Whitewashed History

In this episode of Whitewashed History we pick up the story of our flag with the War of 1812 and the very first Star Spangled Banner . There had been many renditions of the Stars & Stripes, but it wasn't until Major George Armistead unfurled Mary Pickersgill's enormous garrison flag over Fort McHenry that a lawyer named Francis Scott Key gave it the title 'The Star Spangled Banner'. The story of t...

There’s usually only one flag from American history that causes controversy, so imagine my surprise when another flag, a Revolutionary flag, started making headlines. In this bonus episode we dig into the history of the Appeal to Heaven flag, we talk about the controversy with Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito (or rather, his wife), and how this flag of violent revolution ended up in front of the...

Join us on a trip that starts in Ancient Egypt and ends up on Arch Street in Philadelphia. We see the flag around us everyday, but what do we really know about it? How did it get those colors, for instance, or the stripes? Most flags don’t look like that , how did we get the one with the mis-matched patterns? And who came up with the stars? It’s a long, complicated story that involves eagles, and...

Teaser for the upcoming show Whitewashed History - first episode available on July 4, 2026! Whitewashed History explores the ways ancient history shaped the founding of the United States, and how those stories still impact us today. Get full access to Whitewashed History at whitewashedhistory.substack.com/subscribe