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  JOHN FREMONT (THE FIRST REPUBLICAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT) CAMPAIGN PARADE FLAG, WITH "FREMONT FOR FREEDOM" SLOGAN, "GREAT STAR" PATTERN WITH FOUR SIZES OF STARS, THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE IN THIS STYLE

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 36.25" x 48.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 25.25" x 38.5"
Description....:
JOHN FREMONT CAMPAIGN PARADE FLAG, WITH "FREMONT FOR FREEDOM" SLOGAN AND A BEAUTIFUL REPRESENTATION OF THE "GREAT STAR" PATTERN WITH FOUR SIZES OF STARS. FREMONT BECAME THE FIRST REPUBLICAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 1856. THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE IN THIS STYLE:

Rare and exceptional, 31 star American parade flag, printed on cotton, made for the 1856 presidential campaign of John Fremont and William Dayton. Fremont holds the important distinction of being the nation's first Republican presidential candidate. The Republican Party had been formed in that very same year. It was an outgrowth of the Whig party, the Liberty Party, and the "Free-Soilers", which simultaneously evaporated, plus the portion of the members of the American Party (the "Know-Nothings") who more vigorously opposed slavery. Former members of all these groups united in a common goal to impede the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the further spread of slavery through the growing nation.

Only three styles of Fremont campaign parade flags are pictured in Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present, by Herbert Ridgeway Collins, (1979, Smithsonian Press). Collins formerly served as Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian Institution and his text is widely agreed to be the best available reference for American political textiles. Other styles are known, but this particular flag is both unrecorded and survives as the only known example in this style.

Though the flag does not bear Fremont's portrait, it does bear other traits that make it one of the best political "word flags" that I know to exist. Besides the obvious importance of its ties to the very roots of the Republican Party, as well as the general scarcity of Fremont textiles, there are several reasons why. These include the rare presence of a slogan, the meaningfulness of that slogan to America throughout its history, and the interesting visual format of the blue, shadowed lettering. Also note the dynamic variation of what is known as the Great Star pattern that incorporates stars in no less than four different sizes. Further contributing are the flag's early, pre-Civil War date, as well as the bold size of the flag among its counterparts, being larger than most and highly desired. Because the flag scores a sold "10" on all fronts, it falls among the tiny percentage of the very best of all early Stars & Stripes that have survived into the twenty-first century.

The text reads simply:

"FREMONT AND FREEDOM"

Slogans are extremely scarce on political parade flags. Between the years of 1843 and 1901, only about fifteen percent of the various basic styles of printed campaign flags bear slogans or any other notable text past the candidates' names and the offices they were seeking. Further, the number of flags that exist in each of those styles with slogans is very small. To put this another way, only eleven political Stars & Stripes with slogans are pictured in the Collins book between the years 1843 and 1901, and these are some of the most rare examples. There are about 70 styles without slogans, and among these are the most common flags. So the actual percentage of existing flags with slogans is tiny, certainly less than five percent. Among those relating to specifically to Fremont, none of the three pictured in the Collins book has a slogan. Among all the Freemont flags that I know to exist, only one other example, smaller and in a different style and also undocumented, bears the "Fremont & Freedom" verbiage.

The slogan itself is more significant than others, simply because of the presence of the word "Freedom" and its importance to Americans. It speaks not only to the elimination of slavery and the Civil War that soon followed, but also to our colonial struggle for independence and every day desire to maintain religious and other personal freedoms. Simply put, the presence of these words on an early Stars & Stripes flag is a huge plus.

In most campaign flags, the text in the stripes is overprinted in black ink after the flag itself is made. In this example, the text was printed contemporaneously with the canton, in the same vibrant blue. This is a scarce feature and adds further interest. What it means is that the flag wasn't made as a parade flag for use with or without advertising; rather it was made specifically for the Fremont campaign.

