The protest of football player Colin Kaepernick is highly controversial. Recently, San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick sat down during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem saying it is a protest against racial injustice and police brutality. Due to this event, this week in another class we had to analyze the Star Spangled Banner including the verse that is not sung publicly. My perception of the Star Spangled Banner has changed due to the unsung verse, the meaning behind the verse, and nation’s more recent current events. Surprisingly, my perception of the Star Spangled Banner has changed. The star spangled banner used to be a beautiful song to me. In my previous experiences I would sing it, placing my hand over my heart. One part of the song touched me the most: “O! say does that star-spangle banner yet wave… o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” This week, I was required by another class to research the entire star spangled banner due to the recent controversy. Upon reading the entire …show more content…
This verse states “Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps pollution.” There are many arguments regarding the interpretation of this sentence. Some argue this verse is in reference to slaves who went to fight for the British. Keeping this in mind, I move on to the next line. “No refuge could save the hireling and slave from terror of flight and gloom of the grave.” This line of the song is disturbing. When I initially sang the Star Spangled Banner anthem, I thought we were all included. The emancipation proclamation to free slaves was signed in 1863. The Star Spangled banner was made the United States National Anthem many years later by President Herbert Hoover in 1931. How can this song mentioning the slaughter of slaves be signed in as the national song for all who are free? This question is what alters my
The issue of being unpatriotic during the National Anthem was raised by people when NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel during the national anthem before a preseason game. Later, Kaepernick addressed the media by saying this act was a stance against “police brutality on people of color”. By raising the
In the face of inequality and race, one man has expressed his rights more than others and that man was Colin Kaepernick. Kaleem (2016) says while Kaepernick set the national debate about race on a course with many of the other worlds problems, his stance on the national anthem has sparked controversial conflict among people of color and people of a different race. Next, almost no one seems to be aware that even if the U.S were a perfect country today, it would be bizarre to expect African-American players to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Why? Because it literally celebrates the murder of African-Americans. Furthermore, people keep asking the question about what freedom is and how it can be defined, and with Kaepernick, he kneeled for something that is being looked at as patriotic but some may argue that it’s a disgrace. Kaleem
If you are a big football fan then you might have noticed at the beginning of the season,that a player for the San Francisco 49ers, did not stand for the national anthem. The player's name is Colin Kaepernick. To some it might not have been a big deal, but to others it was a major controversy. They couldn't understand why Kaepernick did not stand for the anthem. From an online article by Steve Wyche, Kaepernick explains why he didn't stand for the anthem. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "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." () Kaepernick is referring to all the police shooting of African Americans that have been happening. Since Kaepernick started sitting out for the anthem others in the NFL and in other sports have also started to sit out for the anthem. The issue starts with the black
For those who want to light Old Glory on fire, stomp all over it, or spit on it to make some sort of "statement," I say let them do it. But under one condition: they MUST get permission from three sponsors. First, you need permission of a war veteran. Perhaps a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima? The American flag was raised over Mount Surabachi upon the bodies of thousands of dead buddies. Each night spent on Iwo meant half of everyone you knew would be dead tomorrow, a coin flip away from a bloody end upon a patch of sand your mother couldn't find on a map.
Thinking back over the years, people are able to live a freedom filled life that may not have been if not for the many wars that were fought by our courageous soldiers, young and old. Wars fought to defend our country, guard our lives from terrorists, and to protect the 50 stars on our American Flag which represents our 50 free states. Throughout history, symbols have been a rallying cry for people throughout the world, and these symbols have led to the advancement in social justice and freedom for all. Europeans fought for their Kings and today, soldiers have fought and continue to fig...
