The story behind Betsy Ross and the first American flag as America celebrates 250th birthday

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. – As America celebrates its 250th birthday, historic sites in Philadelphia are spotlighting the people and places tied to the nation’s earliest days — including one of its most enduring symbols: the American flag.

While the Founding Fathers are often at the center of Revolutionary War history, one of the country’s most recognizable symbols is traditionally associated with an ordinary woman working from her home in Philadelphia.

Betsy Ross, a 24-year-old upholsterer, is traditionally credited with sewing what many believe was the first American flag in the summer of 1776 after reportedly being approached by members of a flag committee that included George Washington. 

According to Lisa Acker Moulter, director of the Betsy Ross House, the historic site is helping visitors understand how that moment may have unfolded.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BETSY ROSS

“She said she’d never made one before, but she would certainly try,” said Lisa Acker Moulter, director of the Betsy Ross House. “She did suggest one change though, the flag that they showed her that was drawn on a piece of paper had six-pointed stars and she recommended five-pointed stars because they were easier to make. She had a method that she had learned as a child to fold a piece of cloth or paper and she cut a perfect five-pointed star with just one snip of her scissors.”

Ross is believed by tradition to have worked in secrecy, sewing the flag by hand at night — likely in her home rather than in her upholstery shop — and completing it in about a week.

At the time, the colonies were still under British rule, making the creation of a national flag a potentially dangerous act.

ANOTHER AMERICAN HERO WHO RISKED HIS LIFE FOR OUR FREEDOM

“You have to remember that we were a British colony at the time, so making the flag would have been considered an act of treason. If she had been caught by the British or loyalists, she could have been at the very least imprisoned or possibly even executed,” said Lisa Acker Moulter, director of the Betsy Ross House.

The original design featured 13 stripes representing the colonies and 13 stars arranged in a circle to symbolize equality among them. It was later adopted as the nation’s first official flag after the Continental Congress passed a resolution on June 14, 1777.

Lisa Acker Moulter, director of the Betsy Ross House, says the story of Betsy Ross reflects a broader truth about who contributed to America’s founding.

“It shows that ordinary people can contribute important things to this country as well. You know, this country wasn’t just founded by wealthy, powerful white men, the Founding Fathers. It was women, it was free and enslaved people, it was new immigrants, all of them contributed to the founding of this nation. And that’s represented through that first flag,” said Lisa Acker Moulter, director of the Betsy Ross House.

THE AMERICAN FLAG, A SYMBOL OF UNITY

In its early years, the flag was primarily used on battlefields, military forts, and ships as a form of identification. It did not become a widespread symbol of national identity until later in U.S. history.

“They weren’t a symbol of our national identity as they are today. That didn’t happen until the Civil War. So from the Civil War until today, that’s when you started seeing flags flown over schools, flown on government buildings, flown on houses. So the flag has changed over time. It’s become much more powerful and meaningful to people,” said Lisa Acker Moulter, director of the Betsy Ross House.

Over time, the flag evolved as new states joined the Union. The first major update came in 1795 with the addition of two stars for Vermont and Kentucky, and the most recent change came in 1960 after Hawaii became the 50th state.

From its disputed origins to its modern meaning, the American flag remains one of the country’s most powerful symbols — now taking center stage again as Philadelphia marks America’s 250th anniversary.