The Flag Was Still There - by David McKean & M Todd Bennett (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A clear-eyed yet hopeful history of the United States, revisiting the state of the union every fifty years since America's birth

America is the rare country that was founded on an idea, and it was a truly radical idea for its time: the belief that the people of a country could govern themselves.

The Flag Was Still There offers a unique new narrative of the American Experiment. By focusing on five remarkable years marked by both progress and backlash--1776, 1826, 1876, 1926, and 1976--and with an eye to America's 250th birthday, David McKean and M. Todd Bennett explore how the United States has sustained its founding idea. The centennial saw a country still struggling to confront the Civil War's legacy, culminating in the birth of the Jim Crow era. In 1926, virulent nativism was at a peak, and a reascendant Ku Klux Klan marched on Washington. The bicentennial was marked by economic turmoil, post-Watergate political malaise, and the still-fresh wounds of the Vietnam War.

America has yet to fully realize its founding principles. But as The Flag Was Still There reminds us, Americans have always striven to defend, renew, and extend the nation's promise even in the face of staunch resistance--a determination that continues to this day.

Review Quotes

"As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it's important to learn from how we celebrated such jubilee years in the past. David McKean and Todd Bennett provide an engaging and clear-eyed account of past celebrations as Americans once again take stock of their democracy in 2026."--Walter Isaacson, New York Times-bestselling author of The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

"David McKean and M. Todd Bennett's The Flag was Still There is a brilliantly written and illuminating deep-dive historical investigation into how Americans have celebrated Independence Day, at fifty-year intervals, since 1776. Based on a seamless combination of energetic research and crisp set-piece anecdotes, this must-read book is the perfect opening salvo in anticipation of our July 4, 2026 semi-quincentennial. Highly recommended!"--Douglas Brinkley, New York Times-bestselling author of Silent Spring Revolution

About the Author

David McKean is the former US ambassador to Luxembourg and was director of policy planning in the Department of State. The author or coauthor of six previous books, he divides his time between Washington, DC, New Hampshire, and North Carolina.

M. Todd Bennett is a professor of history at East Carolina University. He was formerly a historian at the US Department of State. The author of two previous books, he lives in Washington, DC.