the

(01:38):
Union Jack. And they see another flag in the distance,
who the hell is that? And then seventeen seventy five
came about and the first unofficial flag emerged. It featured
thirteen red and white stripes with the British Union Jack
in the corner, and naturally a lot of the colonia said, hey,

(02:00):
we don't want the Union Jack on our new flag whatsoever.
So at that particular point, George Washington, who was in Philadelphia,
and Robert Morris, they go to the house of Betsy
or Ross, they sit with her, and they create this
image of an American flag that could be utilized everywhere.

(02:25):
And the official flag came about in June of seventeen
seventy six, as was designed by George Washington, Robert Morris,
and of course Betsy Ross, who ended up sewing it. Well,
guess who came along and claimed, oh, no, no, no, no,
that image that you become so familiar with the flag

(02:47):
of the US, the thirteen stripes, the alternate red and white,
that the Union be thirteen stars white in a blue
field representing a new constellation. Oh that was not Betsy
Ross in Philadelphia, whose House has been preserved not far
from the Liberty Bell itself. Tourist galore come by. But
in fact, Tom Kaine yesterday the missing Tom Kain Jr.

(03:10):
We don't know who's been missing longer, the Ayatola Junior
in Iran or Tom Kain Jr. He recognized Francis Hopkinson
of New Jersey yesterday put outa text as signer of
the Declaration of Independence. But what he's also known for,
Francis Hopkinson is saying I designed the flag. It was

(03:33):
not Betsy Ross, no way, it was Betsy Ross. And
then the official stars and stripes finally was sealed for
approval by the Second Continental Congress that passed the Flag
Resolution Act on June fourteenth of seventeen seventy seven. So

(03:56):
can you imagine this Larry Hopkinson who needs to be
recognized as one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
That meant if caught by the Brits and especially Benjamin
Franklin's son who was the Lord Governor in Trenton, he
would have been hung from the nearest tree. But then

(04:17):
he tries to take credit for the stars and stripes
of Betsy Ross.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
He's trying to grab credit for New Jersey. And what
he doesn't realize is that before she was Betsy Ross,
she was Elizabeth Griscom who was born in Gloucester City,
New Jersey. So you can already take credit for Betsy Ross.
You don't have to go through these hoops to change
history to try to claim that someone else other than

(04:46):
Betsy Ross made the flag, which is ridiculous. Betsy Ross
was the upholsterer for George Washington. They were good friends.
Why would he go to this who is the guy's
name again? You mean the guy from whoever is Francis Hopkins?
Why would he go? Does he know him? George Washington
went and Ben Franklin, by the way, went to Betsy

(05:08):
Ross because she was the upholsterer for all of the
rich and famous in Philadelphia. It makes no sense.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
And you've been known for debunking many of these ideas
that we had, so you stand firmly.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
On Betsy Ross. Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
I stand firmly with Betsy Ross. Unfortunately, yesterday Flag Day,
few if any Americans did. To those that did, I
salute you To those that didn't, Man, what a shonda
little de scratchiata Anyway, up next, Bill Ridder best known
as the lead anchor of Channel seven Eye Witness News,

(05:43):
talked about a diagnosis he has for Alzheimer's. We'll go
through It, plus head to seven to ten wr com
for the special America two fifty cash contests and your
chance to win twenty five hundred bucks after the eight
o'clock News, which is now