Betsy Ross and the Making of America
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History
Book Type: Hardcover
Alice B. reviewed on + 3561 more book reviews
This is a beautiful hardback gift book.
Marla Miller has the ability to ignite a passion underfoot for her historical actors and the lives they lived. At times, one almost forgets this is an academic professor writing a heavily researched biography of a woman we all seem to hear about, but no one really knows. Through what must have been many long hours in the archives, Miller weaves together the story of a typical Philadelphia woman coming of age in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Miller's diligent research reveals to us not only the life of this female artisan, working woman, and loving family member. From her writing we also get an understanding of the upholstery trade in early America and how crucial upholsterer's work became as the Patriot cause strengthened. As a demand for flags arose, so did that for tents, army blankets, cots, and various other camp equipage related to the skilled work of a trained upholsterer such as Betsy Ross was in the early years of the rebellion. Betsy's story continues through her personal struggles with religion, the deaths of three husbands and several other close family members, and the establishment of a successful flag-making and upholstery business. We find out that Betsy did make flags, lots of them; but did she make the FIRST flag? I'm not telling! Although Miller's main focus is the actual life-time of Betsy she also addresses the matter of how the flag legend came to be in the mid- to late-nineteenth centuries and the role of family lore in creating a national icon. A good read with an easy, narrative flow, but still packed full of information about a side of Revolutionary America not often explored.
Marla Miller has the ability to ignite a passion underfoot for her historical actors and the lives they lived. At times, one almost forgets this is an academic professor writing a heavily researched biography of a woman we all seem to hear about, but no one really knows. Through what must have been many long hours in the archives, Miller weaves together the story of a typical Philadelphia woman coming of age in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Miller's diligent research reveals to us not only the life of this female artisan, working woman, and loving family member. From her writing we also get an understanding of the upholstery trade in early America and how crucial upholsterer's work became as the Patriot cause strengthened. As a demand for flags arose, so did that for tents, army blankets, cots, and various other camp equipage related to the skilled work of a trained upholsterer such as Betsy Ross was in the early years of the rebellion. Betsy's story continues through her personal struggles with religion, the deaths of three husbands and several other close family members, and the establishment of a successful flag-making and upholstery business. We find out that Betsy did make flags, lots of them; but did she make the FIRST flag? I'm not telling! Although Miller's main focus is the actual life-time of Betsy she also addresses the matter of how the flag legend came to be in the mid- to late-nineteenth centuries and the role of family lore in creating a national icon. A good read with an easy, narrative flow, but still packed full of information about a side of Revolutionary America not often explored.
