Betsy Ross
Did she really make the first flag of our nation, or is that a myth sewn into the fabric of American history?
FACT: Betsy Ross was born in 1752.
FACT: Betsy Ross was known as a skilled seamstress who ran an upholstery shop with her first husband.
FACT: In 1870, Betsy's grandson, William J. Canby, told the family's story of how George Washington hired Betsy to create a flag for our new nation.
FICTION?: George asked Betsy to make the flag because he knew her skill as a seamstress, and because his colleague, George Ross, was the uncle of Betsy's husband.
FICTION?: The flag was designed by Betsy Ross and George Washington together. Betsy convinced George that the stars on the flag should have five points instead of the six he wanted. She showed him how she could make a five-pointed star simply by folding a piece of fabric and making one quick snip.
FACT: Today, many people believe that Betsy Ross made the first flag of our nation. But there is no direct evidence of that. What do you think?
Appleseeds, Dec 2005 v8 i4 p33
BETSY ROSS (1752-1836) was a Quaker seamstress who broke from the antiwar beliefs of her church to support the Revolutionary War. She was twenty-four and already a war widow when George Washington is said to have asked her to make the first national flag. Whether or not this story is true, Ross did make American flags during the war. Her second husband also died in the Revolution. -Cobblestone, Oct 2004 v25 i7 p22
This image from c 1917 depicts what is presumed to be Betsy Ross and two children presenting the "Betsy Ross flag" to George Washington and three other men. The image is a version of a painting entitled "The Birth of Old Glory" by Percy Moran, from the Library of Congress
FACT: Betsy Ross was born in 1752.
FACT: Betsy Ross was known as a skilled seamstress who ran an upholstery shop with her first husband.
FACT: In 1870, Betsy's grandson, William J. Canby, told the family's story of how George Washington hired Betsy to create a flag for our new nation.
FICTION?: George asked Betsy to make the flag because he knew her skill as a seamstress, and because his colleague, George Ross, was the uncle of Betsy's husband.
FICTION?: The flag was designed by Betsy Ross and George Washington together. Betsy convinced George that the stars on the flag should have five points instead of the six he wanted. She showed him how she could make a five-pointed star simply by folding a piece of fabric and making one quick snip.
FACT: Today, many people believe that Betsy Ross made the first flag of our nation. But there is no direct evidence of that. What do you think?
Appleseeds, Dec 2005 v8 i4 p33
BETSY ROSS (1752-1836) was a Quaker seamstress who broke from the antiwar beliefs of her church to support the Revolutionary War. She was twenty-four and already a war widow when George Washington is said to have asked her to make the first national flag. Whether or not this story is true, Ross did make American flags during the war. Her second husband also died in the Revolution. -Cobblestone, Oct 2004 v25 i7 p22
This image from c 1917 depicts what is presumed to be Betsy Ross and two children presenting the "Betsy Ross flag" to George Washington and three other men. The image is a version of a painting entitled "The Birth of Old Glory" by Percy Moran, from the Library of Congress
Suggested Reading
Title: Betsy Ross and the American Flag by Kay M. Olson, illustrated by Charles Barnett III and Anna Maria Cool, 2006
Description: In graphic novel format, describes the life of Betsy Ross, including the legend of how she came to sew the first American flag.
Ages: 9-12
Series: Graphic library: Graphic History
*information from NoveList Plus
Description: In graphic novel format, describes the life of Betsy Ross, including the legend of how she came to sew the first American flag.
Ages: 9-12
Series: Graphic library: Graphic History
*information from NoveList Plus
Title: The Life and Times of Betsy Ross by Susan Sales Harkins and William H. Harkins, 2006
Description: Highlights the life of the woman credited with creating the first flag of the United States of America.
Ages: 9-12
Series: Profiles in American History
Review: School Library Journal:
(The following is a combined review for The Life and Times of BetsyRoss and The Life and Times of Nathan Hale) Gr 5–8— The Harkinses begin their book with "The Legend of BetsyRoss," the story most associated with her, when George Washington asks her to make a new flag for the young country. They then go on to detail what is and is not actually known about Ross's life and her involvement in the American Revolution. Careful to qualify many statements, using words and phrases such as "supposedly," "may have," and "probably," they remind readers that many details are conjecture based on research. The final chapter is a well-constructed analysis of how the legend was born and entered the historical consciousness, and the evidence that exists to supports Ross's role in helping to create the flag. Tracy presents a concise portrait of New England life in the mid to late 1700s. Hale was born in 1755, graduated from Yale, and worked as a teacher before joining a Connecticut colonial regiment in 1775. In September 1776, he was arrested by the British and executed the next day without a trial. Both books are written in a lively, fast-paced style. Readers will find the texts easy to follow and unencumbered by great detail. The books are illustrated with archival period paintings as well as site photographs. Ross identifies many of the artists whose work is shown, an informative detail that is often neglected. The boldly colored, graphic-laden page design, along with short paragraphs and chapters, will keep report writers moving through the informative texts.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA --Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst (Reviewed July 1, 2007) (School Library Journal, vol 53, issue 7, p116)
*information from NoveList Plus
Description: Highlights the life of the woman credited with creating the first flag of the United States of America.
