The American Flag and its Hemp History
by Brittiany Ralls
Stars and Stripes, the Star Spangled Banner, and Old Glory is what our great American flag has been called on numerous occasions. There is so much symbolism in our flag. Most Americans know that the stars stand for the 50 states, the 13 stripes are for the original colonies and most remember that the colors represent something, not sure what really. Can’t say I remember them all myself. But, hey this is what we have historians and the internet for. Hardiness, valor, purity, innocence, vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Quite a list to live up to, if I do say so myself. Since I am a lover of all things cannabis I did know that some historians speculate that the original flag for America was made of hemp. By original I mean, the flag that most of us think of, the 13 stars and 13 stripes, for all you history buffs out there. Not the british union version.
Learning about how much cannabis is tied to our history fuels my desire to learn more.
In May of 1776 it is said, by historians, that Besty Ross was commissioned to sew the first American flag. There is no documentation to prove who designed or sewed the first flag. Conclusions historians have come to are based on correspondence between political figures and their family members from a long line of stories told. In fact most of the story about the first American flag wasn’t even brought to the attention of the public until about 100 years later. It is also said that the first flag was made of hemp but there is no documentation to prove that either. Some speculate that it was made of hemp based on the facts that farming industrial hemp at the time was encouraged by the government, and quite a few products were made with hemp at the time primarily for its durability. Knowing how a flag may have to withstand adverse weather conditions leaves some believing that it is very possible that the original American flag was made of hemp. There are no remnants of the original flag so we can’t know for sure.
It has been said that history has a way of repeating itself. Marking a new time within our nation’s history. In 2013, and in 2015 there was a hemp made American flag flown over the nation’s capital. The first time for the Fourth of July and the second time for Veteran’s Day. If history does repeat itself then we can almost be sure that a hemp American flag has been flown at some point within our history before the 21st century. As I celebrated this past Fourth of July I thought of the impact cannabis has made on our history and I look forward to the upcoming changes that I think we will see in the near future.
