Page 57 - Dragon Flood

Flag of the Fathers

Depiction of Betsy Ross Sewing First Flag of the U.S.A.

A popular story told to all American school children is that of the young widow Betsy Ross
being approached by three men who asked her if she could create the first flag of the United
States of America. The mythology of Betsy Ross (for that is what it is) was not made public
until nearly a hundred years had passed from the time she was commissioned to sew the
first flag.

According to the traditional account, the original flag was made in June 1776, when a
small committee—including George Washington, Robert Morris and relative George
Ross—visited Betsy and discussed the need for a new American flag. Betsy accepted the
job to manufacture the flag, altering the committee's design by replacing the six-pointed
stars with five-pointed stars.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_Ross_flag]

I do not contest the fact that Betsy Ross was hired to sew the first flag of the nation. It is the
cute story that has arisen to describe how the flag’s design was settled upon that I doubt
very much. The popular account arose from a published story of one of Betsy Ross’
grandsons presented to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1870.

Below is a condensed version of the Betsy Ross story, according to [her grandson’s] paper.

Sitting sewing in her shop one day with her girls around her, several gentlemen entered.
She recognized one of these as the uncle of her deceased husband, Col. GEORGE ROSS, a
delegate from Pennsylvania to Congress. She also knew the handsome form and features
of the dignified, yet graceful and polite Commander in Chief, who, while he was yet
COLONEL WASHINGTON had visited her shop both professionally and socially many
times, (a friendship caused by her connection with the Ross family). They announced
themselves as a committee of congress, and stated that they had been appointed to
prepare a flag, and asked her if she thought she could make one, to which she replied, with
her usual modesty and self reliance, that "she did not know but she could try; she had