Did Betsy Ross Really Sew the First American Flag?

Smith, Whitney. “Ross, Betsy.” World Book, 2014 Edition, vol. 16, World Book, Inc., 2014, pp. 481.

“Flag.” World Book, 2014 Edition, vol.7, World Book, Inc., 2014, pp. 208-210.

https://www.rd.com/list/iconic-american-flags/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/betsy-ross-likely-didnt-sew-the-first-us-flag

Tzeela: Hi I'm Tzeela and I'm 16

Rina: Hi I'm Rina and I'm 14

Dalia: Hey, I'm Dalia and I'm 10

All: And this is Things You Thought You Knew About History!                                                                             Tzeela: Where we tell you the real story behind historical misconceptions. 

Tzeela: Happy birthday Betsy Ross! 

Dalia: Yep that’s right the lady that sewed our country’s first flag was born January 1! 

Tzeela: Hold up, did you say she sewed the first American flag?

Dalia: Yeah. Betsy Ross, you know the story…

George Washington: Mrs. Ross, we’ve come to you with a request. 

Betsy: Yes, Mr. Washington? I’m honored that you and your committee came to me.

Washington: We want you to make the first ever flag of the United States. Here’s the design. 

Betsy: Wow, I’d love to! But is that a six-point star, Mr. Washington?

Washington: Yes.

Betsy: May I make a suggestion? It should be a five-point star, they’re in style and look better with the stripes. 

Washington: Should they be?

Betsy: Certainly. 

Washington: Alright, then five-point stars it is. We’ll be back soon for the flag.

Dalia: That’s a nice story but there is no evidence at all that it’s true.

Tzeela: Then who was Betsy Ross really?

Rina: She was born Elizabeth Griscom in New Jersey, in 1752, to a Quaker family. In 1773, she eloped with John Ross, an upholsterer she was working for in Philadelphia. She became a Protestant like he was and probably met many important members of the Continental Congress in church.

Dalia: John Ross died in the Revolutionary War. Betsy Ross remarried two more times after that and had her own business.

Tzeela: We do know that she sewed flags for the Continental Congress during the war but she was most likely just one of the many people who did.

Dalia: So if she didn’t sew the first flag, why is that the legend?

Tzeela: Her grandson William J. Canby spoke to the historical society of Pennsylvania in 1870. He told them the story, claiming that Besty Ross told it to him when he was eleven. 

Dalia: Who really designed our American flag?

Tzeela: We don’t really know. Evidence points to Francis Hopkinson*.

Dalia: Who’s that?

Tzeela: He was a patriot and naval flag designer. He signed the Declaration of Independence and represented NJ in the Continental Congress for a little 

Dalia: He tried to bill congress for creating the great seal and the flag in 1780. All he asked for was a flask of wine but they never paid him.

Tzeela: Did the first flag look like the one we have today? How did it change over time?

Dalia: Our first ever flag had thirteen red and white stripes for the thirteen colonies with the Union Jack, Britain's flag, in the corner

Tzeela: On June 14, 1777, Congress chose to have thirteen red and white stripes and white stars on a blue background to represent “a new constellation”. Today June 14 is Flag Day. 

Rina: At first these stars had no set arrangement. The most common way was to alternate rows of three stars and two. Rarely, they were laid out in a circle shape. 

Dalia: When two more states joined the Union two Stars and two Stripes were added. After that, it went back to thirteen stripes to represent the original colonies and they continued adding stars for new states.

Tzeela: One interesting version of our flag had its twenty stars forming a star shape.

Dalia: Another cool fact is that during the civil war the Union, or the North, used a flag with thirty-four stars. That included the states in the south.

Tzeela: Our flag’s done a lot of cool things throughout the history of our country.

Dalia: Like what? 

Tzeela: In 1909 Robert Peary brought the American flag with him on an expedition. It became the first flag that ever reached the North Pole!

Rina: Buzz Aldrin planted an American flag on the moon in 1969! He’s the astronaut in the iconic picture of the flag on the moon. NASA says that the flag probably disintegrated because of UV radiation.

Dalia: A flag now called the Star Spangled banner flag inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem of the US in 1814. He had been taken prisoner on a British ship but when he saw the flag waving in the morning he knew the Americans won the battle. 

Tzeela: US Marines raised our flag on Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima of WWII in 1945. Joe Rosenthal photographed them and it became one of the most famous photos from the war. 

Dalia: The American flag was used also in protests throughout the civil rights movement.

Rina: Our flag can also be used to show national mourning by flying at half-staff, or only halfway up the flag pole. It’s flown that way after the death of government officials for different amounts of time according to what their position was.

Tzeela: The American flag has also made it up to the top of Mount Everest! It was put there by John Whittaker, the first American to climb Mt. Everest successfully, in 1963. 

Dalia: After the tragic events of 9/11 firefighters on the scene decided to hoist an American flag. This became an iconic reminder that we could recover and we would endure.

Tzeela: The American flag, regardless of who designed it, is a pretty awesome one!

Dalia: That’s true! But we’re not the only country with an amazing flag. Are you ready for some world flag trivia?

Tzeela: How many countries have stars on their flag? 

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1

59! 

Dalia: How many countries have red white and blue as the color of their flags? 

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1

29!

Rina: What’s the only country with a flag that isn’t a quadrilateral?

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1

Nepal. Their flag is a combination of two pennons. Pennons are flags that taper to a point at the end. The flag of Nepal has two on top of each other so it looks like two overlapping triangles. 

Dalia: What country has the most colorful flag?

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1

Belize, with 12 colors on their flag!
Tzeela: What are the only countries with purple flags? Dominica and Nicaragua

Bye!

*In this episode we accidentally called him Francis Hopkins