Because of its newfound value in gold, California was quickly escorted into the Union as the 31st state in 1850. The 31 star flag became official in 1851 and remained so until the addition of Minnesota in 1858. Flags made prior to the Civil War are extremely rare, comprising less than one percent of 19th century flags that exist in the 21st century. This is partly because, prior to the 1876 centennial, our flag was simply not used for most of the same purposes we employ it in today. Private individuals did not typically display the flag in their yards and on their porches. Parade flags did not often fly from carriages and horses. Places of business rarely hung flags in their windows. Use of the Stars & Stripes for these purposes began to rise swiftly following the attack on Fort Sumter that marked the opening of the Civil War, but civilian use of the flag was not widespread until 1876.

Even the military did not use the flag in a manner that most people might think. The primary purpose before the Civil War was to mark ships on the open seas. While the flag was also used to mark garrisons, the flags of ground troops were often limited to the flag of their own regiment and a federal standard. The infantry wasn't officially authorized to carry the Stars & Stripes until the 1830's, and even then did not often exercise the right, because it was neither required nor customary. It was not until the Mexican War (1846-1848) that U.S. ground forces regularly carried the national flag.

Brief History of John Fremont & William Dayton: John Charles Fremont was born in Savannah, GA on January 21st, 1813. The illegitimate son of a poor, French refugee and a prominent Virginia society woman, Fremont improved his social status by marrying Jessie Benton, daughter of Thomas Hart Benton, a leading Democrat and slave-owner. Nicknamed "The Pathfinder", Fremont led expeditions in the west both prior to and during the Mexican War. He is credited as being the first Caucasian to view Lake Tahoe, and he made the determination that the Great Basin didn't open to the sea. During the Mexican War, he led a unit into California to defeat General Pico. In doing so, Fremont's men captured the Presidio and the surrounding area, and though Pico was in Los Angeles at the time, Pico realized that the war was effectively over and later surrendered.

Fremont proclaimed himself Military Governor of California in 1847, only to be brought up on charges of treason by a higher ranking Army officer, but pardoned by President Polk because of his contributions to the war. Fremont went on to become one of California's first two senators, and he became rich in the Gold Rush. In 1856, Fremont's popularity and hard stance on the abolition of slavery led him to become the youngest man to ever run for the White House, and the first to run on an anti-slavery ticket. He was defeated by James Buchanan because the slave states threatened to secede and the nation as a whole was not ready for the great separation that would follow.

Lincoln appointed Fremont major general in May of 1861 and placed him in charge of the Department of the West. He personally fronted a good deal of money for the war effort, but was removed from duty for insubordination due to his freewheeling approach to the seizure of secessionist property and the emancipation of slaves. Republican allies supporting Fremont caused Lincoln to reconsider and reappointed him in 1862 to the newly formed Mountain Department, but Fremont resigned a couple of months later because of further differences. He was generally unsuccessful as a military leader, suffering several major defeats. He did begin another presidential bid in 1864, siding with the Radical Republicans, but eventually he withdrew and supported Lincoln. Fremont became territorial governor of Arizona in the 1870's and died in new York City in 1890.

William Lewis Dayton was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1807. Dayton was an attorney and Judge who became a United States Senator representing New Jersey, serving the Whig Party in Congress from 1841 - 1851. He returned to law before being selected as the first Republican vice presidential candidate in 1856. He served as New Jersey's Attorney General from 1857-1861 and was afterwards appointed Minister to France, a post he served until his death in 1864.

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% cotton twill, black in color. The black cotton was washed to remove excess dye. An acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. The mount was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The front is u.v. protective acrylic.

Condition: There is minor foxing and staining, but there are no significant condition issues. The flag survives in an excellent, almost unprecedented state for the period.

[ABBRIGED, CONTACT ME FOR THE FULL WRITE-UP]
Collector Level: Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 31
Earliest Date of Origin: 1856
Latest Date of Origin: 1856
State/Affiliation: California
War Association: 1777-1860 Pre-Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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