How much do you know about the history of this famous flag in American history?
To this day, the Betsy Ross flag enjoys enormous popularity and widespread recognition. We would even go so far as to say it's every bit as popular and revered as the American flag itself because of its overall historical significance.
But is everything you've ever learned or heard about this flag's history 100% accurate?
The Betsy Ross Flag's Beginnings and Where It Stands Today
Let's start with one fact that no one can disagree with: The Betsy Ross flag is one of the earliest representations of the new country. The flag’s name is part of the lore that surrounds it to this day, as it refers to a furniture upholsterer from Philadelphia, one Elizabeth Ross.
Ross was commissioned to produce many items for the Continental forces, including everything from tents to uniforms.
The biggest problem with the long-held version of the flag’s creation - that George Washington himself and other Founding Fathers sought out Ross to create it - is the fact that there is very little documentation available to support the claim that Betsy Ross was solely responsible for the flag’s creation.
Part of the legend is that Ross changed the original star design from six points to the the five-pointed star we see today, with the six-pointed version supposedly George Washington’s original design thought. This point is also disputed, as Washington left the Continental Congress in 1775 to head up the Continental Army, which would have kept him from being part of a committee in 1776 seeking a flag designer.
Ross’s grandson William Canby provided the most well-known documentation to support this in 1870, with papers provided from various family members. However, there is no official documentation from the Continental Congress or elsewhere to validate these family assertions, so historians have been hesitant to accept this version of history.
Historians as a whole seem to agree that the American flag was a more combined effort from many artisans, and not not the sole work of any one individual. But despite historians not officially sanctioning the Ross family’s documentation, the one thing that cannot be disputed is that Betsy Ross’s contributions are probably the most well-known account of women’s efforts to the Revolutionary War.
How Did Betsy Ross Rise to Such Prominence in American History?
Perhaps it was an 1851 painting of her sewing the flag done by Ellie Sully Wheeler that forever attached her to the legend of the flag’s origins.
Maybe it was the fact that one of the original committee members soliciting someone to create a flag for the Continental forces was a relative of hers, George Ross. This version of history is associated with the aforementioned Canby family's documents, which reference a late spring trip by George Washington to Philadelphia in 1776 before Congress passed the Flag Act the next year.
Other early illustrative evidence tying Ross to this well-known version of the flag is an 1893 painting by Charles Weisgerber titled The Birth of a Nation, showing Betsy Ross with the flag in her lap. Weisgerber relied on and maintained communication with members of the Ross family throughout the painting’s creation. It is also widely thought that other publications and at least one other painting were used as research for Weisgerber’s inspiration for his eventual painting design.
Today, in Philadelphia, the Betsy Ross House Stands at 293 Arch Street. It was restored through a foundation that Weisgerber started and is one of Philadelphia’s most sought-out sites for visitors. But even this part of Ross’s legacy is a bit murky as she may have actually lived in a property next door that has long since been demolished. Nonetheless, Weisgerber was able to further advance his version of history by gifting prints of his painting to those who contributed to the foundation.
The Legacy of the Betsy Ross Flag in American History
Whatever version of the Betsy Ross flag history you end up subscribing to, what's important is the notion that it is the flag that represented the new nation.
Thirteen stars with six points, five points, the timeline of events leading up to the flag’s creation, or even the fact that there were more than a dozen or so upholsters who regularly worked in Philadelphia at the time who may have been involved in the flag’s design - these all remain points for historians or amateur history buffs to debate to be sure.
But the fact that the Betsy Ross version of the flag has such a tremendous impact on today’s society simply cannot be disputed. Sales of it as art or on apparel, or even its use on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seal, demonstrate how the country perceives its meaning.
Wherever you may end up coming down on the issue, it's safe to say that the fact people are still debating it means that it still has exceptional historical significance to our nation’s beginnings.
