How the American Flag Got Its 50th Stars
Transcript
Ladies and gentlemen, we all know that the American flag has endured, in its many forms, as the ultimate symbol of freedom, justice, and the American way, but did you know that our nation’s flag was designed by a high school student from Ohio?
According to legend, the original American flag from 1776 was sewn by a lady named Betsy Ross.
It had 13 stars in a circle representing America’s original 13 states.
As more states joined the union, people kept adding more stars to the flag, so by 1958 the US flag had a total of 48 stars for the 48 states of that time.
Which brings us to our high school student, Robert Heft.
Robert’s history teacher gave his students an open-ended assignment.
“Make a project illustrating “your interest in American history.
“It could be anything.”
So, Robert, who was jazzed about hearing that Alaska and Hawaii were going to become states, cut up an old 48 state flag in his grandparents’ basement and designed his own vision for a 50 state flag.
When he turned his final assignment, Robert’s teacher said, “Anyone can make a flag, “and it’s got the wrong number of stars.”
The grade came back a B minus.
Robert tried to explain his idea to his teacher who replied, “I’ll change your grade when your flag is accepted “by the US Congress.”
Game on.
Robert wrote 21 letters and called The White House 18 times until one day in 1960, Robert’s phone rang.
Hello?
Hello, Robert Heft?
It was President Eisenhower with news that Robert’s 50 state flag design had actually been chosen as the new official flag of the United States.
The President invited Robert to Washington where he saw his American flag fly for the first time on July 4th, 1960.
Since then, Robert’s 50 state flag has remained unmatched as the quintessential symbol of America.
But I know what you’re thinking, whatever happened to that B minus?
Robert’s teacher honored his promise and changed the grade to an A.
Vocabulary List
endure
(verb) to tolerate something unpleasant or difficult
sew
(verb) to join two pieces of material together with thread or yarn
open-ended
(adjective) having no fixed limit or answer
assignment
(noun) a task that is given to someone to do
jazzed
(adjective) excited or enthusiastic
remain
(verb) to continue to exist or be in a particular state
unmatched
(adjective) having no equal or rival
quintessential
(adjective) perfectly representing the essential qualities of something
honor
(verb) to fulfill a promise or obligation
Grammar Point
We are going to observe 3 verb patterns from this video.
As more states joined the union, people kept adding more stars to the flag, so by 1958 the US flag had a total of 48 stars for the 48 states of that time.
keep + – ing form
… people kept adding
… people kept add (wrong)
… people kept to add (wrong)
keep walking
keep walk (wrong)
keep walks (wrong)
keep to walk (wrong)
So, Robert, who was jazzed about hearing that Alaska and Hawaii were going to become states, cut up an old 48 state flag in his grandparents’ basement and designed his own vision for a 50 state flag.
about + – ing form
about hearing
about hear (wrong)
about hears (wrong)
about heard (wrong)
about going on a holiday
about go on a holiday (wrong)
about goes on a holiday (wrong)
about gone on a holiday (wrong)
Since then, Robert’s 50 state flag has remained unmatched as the quintessential symbol of America.
remain + adjective
… has remained unmatched
… has remained was unmatched (wrong)
… has remained is unmatched (wrong)
remain strong
remain is strong (wrong)
remain was strong (wrong)
Common Expressions
1…. but did you know that our nation’s flag was designed by a high school student from Ohio?
Did you know vs. do you know
Did you know is used to share a fact that the speaker already knows. The speaker is not asking the listener if they know the fact, but rather they are sharing the fact with the listener. For example, you might say “Did you know that the earth is round?” even if you know that the listener already knows this fact.
Do you know is used to ask a question about something that the speaker does not know. The speaker is genuinely asking the listener if they know the information, and they are open to the possibility that the listener does not know the answer. For example, you might say “Do you know what time it is?” if you do not have a watch or if you are not sure what time it is.
2.As more states joined the union, people kept adding more stars to the flag, so by 1958 the US flag had a total of 48 stars for the 48 states of that time.
Which brings us to our high school student, Robert Heft.
The phrase “which brings us” is often used to introduce a new point or topic in a conversation or piece of writing. It can also be used to transition from one point to another, or to summarize the previous point before moving on.
For example, you might say “I was talking about the importance of family, which brings us to the topic of love.” In this sentence, the phrase “which brings us” is used to transition from the topic of family to the topic of love.
3.Robert tried to explain his idea to his teacher who replied, “I’ll change your grade when your flag is accepted “by the US Congress.”
Game on.
The phrase “game on” is an informal expression that is used to indicate that a competition or challenge is about to begin. It can also be used to express excitement or enthusiasm for a challenge. The phrase originated in the 1970s as darts slang for starting a round of play. It has since spread to a range of contexts, including sports, business, and even social situations.
ould shoot for around 2000 calories?
Not necessarily.
If a person replies ‘Not necessarily’ after someone said something, it means that what has just been said or suggested may not be true.
A; John was lying, of course.
B: Not necessarily.
Person B thinks that John may not be lying.
A: So the school will have to close down, then?
B: Not necessarily.’
Person B thinks that the school will not have to close down.
We can also use ‘not necessarily’ in the middle of a sentence.
Bigger is not necessarily better.
The speaker/writer thinks that bigger is not alway better.
This is not necessarily a bad policy.
The speaker/writer thinks that the policy is not completely bad.