# 4293 - 2009 44c Flags of Our Nation: Kentucky
Flags of Our Nation
Kentucky
Issue Date: August 6, 2009
City: Washington, DC
During the Revolutionary War, Kentucky was a “dark and bloody ground.” Settlements were constantly under attack by British and Native American forces. Refusing to back down, Kentuckians formed a militia to fight for their freedom.
Kentucky was a border state at the start of the American Revolution. Secluded in the western wilderness, it was difficult to defend from attack. Native American war parties, led by British Rangers, sacked outposts and massacred hundreds of colonists. By the end of 1776, fewer than 200 settlers remained in the colony.
Kentucky pioneers were hardened by years of surviving in the wilds. Fighting alongside men such as Daniel Boone, the militia used the hit-and-run tactics of their enemy. After six years of bloody battles, Kentuckians secured the American frontier.
Over 150 years later, the Kentucky Historical Society hired art teacher Jessie Cox Burgess to design the state flag. Emblazoned on the flag was the state motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” The motto came from the lyrics of an American Revolutionary War song and forever reminds people of the brave settlers of Kentucky.
Death Of Daniel Boone
Boone was born on November 2, 1734, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Though he had little formal education, his father taught him to be a skilled hunter and how to survive in the woods. When he was 15, the family moved to North Carolina, and Boone began selling his furs to local traders.
Sponsored by land spectator Judge Henderson, Boone made his first trip toward the Gap in 1767 but failed to pass through. On his way home, he ran into one of the previous explorers and decided to try again. Together they set out with a small party in May 1769 and followed the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky.
Boone helped open up the path, which became known as the Wilderness Trail. In 1775, he led a group of colonists to present-day Kentucky and founded Boonesborough. It was one of the first white settlements west of the mountains. Thanks to the efforts of Daniel Boone and several other woodsmen clearing the Wilderness Road and Cumberland Gap, over 200,000 settlers had made their way West by the end of the 18th century.
After the war, Boone opened a tavern and worked in a variety of other businesses in Limestone, Kentucky. He participated in the Northwest Indian War and helped to negotiate a truce and prisoner exchange. He was then voted to the Virginia State Assembly, but had financial troubles and sought a fresh start in Missouri, then part of Spanish Louisiana. He would spend his final years there with his children and grandchildren before his death on September 26, 1820. Several towns, counties, and schools across the country would later be named in his honor.
The legend of Daniel Boone grew because of exaggerated stories published in dime novels. He once said, “Many heroic actions and chivalrous adventures are related of me which exist only in the regions of fancy. With me the world has taken great liberties, and yet I have been but a common man.”
Flags of Our Nation
Kentucky
Issue Date: August 6, 2009
City: Washington, DC
During the Revolutionary War, Kentucky was a “dark and bloody ground.” Settlements were constantly under attack by British and Native American forces. Refusing to back down, Kentuckians formed a militia to fight for their freedom.
Kentucky was a border state at the start of the American Revolution. Secluded in the western wilderness, it was difficult to defend from attack. Native American war parties, led by British Rangers, sacked outposts and massacred hundreds of colonists. By the end of 1776, fewer than 200 settlers remained in the colony.
Kentucky pioneers were hardened by years of surviving in the wilds. Fighting alongside men such as Daniel Boone, the militia used the hit-and-run tactics of their enemy. After six years of bloody battles, Kentuckians secured the American frontier.
Over 150 years later, the Kentucky Historical Society hired art teacher Jessie Cox Burgess to design the state flag. Emblazoned on the flag was the state motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” The motto came from the lyrics of an American Revolutionary War song and forever reminds people of the brave settlers of Kentucky.
Death Of Daniel Boone
Boone was born on November 2, 1734, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Though he had little formal education, his father taught him to be a skilled hunter and how to survive in the woods. When he was 15, the family moved to North Carolina, and Boone began selling his furs to local traders.
Sponsored by land spectator Judge Henderson, Boone made his first trip toward the Gap in 1767 but failed to pass through. On his way home, he ran into one of the previous explorers and decided to try again. Together they set out with a small party in May 1769 and followed the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky.
Boone helped open up the path, which became known as the Wilderness Trail. In 1775, he led a group of colonists to present-day Kentucky and founded Boonesborough. It was one of the first white settlements west of the mountains. Thanks to the efforts of Daniel Boone and several other woodsmen clearing the Wilderness Road and Cumberland Gap, over 200,000 settlers had made their way West by the end of the 18th century.
After the war, Boone opened a tavern and worked in a variety of other businesses in Limestone, Kentucky. He participated in the Northwest Indian War and helped to negotiate a truce and prisoner exchange. He was then voted to the Virginia State Assembly, but had financial troubles and sought a fresh start in Missouri, then part of Spanish Louisiana. He would spend his final years there with his children and grandchildren before his death on September 26, 1820. Several towns, counties, and schools across the country would later be named in his honor.
The legend of Daniel Boone grew because of exaggerated stories published in dime novels. He once said, “Many heroic actions and chivalrous adventures are related of me which exist only in the regions of fancy. With me the world has taken great liberties, and yet I have been but a common man.”