When Protesting the Flag is the Right Thing to Do

By Thomas Franklin

This is a book that speaks about the recent ongoing protest that former professional quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco Forty Niners initiated by protesting the performance of the National Anthem at the start of each of his football games. It describes in detail why the author thinks it is perfectly acceptable for anyone to protest the singing of the National Anthem and what it represents at any time. It starts with where the anthem came from and what the lyrics to the song actually refer to and mean. It covers the history of the battle the spawned the creation of the poem that became that anthem. This includes the historic courage the men who defended the garrison at the Battle of Baltimore when through and how that courage was represented in the poem itself by Sir Francis Scott Key, its author. Then it goes through what the flag actually represents, not only in design but in purpose and spirit. It covers how the anthem was initially introduced into baseball games as a marketing tool not a form of reverence, and when it spread to the other three major American sports as a form of reverence. How different stances on the flag have been taken through the years and how different ways that representation has been protested. It covers prior protests of the anthem through the years including some famous athletes that are considered heroes in American sports culture. Pictures of those various forms of protest are included to make the point very clear. It concludes with an interesting question: why only four of the major American sports actually use the anthem at the start of each of their games? Why only those four? Why, if only those four, is protesting the anthem considered such a problem? The book is designed to start a conversation by its readers on the value of free speech that is part of any protest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TFPublications
• Release date: Jan 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386009641

Thomas Franklin

Thomas Franklin writes at home and lives in Sacramento with his family.

Book preview

Why I Wrote This Book

I WROTE THIS BOOK FOR several reasons.  The first is that I believe athletes are also people and should be allowed to express their points of view as they wish without repercussions for simply doing that.  The second is that the point that I believe the point this particular athlete is making is an important one that needs to be heard and understood. The third is that few people in the country display courage in any form and the specific athlete referenced in this book as well as the others cited displayed uncommon courage under extremely trying conditions.  The fourth is that I believe the country as a whole needs to be reminded of who we are as a people, and why certain activities still matter.

Why You Should Read This Book

WELL, FIRST, LET ME thank you for choosing this book.  That shows you to be an insightful reader