Flags and Shoes

The Facts

$140:  that was the cost for the Nike “Betsy Ross Flag” trainers. So before we go too far into the arguments about the shoes, they were $140 shoes.  When I was running significant distances (a few years ago) I bought running shoes at $100, now that I’m a slow jogger, I stick with my old faithful Asics at $75.  So there’s that.

Betsy Ross:  while legend has it that she sewed the flag for George Washington, it probably didn’t happen.  Washington didn’t cut down the “cherry tree” either, and he probably told a lie or two.  So there’s that as well.

The Story

The flag, thirteen red and white stripes, a blue field in the corner with thirteen stars in the field; was the original flag authorized by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.  There were lots of flag makers in Philadelphia, and any of them could have made it.  Whoever did, it became the first “official” flag of the United States.

Today’s story:  Nike produced shoes to honor the Fourth of July with the original thirteen star flag on them.  Colin Kaepernick, NFL quarterback who began the “kneel during the National Anthem” movement, now on contract as a Nike spokesman; claims that the flag is symbolic of the racism of the founding fathers, and shouldn’t be honored.  He also stated that some white nationalists groups used the flag for “their” symbol. Nike withdrew the shoes from sales (though you could buy a pair on the “gray” market, now for over $2000.) 

The History

Many of the founding fathers were slave owners, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, among them.  Many weren’t, such as John Adams, Alexander Hamilton (though his wife’s family did) and Roger Sherman.  Slavery was a part of the thirteen colonies, as much as it was a part of the United States through the Civil War.  The impact of slavery, seen in racism and discrimination, still echoes in our nation today.

Kaepernick kneeled rather than stand for the flag during the National Anthem as an opportunity to highlight the injustice and brutality many black people face.  His message was that this country wasn’t perfect; this was his way to use the spotlight of the NFL, where 70% of the players are black, to highlight the issue. A vast majority of the fans are white. 

Kaepernick specifically stated:

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.  To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”  (NFL)

That was his right, his freedom of speech, and I back him.  I also agree with him about what happens “in the street.”

Today’s Standards or Yesterday’s

However, I do not think we can simply paint our entire past over with the “red paint” of racism.  Yes many of our founding fathers were racist; they were men of their time. The real brilliance of the founding fathers, was that despite their own flaws and actions, they were able to see beyond to a nation that could be better than all of them.  You see it in Jefferson’s “…all men are created equal…” and in Madison’s “…more perfect union,” and in the First Amendment right that Kaepernick is exercising.  The founding fathers made their ugly deal with slavery and pushed it onto future generations to fix.  They had too many problems to solve to do them all at once.

None of that makes slavery acceptable, or right, but it does provide perspective into our past.  They were aware, (“woke?”) of the total injustice of slavery, but could not find a way to get rid of it without destroying the nation they were building.  

So the “Betsy Ross flag” does represent men who allowed slavery, or made their “deal with the devil of slavery” to get their nation.  But it also represents the nine thousand black men who fought for the Revolution under that flag, some as freedmen, and some as slaves that would never see freedom.  And more importantly, it represents the vision that those Americans, white and black, had for the future.  The vision has yet to be fulfilled, but without their effort, it would never even started.

Get Your Own Flag

Some say that white nationalists have co-opted the Continental Flag, just as they long ago overtook the Army of Northern Virginia battle flag (the “rebel” flag .)  But in researching the topic, there are very few references to white nationalism and the thirteen star flag, and when it was used, it was paired with other racist symbols.

And, unlike the Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Continental Flag started out as the flag representing ALL of our United States. It was our first national flag. We should not easily give it up to the extremes, it represents all of our history. Those extremists wave one flag more than any other, it is the current 50 Star Flag. We’re not giving up on that one either.

The flag of the Continental Marines, the “Don’t Tread on Me” snake flag, for two centuries was a symbol of revolutionary fervor.  It was only ten years ago that the “Tea Party” movement co-opted it into a politically conservative and anti-federalism flag. Since, “citizen-militia” and “sovereign nation” groups have joined in and the “rattlesnake” has become an extremist favorite.

And then there is the “inside baseball” white nationalist, parked in a local nature reserve, who put the “true” Confederate flag on his truck bumper. The sticker says: “for those who know.” He’s not wrong, their are few who do.

Nike is a private company, and can market, not market, or change their mind without permission.  But the “Betsy Ross flag” represents much more than the narrow views of a few current extremists. It also means more than the 18th century racism of our founding fathers. It represents the hopes and dreams that are the foundation of our nation, the dreams of Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton and the rest.  While their dreams were not fulfilled, they remain our own.  It is for that reason, that we should not allow the Continental Flag to be “co-opted.” It should be honored.