Ages: 9-12
Series: Profiles in American History
Review: School Library Journal:
(The following is a combined review for The Life and Times of BetsyRoss and The Life and Times of Nathan Hale) Gr 5–8— The Harkinses begin their book with "The Legend of BetsyRoss," the story most associated with her, when George Washington asks her to make a new flag for the young country. They then go on to detail what is and is not actually known about Ross's life and her involvement in the American Revolution. Careful to qualify many statements, using words and phrases such as "supposedly," "may have," and "probably," they remind readers that many details are conjecture based on research. The final chapter is a well-constructed analysis of how the legend was born and entered the historical consciousness, and the evidence that exists to supports Ross's role in helping to create the flag. Tracy presents a concise portrait of New England life in the mid to late 1700s. Hale was born in 1755, graduated from Yale, and worked as a teacher before joining a Connecticut colonial regiment in 1775. In September 1776, he was arrested by the British and executed the next day without a trial. Both books are written in a lively, fast-paced style. Readers will find the texts easy to follow and unencumbered by great detail. The books are illustrated with archival period paintings as well as site photographs. Ross identifies many of the artists whose work is shown, an informative detail that is often neglected. The boldly colored, graphic-laden page design, along with short paragraphs and chapters, will keep report writers moving through the informative texts.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA --Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst (Reviewed July 1, 2007) (School Library Journal, vol 53, issue 7, p116)
*information from NoveList Plus
Title: Betsy Ross's Star (Blast to the Past) by Stacia Deutsch, 2007
Description: Abigail, Jacob, Zack, and Bo travel back in time and investigate Betsy Ross's place in history as the person to sew the first American flag.
Ages: 9-12
*information from NoveList Plus
Description: Abigail, Jacob, Zack, and Bo travel back in time and investigate Betsy Ross's place in history as the person to sew the first American flag.
Ages: 9-12
*information from NoveList Plus
Title: Betsy Ross by Becky White, illustrated by Megan Lloyd, 2011
Description: Tells the story of the colonial seamstress who, according to legend, stitched the first American flag, after a design by George Washington.
Ages: 0-8
Review: A historical fable, told in very few words, prettily illustrated and rather wonderful in its elegant brevity—except there is almost no evidence to support the BetsyRoss myth.The text is minimal and often rhymes: "Betsy ripped. / Rip, rip. // Seven rich, / Crimson strips." BetsyRoss is shown cutting and dyeing and pinning this country's first flag, with its 13 alternating red and white stripes and its blue field behind a circle of 13 stars. Lloyd has used fabric appliqué sewn and fused, stamping and stitching to make the illustrations, lovely in their simple graphic shapes and clean design. Her illustrator's note explains her fascinating process. An author's note simply says, "According to legend," and goes on to cite the stories of George Washington's pencil sketch for the first flag and Betsy's change of his six-pointed star for her five-pointed one but does not explain that there is no historical evidence for any of it. The BetsyRoss legend did not appear until late in the 19th century, nearly 100 years after the supposed events. Ross was, however, an upholsterer, and such folk did indeed make flags and other items. An appendix illustrates how to make a five-pointed "BetsyRoss Star" with one cut on a properly folded piece of fabric or paper.A bit of bibliography and a stronger admission that this is not history (or herstory) but legend would make this a stronger book. (Picture book. 4-7)(Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2011)
*information from NoveList Plus
Description: Tells the story of the colonial seamstress who, according to legend, stitched the first American flag, after a design by George Washington.
Ages: 0-8
Review: A historical fable, told in very few words, prettily illustrated and rather wonderful in its elegant brevity—except there is almost no evidence to support the BetsyRoss myth.The text is minimal and often rhymes: "Betsy ripped. / Rip, rip. // Seven rich, / Crimson strips." BetsyRoss is shown cutting and dyeing and pinning this country's first flag, with its 13 alternating red and white stripes and its blue field behind a circle of 13 stars. Lloyd has used fabric appliqué sewn and fused, stamping and stitching to make the illustrations, lovely in their simple graphic shapes and clean design. Her illustrator's note explains her fascinating process. An author's note simply says, "According to legend," and goes on to cite the stories of George Washington's pencil sketch for the first flag and Betsy's change of his six-pointed star for her five-pointed one but does not explain that there is no historical evidence for any of it. The BetsyRoss legend did not appear until late in the 19th century, nearly 100 years after the supposed events. Ross was, however, an upholsterer, and such folk did indeed make flags and other items. An appendix illustrates how to make a five-pointed "BetsyRoss Star" with one cut on a properly folded piece of fabric or paper.A bit of bibliography and a stronger admission that this is not history (or herstory) but legend would make this a stronger book. (Picture book. 4-7)(Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2011)
*information from NoveList Plus