On June 28, 2015, an activist by the name of Bree Newsome did something unspeakable; she climbed up the flag pole of the South Carolina state house and removed the wretched Confederate Battle flag that has been swaying in the air since 1961. Many saw this as a social media act for attention, but what I saw was a woman who was desperately trying to get the attention of the ones that can make a difference for a situation that truly needed attention. Although many consider the Confederate Battle Flag to be a symbol of southern pride and heritage, it represents the entirety of southern history, much of which involved slavery and should be taken down; not only from the state capital, but anywhere this symbol of racism stands. The history of this flag has been tainted by slavery and groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which have misrepresented what it means and have created acts of not only violence, but racism and hatred as well. Also, the main purpose of the creating
There is much controversy surrounding the idea of patriotism and the iconography of the American flag in today’s society. Some believe patriotism is simply the act of supporting the decisions of the leaders of the country. Others say, to be patriotic, people should be outspoken and voice their oppositions to what is going on in the government. Opinions also differ on the idea of what the American flag represents. One opinion of the flags representation is that the flag represents our history, and the formerly mentioned idea of patriotism. Others believe the flag also represents our history as a nation, but these beliefs focus much more heavily on the negative aspects of our history; such as slavery and other injustices carried out by our nation. These people often believe we should find a new iconography for our country’s ideas of patriotism. As Barbara Kingsolver states in “And Our Flag Was Still There,” “Patriotism seems to be falling to whoever claims it loudest, and we’re left struggling to find a definition in a clamor of reaction” (Pg. 1). Therefore, every American’s duty is to define patriotism amongst the clamor of reaction, recapture the American flag’s representation, and create a new icon for the flag.
Historically, protest songs are written and sung by performers to present a strong point of view regarding a political or social injustice. The Vietnam War was a one such political and social event that sparked many famous protest songs. Two of the most famous protest songs about the Vietnam War are “Fortunate Song” by Creedence Clearwater Revival and “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen. While written at opposite ends of the war, both songs share a similar point of view and similar musical styles. However in the end I believe that only one of songs is truly a successful protest song that continues to make a lasting impact on American politics and society.
Former Senator Robert Winthrop said, “So when you see the flag, I just hope you remember the blood, sweat, and tears that men have gone through to keep our country free.”
For over 200 years, the American flag has been a symbol of our country’s strength and freedom. It has been the beacon of hope for so many both, citizens and noncitizens. It’s stars, stripes, and colors all have meaning. The stars represent the 50 states, the stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the red symbolizes hardiness and valor, the blue stands for perseverance and justice, and the white represents innocence and purity. This flag has been flown, in its variations, since 1776 and since then has provided the hopeless with hope, the freedom to those who were enslaved, and equality to those who wanted their voices heard.
The song was written to motivate young men to join the army, idealizing soldiers as patriotic “son[s] of liberty” who would make their fathers, girlfriends, and country proud. The US soldiers are shown as the liberators of
“Some folks are born to wave the flag, ooh, they’re red, white and blue.” Creedence Clearwater’s song “Fortunate Son” is commonly misinterpreted as a very patriotic, country glorifying song. However, it is in fact the opposite. Many people make this mistake because of the first two lines which evoke patriotism yet they fail to see the deeper message that lies within the rest of the song. Creedence Clearwater wrote this song in 1969 as a protest against America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Even though “Fortunate Son” is a protest song, the main issue addressed is the inequality between the social classes.
Over the years people have often questioned our national anthem. The real question is should the national anthem be the Star Spangled Banner, or America the Beautiful? Let’s go back and take a look at history on both songs.
I went to the Apopka High School fall band concert on Thursday, November 19th, 2015 for my cultural event. Different artists featured throughout this concert include Francis Scott Key with the Star Spangled Banner, Peter Blair with the Woodchopper’s Ball, and Carmen Dragon with America the Beautiful. This concert was centered on giving thanks to the veterans that serve or have served our country, and I thought it would be a unique experience to attend. I was moved by all the veterans that stood up in the audience to be recognized. One of the artists I would like to take a closer look at is Francis Scott Key with the Star Spangled Banner. I believe that this song can be related back to western civilization through the Classic era with the Roman
If you ever want to learn about a person, you can just ask them what type of music they like, and that can tell you a lot about that person. Songs like “The National Anthem” tell a story about our country, but it is often taken for granted and not given the respect it deserves. It is not the individual’s fault if they do not know the meaning. That is when research comes to. There is so much music in the world that has great meaning and history behind it that we can learn from.