Kiernan Denise - Stuff every American should know

Copyright 2012 by Denise Kiernan and Joseph DAgnese

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: TK

eISBN: 978-1-59474-583-6

Designed by Katie Hatz
Production management by John J. McGurk

Quirk Books
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T here are certain things every American should know and others you can probably let slide. The names of all the presidents in the order in which they served? Maybe not.

The lyrics to the first stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner? Absolutely.

This book, which purports to be about stuff every American should know, is admittedly selective, idiosyncratic, and likely to touch off arguments. Why did they spend all that time talking about Pilgrims and leave out Mickey Mantle? someone is bound to ask. Why? Because were citizens of a democratic republic that values freedom, thats why! Welcome to America.

You see, people of other nations define themselves by their race, religion, ethnicity, or shared cultural heritage. America, a nation of immigrants, defines itself by its beliefs, the biggest of which is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence: all men are created equal. You think someone in Europe could come up with this stuff? Okay, actually, that concept grew out of ideas espoused in the Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that began in eighteenth-century Europe. But hey, hot dogs, football, apple pie, and rockin country music are now all totally American, too, even if they originated outside the good ole U.S. of A.

This book is about all those little things you probably never got around to asking your social studies teacher. What did they eat at the first Thanksgiving? Whats the electoral college? What books changed America? Is it true youre breaking the law if you rip a dollar bill?

The answers to these questionswhether political, cultural, trivial, or ridiculousare things you probably ought to know if you want to feel truly patriotic and impress your family and friends on the next Fourth of July.

So gather around, wrap yourself in Old Glory, and get ready to dig into some essential stuff about the greatest country on the planet.

Y oud think our continent would be called North Columbus. After all, when Europeans were boldly drawing maps and naming giant swaths of land, Christopher Columbus was the explorer most closely associated with travels to the far side of the Atlantic.

But instead, America was named after the mysterious Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci. He may have made as many as four voyages to the New World, although two are disputed by historians. In letters describing his journeys, Vespucci asserted that the newly discovered land was not part of Asia but rather a new continent he dubbed the New Worldan idea and phrase that Columbus never put forward.

In 1507, a German cartographer named Martin Waldseemller printed the first map featuring the word America. I can see no reason why anyone would object to calling this after the man of great ability who discovered it, wrote Waldseemller, apparently under the false impression that Vespuccis travels preceded those of Columbus. In the centuries that followed, many would paint Vespucci as a huckster who schemed his way into history. Ralph Waldo Emerson said with disdain, Strange that broad America must wear the name of a thief! Amerigo Vespucci managed in this lying world to supplant Columbus, and baptize half the earth with his own dishonest name!

In truth, Vespucci probably did nothing dishonest. Modern historians believe Waldseemller was led astray by salacious forged documents printed by scamming publishers that made it seem like Vespucci beat Columbus to these shores. When Waldseemller learned of his mistake, he revised the map so the continent was labeled Terra incognita (unknown land). But the first name stuck. In 2003, the Library of Congress spent $10 million for the only surviving version of Waldseemllers America map, now on display in Washington D.C.

Y oud be surprised how many people mix these up. Everyone from presidents to political pundits have referenced the wrong documents in their speeches. The differences are vast and important. Lets take a look.

is about 1,300 words long.

begins with: When in the course of human events

separated the 13 original colonies from the control of Great Britain.

does not govern the American people (though its ideals, notably the concept of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, are embraced by citizens as an expression of quintessentially American values).

was signed by 56 men beginning on August 2, 1776, and possibly not signed by the last signer until 1781.

is about 7,500 words long, including 27 amendments.

begins with the words We the People

governs Americans and provides for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.

is the document that presidents, soldiers, government officials, and new American citizens must swear to uphold and protect.

was signed by 39 men on September 17, 1787, and later ratified or accepted by all 13 states.

T he answer, surprisingly, is not Levi Strauss, though he certainly helped popularize them in the United States. Before this all-American garment became popular in the Wild West, variations were being sold in other parts of the world. In the sixteenth century, merchants in Bombay, India, sold a hard-wearing blue fabric out of the Dongari Fort that was dubbed dungaree. In the port town of Genoa, Italy, sailors used a similar fabric to make sails, tarps, and clothing. And the city of Nmes, Franceabout 300 miles from Genoa along the FrenchItalian Rivierawas home to a factory that produced serge de Nmes, from which comes the English word denim. The French spoke of the Italian fabric as the blue of Genoa (bleu de Gnes), hence blue jeans in English.

Denim was an ideal choice for working-class clothing. It was remarkably durable, concealed stains, and became more comfortable with use. In 1853, at the time of the California gold rush, a German dry-goods merchant named Levi Strauss opened a business in San Francisco, intending to sell supplies to miners. Strauss teamed up with a Nevada tailor, Jacob Davis, to create pants that stood up to the punishing grind of mining work. When customers complained that the pockets and other parts of the pants tore too easily, Strauss and Davis strengthened the stress points of the garment with copper rivets. They received a U.S. patent for this design in 1873. A rivet placed in the crotch was later dropped from the design because it conducted heat to sensitive parts of the body when wearers squatted in front of campfires.

E ven people who dont give a hoot about architecture grow quiet when they stare out across the reflecting pool toward the Lincoln Memorial. There are hundreds of buildings, structures, and sites in the United States that inspire awe. Here are ten youll want to explore in person.