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People of the Revolutionary War | Women of the American Revolution | Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross and the History of the American Flag
According to popular legend, the first American flag was made by Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress who was
acquainted with George Washington, leader of the
Continental Army, and other influential Philadelphians. In May 1776, so the story goes, General Washington
and two representatives from the Continental Congress visited Ross at her
upholstery shop and showed her a rough design of the flag. Although Washington initially favored using a star with
six points, Ross advocated for a five-pointed star, which could be cut with just one quick snip of the scissors,
and the gentlemen were won over.
Unfortunately, historians have never been able to verify this charming version of events, although it is known
that Ross made flags for the navy of Pennsylvania. The story of Washington's visit to the flagmaker became popular
about the time of the country's first centennial, after William Canby, a grandson of Ross, told about her role in
shaping U.S. history in a speech given at the Philadelphia Historical Society in March 1870.
What is known is that the first unofficial national flag, called the Grand Union Flag or the Continental Colours,
was raised at the behest of General Washington near his headquarters outside Boston, Mass., on Jan. 1, 1776. The
flag had 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes and the British Union Flag (a predecessor of the Union Jack)
in the canton. Another early flag had a rattlesnake on a background of 13 red and white stripes with the motto
Don't Tread on Me.
The first official national flag, also known as the Stars and Stripes, or Old Glory, was approved by the Continental
Congress on June 14, 1777. The blue canton contained 13 stars, representing the original 13 colonies, but the layout
varied. Although nobody knows for sure who designed the flag, it may have been Continental Congress member Francis
Hopkinson.
After Vermont and Kentucky were admitted to the Union in 1791 and 1792, respectively, two more stars and two more stripes
were added in 1795. This 15-star, 15-stripe flag was the star-spangled banner that inspired lawyer Francis Scott Key
to write the poem that later became the U.S. national anthem.
In 1818, after five more states had gained admittance, Congress passed legislation fixing the number of stripes at 13
and requiring that the number of stars equal the number of states. The last new star, bringing the total to 50, was
added on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became a state.
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