US Navy 16 Star Boat Flag Pin - "To Hell with Spain! Remember the Maine "

Pin-back metal painted flag with a spring hinge to reveal the period slogan, "To Hell with Spain! Remember the Maine."
A reference to the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba the evening of 15 February 1898. This disaster was a "cause beli" of the Spanish American War. Pins, placards, posters and other ephemera were common in the so called period of "yellow journalism" promoted by Hearst and Pulitzer in then lead up to the Declaration of War in April 1898.

The design of the pin is reminiscent of the mid-19th century 16 star US Navy Boat Flag except that the number of stripes has been reduced to 9.




ZFC Collectible


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