Betsy ross flag

Though most historians dismiss the story, Ross family tradition holds that General George Washington , commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and two members of a congressional committee— Robert Morris and George Ross —visited Mrs. Ross in Ross convinced George Washington to change the shape of the stars in a sketch of a flag he showed her from six-pointed to five-pointed by demonstrating that it was easier and speedier to cut the latter.

However, there is no archival evidence or other recorded verbal tradition to substantiate this story of the first U. It appears that the story first surfaced in the writings of her grandson in the s a century after the fact , with no mention or documentation in earlier decades. Ross made flags for the Pennsylvanian navy during the American Revolution.

After the Revolution, she made U. Arsenal on the Schuylkill River during The flags of the Pennsylvania navy were overseen by the Pennsylvania Navy Board. Its members included Robert Morris and George Ross. At that time, the committee ordered the construction of gunboats that would eventually need flags as part of their equipment.

As late as October , Captain William Richards was still writing to the committee or Council of Safety to request the design that he could use to order flags for their fleet. Ross was one of those hired to make flags for the Pennsylvanian fleet.

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An entry dated May 29, , in the records of the Pennsylvania Navy Board includes an order to pay her for her work. It is worded as follows:. The Pennsylvania navy's ship color included 1 an ensign; 2 a long, narrow pennant; and 3 a short, narrow pennant. The ensign was a blue flag with 13 stripes—seven red stripes and six white stripes in the flag's canton upper-left-hand corner.