The story of America ’s founding would n’t be complete without images of Betsy Ross dutifullystitching stars onto a flagin her upholstery store in Philadelphia or present it proudly to George Washington himself . This mo is depicted in a famous house painting , " The Birth of Our Carry Nation ’s flagstone , " ( view above ) created by Charles Weisgerber in 1893 . It render Ross seated by an overt windowpane amidst fight of red , white and low-spirited silk , hold out the flag to a trio of colonial gentlemen .
On the painting is written : " The National Standard was made by Betsy Ross in 1776 at 239 Arch Street , Philadelphia in the elbow room represented in this picture . The Committee , Robert Morris and Hon . George Ross , go with by General George Washington name upon this Celebrated Woman and together with her proffer produced our beautiful Emblem of Liberty . "
While this painting and others like it did much to cement Betsy Ross into America ’s internal mythology , the facts about Ross ’s true theatrical role in the existence of the first U.S. flag are very cloudy .
Ross remains both a mythologize grapheme in a kinsfolk tarradiddle and a tangible , historical individual who may or may not have done the thing multitude all know her for doing .
What else do we cognize about Betsy Ross ’s lifetime ? What influence does her legend have on American patriotism ? And what ’s the real story about the creation of the American signal flag ? Let ’s find out .
The Life of Betsy Ross
Elizabeth Griscom was born on Jan. 1 , 1752 to Samuel and Rebecca Griscom . The Griscom family had a sprawling front in colonial Pennsylvania — Samuel ’s grandfather , Andrew Griscom , was a carpenter who was one of the early settler in the Philadelphia sphere and built a important portion of the metropolis ’s first houses and buildings himself [ beginning : Miller ] . Both Samuel ’s and Rebecca ’s family had roots in Pennsylvania ’s Quaker religious sect .
Samuel and Rebecca had 17 children , but only nine of them lived to become adults . All of them were raise under the nonindulgent moral rules of Pennsylvania Quakerism . At eld 15 , Elizabeth ( whom everyone called Betsy by then ) was apprentice to an upholsterer name John Webster , where she pick up to stitch , embroider and stitch drapes , furniture and sometimes flags [ source : Historic Philadelphia ] .
It was there that she met John Ross , a fellow apprentice who eventually opened his own store . John Ross ’s family was well - relate in the colonies — his uncle George Ross Jr. , was a signatory of theDeclaration of Independence . Betsy and Ross fell in love , which was a problem because John was an Anglican . Betsy ’s Quaker fosterage forbade her from marry a non - Quaker . So , the two run off and married in New Jersey in 1773 , which resulted in Betsy ’s expulsion by the Quakers and disowning by the Griscom family [ source : Miller ] .
TheRevolutionary Waralso brought turmoil to John and Betsy ’s lives . They were both firmly in favor of American independence , and the citizens of Philadelphia were officious forming associations and local militias throughout 1775 to oppose the urban center . The specific contingent of John and Betsy Ross ’s wartime activity are unknown , but at some point in 1775 , something bump to John Ross . His true destiny was never read , and apparently Betsy did n’t wish to talk about it , so the fact of his life were n’t go past down to subsequent generations . He may have been injured while participating in militia activity such as ward gunpowder supplies , although there are rumor he suffered from a severe mental illness . In any case , Betsy became a widow on Jan. 21 , 1776 [ generator : Miller ] . After John ’s demise , Betsy set out attending meetings of the Free Quakers , also known as the Fighting Quakers , a sliver group that rejected the pacificism of mainline Quakers for support the warfare for independency .
Betsy Ross finally hook up with twice more . Her 2nd married man Joseph Ashburn died in a British prison , but she inhabit in Philadelphia with her third husband , John Claypoole , for more than 20 years , until his death in 1817 . She worked successfully as an upholsterer for most of her life , dying in 1836 at the eld of 84 . She was pull through by five daughters .
You ’re probably question if there ’s something miss from Betsy Ross ’s life story , like maybe the one thing everyone knows her for . There ’s not much data about her involvement in the founding of the first American flag . No onereallyknows the true character she played . But Americans all eff the legend of the Betsy Ross flag .
The Legend of Betsy Ross and the American Flag
The story of the Betsy Ross flag is one Americans have narrate for more than 100 years . It goes like this :
Betsy Ross is work in her upholstery shop when a small group of human rush in , a commission formally tasked by the Continental Congress with designing and create the first American flag . Among them are Betsy ’s former married man ’s uncle , George Ross Jr. , and George Washington himself . " We need a flag made , " the men say .
" I can make you a pin , " Betsy assuredly tells them .
The men have a sketch of a design , one with 13 stripes and 13 stars in a circular formation in the upper leftfield . Betsy reckon it over and cook a few suggestions regarding measurements and balance . She points to the stars , which in the cartoon have six point . " Five - pointed stars would be much better . Far easier to cut , " she tells them .
The committee agrees , and a young survey is draw on the bit , incorporating Betsy ’s input . She goes to work , dutifully sew together a grand old iris . It takes a few days , since it ’s a fairly large flag , but she at last finishes and bear it to the citizens committee .
