Mary Pickersgill and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
Standards
Grade 2
Standard 1.0 Political Science
Topic: A. The foundations and function of government
Indicator 2: Explain how democratic skills and attitudes are associated with being a responsible citizen
Objective a: Use appropriate informational text to develop an understanding of democratic skills
and attitudes, such as rights and responsibilities, respect, fairness, honesty, loyalty, and courage.
Objective b: Connect certain people, symbols, songs, and poems to the ideals they represent
such as George Washington portrays leadership, the American flag represents loyalty and
respect, and the Star Spangled Banner represents courage and freedom.
Lesson Seed
Show students a picture of the American flag flown during the attack on Fort McHenry. Mary Pickersgill
was a flag maker who moved to Baltimore from Philadelphia after the death of her husband. In 1812,
America was again at war with the British. The commander of Fort McHenry, Major George Armistead,
knew that the British would be attacking this important Maryland port. He asked Mary Pickersgill to
design and sew a large “garrison” flag that would fly over Fort McHenry.
Mary, her daughter and their assistant flag makers had only six weeks to complete two flags; the large
garrison flag that would fly over the fort, and a smaller storm flag. Working day and night, Mary and her
team hand-sewed the stars and stripes that would come together into the flag we know today as the
Star-Spangled Banner. As they worked on the flag, laying the pieces of fabric on the floor to stitch them
together, the flag grew so big that they had to move to a nearby brewery, Claggett’s, to have enough
room to complete the work. Mary and her team worked for weeks to assemble the flag that would fly
over Fort McHenry during the British attack.
Have students pretend they are Mary or one of her assistants. Write a letter to a family member
explaining how the flag was made, how she chose the design of the flag, and why she worked so many
hours to complete it. Students should use details from sources to support their answers.
Mary Pickersgill and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
©2012 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved.
Page 1
Resources
Mary Young Pickersgill Video
http://www.thinkport.org/Tools/ContentViewer/ContentPreview.aspx?ContentID=cac4f965-875c-481f825e-45d92788fe30
Mary Young Pickersgill, a flag maker, is known best for the design and creation of the American flags
that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. As a young widow, Pickersgill moved her family to
the thriving port of Baltimore to work as a flag and banner maker. In this piece, learn about the
evolution of the American flag and why Pickersgill made the design decisions she did in creating the flags
that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem Homepage
http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/default.aspx
On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore's Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to
celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those "broad stripes
and bright stars" inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States
national anthem. In this online exhibition from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History,
students will explore the story of the Star-Spangled Banner by learning about: the War of 1812 and the
Battle of Baltimore; Mary Pickersgill and the making of the flag; Francis Scott Key and the song that
became the national anthem; the legacy of the flag and its use as a patriotic symbol; and the efforts
undertaken to preserve the flag as a national treasure. This resource includes interactive activities and
educational resources that can be used to further enhance this exploration of the flag that inspired the
national anthem.
Bright Stars and Broad Stripes Classroom Videos
http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/educational-resources.aspx
Watch four short videos to learn about the story of the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the
national anthem. During the presentation, Mary Pickersgill (a historical figure with a fictional
monologue) is working on a garrison flag to fly over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry. She speaks about the
War of 1812, the process of creating the giant flag, and thoughts about the meaning of the flag. The
presentation was created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where the flag
that inspired the national anthem is on display.
Math and Measuring the Star-Spangled Banner
http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/pdf/SSB_Math_K_2.pdf
Just how big is the Star-Spangled Banner? In this classroom activity, students will visualize the area of
the famous flag by measuring pieces of string and attaching them to create an outline of the StarSpangled Banner. This activity is included in the online exhibition from the Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History entitled "The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National
Anthem."
Mary Pickersgill and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
©2012 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved.
Page 2
Oh, Say, Can You See What the Star-Spangled Banner Means?
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/oh-say-can-you-see-what-star-spangled-banner-means
This unit of eight lessons, from EDSITEment, is designed to explore the symbolic, historical and literary
background of the American flag, beginning with Francis Scott Key's poetic account of the bombardment
of Fort McHenry. Using archival documents and images, students associate Key's words with historic
events and recognize the sentiment those words inspired. In the second part of the unit, students
review the symbols within the flag and look at some historic images of the flag that have become part of
American national consciousness.
Mary Pickersgill and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
©2012 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved.
Page 3