Cover
Front Matter
Myths of Maryland: The Calvert, the Crossland, and the Civil War
Zachary Gardiner, student (University of South Carolina)
No primary sources support the myth that Confederate supporters used the Crossland banner, a component of the Maryland flag, during the Civil War. The Maryland flag is deeply embedded in the identity and culture of Marylanders. However, its history is convoluted, and the interpretation of its adoption often oversimplified. This article explores the history of the flag of Maryland, especially its role during the Civil War, to explain how the Calvert and Crossland symbols came to be the Maryland state flag. While the history of the Maryland flag found online appears straightforward and broadly held—multiple historians assert that, during the Civil War, Confederate soldiers utilized the Crossland banner to represent the South, while Union soldiers utilized the Calvert banner to represent the North—the story of the Calvert and Crossland arms’ use on flags is much more complex. The online oversimplification of the history of the Maryland flag stems from a lack of primary sources used on credible websites and the projection of personal biases by historians onto historical flags.
The New American City Flags Survey of 2022
Edward B. Kaye, NAVA Secretary & Minh Tan, retired government strategist
Over 300 American cities and towns are known to have adopted new or redesigned flags to represent their communities between 2015 and 2022. In late 2022, NAVA conducted an online survey asking respondents to rate those flags’ designs on a 0–10 scale. The 2,852 respondents (308 NAVA members and 2,544 public participants) selfreported from 90 countries (71% from the U.S.); their ages distributed widely. Afterwards, NAVA blanketed the country—especially the cities with flags in the survey—with press releases yielding wide media coverage. With average ratings converted to a letter grade, over 30% of the flags got an A or a B, but over 60% of the flags got a D or an F. Analysis of the results not only showed a range of design quality, but also provided insights into how perception of the designs varied across respondent ages, locations, and NAVA membership.
Semper Paratus – A New Perspective on United States Revenue Cutters and Customs Flags
David B. Martucci, professional antique U.S. flag appraiser
Contrary to popular belief in an unchanging design, the flag of the United States Revenue-Marine, later used by the Revenue Cutter Service then the Customs Service, has varied since its adoption in 1799. Written documents; published images; paintings, engravings, lithographs, and photos of ships; and surviving flags show 13 to 22 stripes, a white but occasionally blue canton, and a great variety of canton decoration. Admiral Preble’s work in the 1870s appears to have standardized the design to the original 1799 specifications.
The Unexpected History of the Schenectady “Liberty Flag”: A Story of 1771
Gwen Spicer, conservator
The “Liberty Flag” dates from before the Revolutionary War. Owned by the Schenectady County Historical Society in Schenectady, New York, the flag was conserved and mounted by Spicer Art Conservation, LLC. It is unique among known Revolutionary War-era flags, as extensive documentation for it exists, including when and where it was first flown along with information about the people associated with its use. Further, this flag was not connected with a military unit or anti-Crown protests; rather, it represented a civic statement. In 1771, Schenectady politicians were focused upon how to allocate and manage common lands rather than on the constitutional issues that were at the forefront for other communities in New York and New England. This focus on common lands arose from local disputes between the more recently-arrived English and earlier settlers of Dutch ancestry. This is also a story of the enduring hold of the Dutch culture through decades of English rule—in particular, how the Dutch concept and understanding of “liberty” was distinct from ideas of individual liberty then prevalent in the “English” colonies. In 1771, thus, the local “liberty” protest by English settlers was more about the use of common lands rather than taxation. Furthermore, consideration of the dyestuffs available for the silk fabric, and its current condition, indicate that the flag, now brown, was originally green (not blue, as widely believed).
The Talisman: Grenada’s National Flag
Curtis Jacobs, Caribbean historian
Beyond their official documentation, the design and colours of Grenada’s national flag show a strong relationship to Grenada’s history, particularly its African heritage, whether unintended or deliberate. While Prime Minister Eric Gairy and designer Anthony Conrad George disclaimed direct connections, the fundamental colours and field-division of the flag ultimately derive from Africa—the colours from Ethiopia and the adinkra “wind-blown” house symbol, representing
resistance, from the Akan people—and from Grenada’s own history. The national flag has become a talisman to Grenada’s people, a symbol which symbolizes the resilience of the country and her people. This article may be the first systematic study of the design of the flag beyond the official documents.
End Matter
Color Plates
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Scott D. Mainwaring, Ph.D., editor
Editorial Board:
Perry Dane, J.D., Rutgers University
Scot M. Guenter, Ph.D., San José State University
Steven A. Knowlton, MLIS, MA, Princeton University
Anne M. Platoff, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Kenneth W. Reynolds, Ph.D., Department of National Defence (Canada)
Raven is a benefit of membership in NAVA.