Fig. 1 A Coat of Arms
Some have claimed that the above coat of arms was an inspiration for the stars & stripes of the American flag. What family name would serve as an adequate inspiration for the national flag? Legend has it there was a man who could have been the first king of the United States, but he refused the title. This is his family crest. He was a famous general from the American Revolution and became the first president of the United States. He is the symbolic patriarch of the U.S.
Fig. 2 The Seal of the United States Senate
Look at the seal of the U.S. Senate above. The shield has the symbolic 13 stars and the bars of white and red like the Washington coat of arms. I like this seal, it has more going on the the regular regular seal of the U.S. It contains the Phrygian cap, which could be found on some Roman coins. The hat and its associated meaning of liberty was thought to have originated from Anatolia (modern day Turkey). The fascis (Latin) at the bottom of the seal, the axes tied with many planks of wood, was also used by the Romans. The Latin noun is often translated as "bundle." It eventually became the word "fagot" in English or a similar sounding word in other European languages. The image became the eponymous symbol of Mussolini's Italian Fascist Party. The meaning has to do with the unified effort of the many controlling the actions of the axe. The implications of the fascis on certain types of government are obvious. Unified action is an appealing ideal for forms of democracy and communism alike. There are other fasci-nating symbols to discuss on this seal, but I will leave it at that.
Fig. 3 1869 U.S. postage stamp. Similar to Washington coat of arms
Fig. 4 The first Captain America (Marvel Comics)
Let's keep following this historical thread in the realm of art history. Above, is an image of good ol' Cap "the first Avenger," with one of his first shield designs. Captain America's shield is actually closer to the Washington coat of arms than the shield on the U.S. Senate seal. I grew excited when I discovered this image. Cap's topmost banner, called the "chief" in heraldry, contains three stars like the Washington coat of arms! The stripes of his shirt are more similar to the Washington crest than those of his shield. Check out 'Cap's cap. His mask has little white wings on it. This is similar to the wings found on the helmet and ankles of the messenger god known as Hermes to the Greeks and Mercury to the Romans. The wings of Hermes symbolized his magical sandals which were able to transport him quickly with the ability of flight. Perseus, the slayer of Medusa the Gorgon, was gifted a pair of winged sandals as well. A great subplot Marvel could create is a story of how Steve Rogers was selected to become Captain America because he is a descendent of General Washington, which unveils the Masonic oligarchic connection to the U.S. government, and their preservation of the Washington legacy. It would be a dark series. Marvel may hire me to write the story.
Fig. 5 Miss America Comics #1 (1944).
Miss America, from the Golden Age of comics, is a superhero of the Marvel universe. Her shield image is even nearer in appearance to the Washington coat of arms than the above Captain America shield. Her image contains the red and white stripes instead of red, white, and blue like Cap'. The chief (top banner) of Ms. 'Merica's symbol contains three stars like the Washington shield. The differences include the direction of the stripes (vertical instead of horizontal), the color combination of the chief, and the number of stripes. Miss America is, appropriately, bearing 13 stripes which symbolize the 13 colonies that broke away from the British empire. Check out the date of the publication of the first issue of Miss America (Fig. 5). That was the year the Allies liberated Western Europe from Hitler. Prior to this victory, it was thought that Germany and the Axis powers were winning WWII.
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