The Star-Spangled Banner

In 1998, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History (nmah) launched a multimillion-dollar effort to preserve the Star-Spangled Banner. A victim of its own popularity, the flag had suffered from too many years on continuous display. With Polo Ralph Lauren providing significant funding (together with the Pew Charitable Trusts and Save America's Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation), a tremendous conservation project commenced. The flag remained on display in a glass-walled lab that allowed visitors to watch as conservators working to undo years of damage cleaned and stabilized the fabric. The exhibit closed during the recent $85 million renovation to the museum; when the nmah reopens, the flag will become part of a new permanent exhibition, “For Which It Stands: The American Flag in American Life.”; Aimed at upper elementary and middle school children and their teachers, the Web site under review tells the story of the Banner's history, and of the U.S. flag more generally, while also describing the massive conservation effort required to preserve the artifact. A section titled “You Solve the Mystery”; presents three historical questions and supplies documents that users may read to formulate an answer, as well as a link supplying the Smithsonian's answer. Elsewhere, a quiz allows readers to check their comprehension of the site's material. The site also links to a teacher's manual developed by the History Channel, another supporter of the nmah effort

Archaeology · Art history · Banner · Exhibition · Flag (linear algebra · Library science · Media studies · Sociology · American Environmental and Regional History · Computer Science · History