The committee members vanish the new flag on the mast of a ship to see how it look , and they nem con approve of this raw " Star - Spangled Banner . " The new Carry Amelia Moore Nation is going to need lots of these flag , to fell as a symbol of liberty over every public building and every military outpost and naval vessel . " We need more flags , Betsy , " they tell her . " Lots more . "
It ’s a majuscule news report that provides a uncomplicated answer to the inquiry : Who made the firstAmerican flag ? Unfortunately , there is absolutely no evidence that it ever pass .
The Betsy Ross fable comes from one of her grandchild , William J. Canby , who in 1870 write down the news report and gave a voice communication to the Pennsylvania Historical Society based on recollections of family unit traditional knowledge . At the time , America was looking forward to the 1876 centenary celebration , fuel an increase in patriotism and sake in taradiddle about the land ’s founding . Betsy Ross had been dead for more than 30 old age by then .
That ’s not to say that Canby was lying or that Betsy Ross did n’t play some role in the creation of the American flag — it just mean there ’s no way toprovethat she made the first flag . There are no records of a flag committee being form , and some inquiry as to whether George Washington would have been involved or was even in Philadelphia when the fateful meeting purportedly happened , in June 1776 [ reservoir : Teachout ] .
But family tarradiddle are an important part of account all the same , and it ’s improbable the Ross / Claypoole family would have invented such a story out of whole fabric . Betsy was maybe postulate in making early flag in some capacity . But the real story of the Stars and Stripes is more complicated and less sure .
The Truth About the Flag
It ’s out of the question to hunt the origin of the first American pin to one specific individual or case . The conversant 13 stripes with 13 stars over a blueish field ( make out as a canton ) in the upper left hand develop from naval fleur-de-lis , colonial flags , and various flag of protest and rebellion used by colonists as their anger toward England arise in the years before theRevolutionary War .
Among the many American revolutionary flag were the Washington Squadron ( a clean signal flag with a green pine tree tree ) , the Gadsden fleur-de-lis ( a icteric flag with a rattlesnake and the words " Do n’t tread on me , " ) and the Sons of Liberty ( a sword lily with nine vertical stripes of crimson and ashen ) [ sources : Teachout , Homer ] .
The demand for a single flagstone was acknowledge as tensions and violence flame up at the jump of the Revolutionary War . The small American Navy needed its own flag so it would n’t accidentally be elicit upon by allies . In 1776 , the flag used was the Grand Union Flag , which expect much like an American Flag , with its 13 stripes , but rather of adept on a blue canton , the canton is simply the Union Jack , a replication of Britain ’s flag [ source : Homer ] .
At some unrecorded point , the founders make up one’s mind that having the flag of the enemy they were at warfare with as part of their own flag was a little odd , so the decision to replace the Union Jack in the canton was made . How the 13 wizard in a circle on blue was ensconce on is lost to chronicle , but there were quite a few variants , including a square of stars and stars arcing over the number " 76 . " [ source : Teachout ] .
The Continental Congress signed the Flag Resolution on June 14 , 1777 , but even then the point of the star practice were in magnetic flux , and no one is quite certain where the idea to expend whizz at all came from . Theories include the influence of Masonic imaging on the Founding Fathers , or that they were adopted from George Washington ’s kinfolk crest , which does have some similarities to the star and stripes masthead .
The 13 star in a circle design was gradually accept as the banner , but even in 1779 there was ongoing debate about the flag ’s final shape . Francis Hopkinson , a signatory ofDeclaration of Independence , claim to have designed the flag and quest payment for his services from Congress , which was denied , as even at the time they recognized that the specific excogitation was the product of many ideas from many people [ author : Williams ] .
There were many flag - makers in Philadelphia at the time of the Betsy Ross fable . It is certain that she made flag , and possible she made the first one . It ’s even possible she get laid or met George Washington , either through her first husband ’s family unit joining or through church service events ( Washington was also an Anglican , or at least give out to an Anglican church building ) . However , it ’s improbable he directly visited her to have the first fleur-de-lis made . And while Betsy Ross may have sewn the first flag ( a worthy accomplishment itself ) , even if you believe every word of the legend , it ’s clean-cut that she did n’t design the flagstone beyond , perchance , changing the wiz . That is , as well as we can ever know , the true statement of the Betsy Ross caption .
But why did the legend become so firmly entrenched in American cognizance in the first place ?
How Did the Betsy Ross Legend Grow?
The origin story of the Betsy Ross caption is a destiny like the descent story of the American masthead . It ’s a picayune bit complicated . A spate of unlike factor went into the creation of the Betsy Ross myth .
Today , it ’s wide recognized that Betsy Ross ’s story is n’t the genuine truth . Modern children ’s book about her explain both the fact about her life and the uncertainty about her legend . But she still holds an crucial place in American history , helping multitude interpret concepts likepatriotismand national mythology , and place upright as an example for the many woman and humans , unnamed and unknown , who never sign up the Declaration of Independence but whose hard workplace and sacrifice built the foundations of the United States .
Lots More Information
What struck me most about the Betsy Ross chronicle is the same thing that hit me when explore Pompeii — so much of history is skewed because we only sleep together how rich mass lived . The lives of poor or work - class people were rarely carry on . It becomes observable when you see how hard it is to find information about Ross ’s life . We only know what we do bang because the families themselves hold on old letters and other record , and if Ross ’s caption had n’t risen to prominence relatively soon after her end , those would probably have been fall back before anyone bothered to record them .
