THE ROSS REVELATION

Edward Percy Moran, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

One of the beloved legends taught to generations of American schoolchildren is that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphian seamstress, made the first national flag of the United States at the request of General George Washington and Continental Congressmen Robert Morris and George Ross when they visited her home in 1776. The story sometimes is presented that she designed the beloved version featuring a blue canton containing a circle of thirteen stars over a field of thirteen red and white horizontal stripes, while other renderings of the tale indicate that she was presented with the basic design by Washington but suggested to him that five-pointed rather than six-pointed stars would be easier to cut out and sew.

There are a few potential inaccuracies to this legend.

1.  First, Betsy was technically an upholsterer, not a seamstress, although the possibility that she also made dresses or other clothing cannot be ruled out. Despite Betsy being raised as a Quaker, it is fairly well-accepted that she repaired uniforms and made tents, blankets, and paper cartridges for the Continental Army during the war.

2.  The first national flag was actually the "Grand Union Flag," which incorporated the flag of Great Britain into its design and was used as a naval and garrison flag extensively by the Second Continental Congress, John Paul Jones, and George Washington prior to the Flag Act of 1777. The famous version of the flag usually attributed to Betsy Ross was the first flag created under the Flag Act, and it replaced the Grand Union Flag. The Flag Act did not specify any particular arrangement of the stars within the union, and any pattern of 13 stars on the canton was "legal."

3.  The traditional version of Betsy Ross creating the first flag originated with her grandson, William J. Canby, in 1870, who claimed that an aunt told him about it in 1857. Because of the patriotic fervor inspired by Centennial celebration in 1876, the story quickly grew legs and became part of American history. However, there is very little evidence that Betsy Ross designed or made this flag.

4.  Betsy Ross is often portrayed as a middle-aged or elderly woman at the time she allegedly created the banner. However, in 1777, she was only 24 years old.

Visitors to the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia can hear the tale of the first American national flag from the lips of a re-enactor portraying the famous upholsterer. However, it is not certain that Betsy Ross actually lived in the home. Due to the vicissitudes caused by the passing of centuries, the records are unclear, and Betsy may have actually lived in the neighboring house.

Betsy Ross died in 1836 at the age of 84. She was first buried in the Free Quaker Burying Ground in Philadelphia. In 1856, her remains were transferred to the Mount Moriah Cemetery, which may have been following the common practice at the time where cemeteries acquired the bodies of historical persons for the purposes of prestige and attracting business. In 1975, in anticipation of the Bicentennial, Philadelphia employees dug up the grave to transfer its contents for burial at the Betsy Ross House, but there was no grave under the tombstone. They instead retrieved bones from a family plot, deemed them to be Betsy's, and interred them at the Betsy Ross House.

Hoshie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
THE GRAND UNION FLAG 1775-1777

DevinCook / Created by jacobolus using Adobe Illustrator, and released
 into the public domain., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
THE "BETSY ROSS" FLAG 1777