Betsy Ross flag

The Betsy Ross flag is the name given to an early design of the American flag that was created and used during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The flag features thirteen alternating red and white stripes with a circle of thirteen white stars set in a blue field in the flag’s upper left-hand corner. Both the stripes and stars represented the original thirteen colonies that declared their independence from Great Britain to form the United States. The flag was named for seamstress Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross, who, according to popular legend, stitched the first flag in 1776 under a direct order from George Washington. While Ross’s involvement with the flag is open to debate, the design was one of the first used shortly after the Continental Congress passed a resolution calling for a national flag in 1777.

Brief History

The first national flag to fly over the American colonies was known as the British Red Ensign, a red field with the crisscross design of the Union Jack set in the upper left-hand corner. This flag was used in all British overseas territories beginning in the early eighteenth century. However, as the century progressed, relations between the American colonies and Great Britain became increasingly hostile. Colonial leaders began organizing under a series of protest flags, including some that featured a set of red and white stripes known as the “rebellious stripes.” Soon after war broke out in 1775, General George Washington commissioned a battle flag to be used by the newly formed Continental Army. The flag, known as the Grand Union Flag, featured thirteen horizontal red and white stripes with the Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner.

The symbol, which was also referred to as the Continental Colors, represented the new nation even after it declared its independence in 1776. However, the presence of the Union Jack on the flag proved problematic, and on June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing the creation of a new national flag. The resolution decreed only that the flag should “be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” The resolution gave no details on the size of the flag, the direction of the stripes, or the arrangement of the stars. As a result, many early flag designs varied widely, with some arranging the thirteen stars in vertical rows and others in a horseshoe shape or a circle of twelve with one star in the middle.

Overview

At the time of the American Revolution, Betsy Ross was a newly widowed seamstress and upholsterer who lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her husband, John Ross, had joined the militia and died during the war. Evidence from the time showed that Betsy Ross did sew flags for the Pennsylvania Navy, but the story linking her to the flag that would bear her name did not originate until almost a century later.

In 1870, Ross’s grandson William Canby made the claim to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania that his grandmother was the original creator of the first American flag. According to Canby, George Washington and other colonial officials approached Ross in her shop in 1776 and presented her with a sketch of a proposed flag design. Ross agreed to sew the flag, but suggested some changes, such as giving the thirteen stars five points instead of six and arranging them in a circle. The Continental Congress liked Ross’s design and she was said to have become an official flag-maker for the United States. Canby’s story was widely accepted as fact at the time and gave birth to the enduring story that Ross created the first flag.

The circular-pattern design was one of the earliest used by the fledgling United States in 1777, but no records from the time indicate Ross’s involvement in making it. Given the timeframe of Canby’s account, George Washington could not have met with Ross, as he was commander of the Continental Army and would not have been part of the Continental Congress. Other evidence also credits the flag design to New Jersey Congressman Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Still, Ross was connected to a member of the Continental Congress through her deceased husband’s family and she did attend the same church as Washington, so it is conceivable she was approached to work on an early flag. However, modern experts believe the story is just historical legend and is not supported by any evidence.

Although the Betsy Ross flag was used by the early United States, it was one of many and evidence suggests it was not considered the definitive flag of its time. By 1795, the states of Vermont and Kentucky had been added to the United States, and a new flag design featuring fifteen stars was created. The distinctive Betsy Ross design did not become a lasting symbol of the Revolutionary War and American patriotism until the nineteenth century.

While the flag remains an identifying symbol of the early United States, it has also become embroiled in some controversy in the twenty-first century. In 2019, the Nike footwear company planned to release a shoe line that featured the Betsy Ross flag on the heel. The design caught the attention of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who had made headlines in 2016 by kneeling during the National Anthem to protest alleged police brutality against African Americans. Kaepernick objected to the shoe, claiming the design came from a time when slavery was allowed in the United States. He also said the flag had been used by white hate groups as a symbol during rallies. Because Kaepernick was the centerpiece of a Nike advertising campaign at the time, the company pulled the shoe from the market.

The decision prompted an angry response from those who considered the Betsy Ross flag a symbol of patriotism and America’s independence. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization dedicated to fighting extremism and supremacist groups, said that while the flag had been used by some hate groups, its connection to those groups was not strong. As a result, the ADL viewed the flag in its historical context as a patriotic emblem and did not include it on its list of hate symbols.

Bibliography

“Betsy Ross.” History.com, 2 July 2019, www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/betsy-ross. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

Crews, Ed. “The Truth About Betsy Ross.” Colonial Williamsburg, 2019, www.history.org/foundation/journal/summer08/betsy.cfm. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

“Facts About the United States Flag.” Smithsonian, www.si.edu/spotlight/flag-day/flag-facts. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

Haas, Kyra, and Maria Polletta. “What Is the Betsy Ross Flag and Why Is There Controversy About It?” Arizona Republic, 6 July 2019, www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2019/07/02/betsy-ross-flag-what-is-who-made-it-and-its-use-hate-groups/1629660001/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

“History of the Betsy Ross Flag.” Gettysburg Flag Works, 18 July 2019, www.gettysburgflag.com/blog/history-of-the-betsy-ross-flag/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

Leepson, Marc. Flag: An American Biography. Thomas Dunne Books, 2005.

“List of Flags During the American Revolutionary War From 1775–1883.” RevolutionaryWar.us, 2017, revolutionarywar.us/flags/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

Ruggles, Terry. “History of the American Flag & American Flag Facts.” Drexel University, online.drexel.edu/flag-history.aspx. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.