Perhaps the best-known figure from the American Revolutionary era who wasn't a president, general or statesman, Betsy Ross (1752-1836) became a patriotic icon in the late 19th century when stories surfaced that she had sewn the first "stars and stripes" U.S. flag in 1776. Though that story is likely apocryphal, Ross is known to have sewn flags during the Revolutionary War.
Elizabeth Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in the city of Philadelphia. She was the eighth of 17 other children. Her parents, Rebecca James Griscom and Samuel Griscom were both Quakers.
The little girl of a skilled worker, Betsy went to a Quaker school and was then apprenticed to William Webster, an upholsterer. In Webster's workshop, she figured out how to sew sleeping cushions, seat spreads, and window blinds. In 1773, at age 21, Betsy crossed the stream to New Jersey to steal away with John Ross, the child of an Episcopal minister who got her ousted from the Quaker church.
The Rosses started their own upholstery shop, and John joined the militia. He died after barely two years of marriage. Though family legend would attribute John's death to a gunpowder explosion, illness is a more likely culprit. Ross is so beloved and so deeply embedded in the nation’s memory that somehow it seems unpatriotic, if not vaguely treasonous, to cast doubt on her story.
The records of the U.S. flag’s origins are fragmentary in part because at the time Americans were indifferent to flags as national relics. “The Star-Spangled Banner†was written in 1812 but did not become popular until the 1840s. As the 1876 U.S. Centennial approached, enthusiasm for the flag increased.
There is a barrage of cheap and inferior American flags being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported flags are cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods of printing do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flags made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of American flags for the future.
Elizabeth Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in the city of Philadelphia. She was the eighth of 17 other children. Her parents, Rebecca James Griscom and Samuel Griscom were both Quakers.
The little girl of a skilled worker, Betsy went to a Quaker school and was then apprenticed to William Webster, an upholsterer. In Webster's workshop, she figured out how to sew sleeping cushions, seat spreads, and window blinds. In 1773, at age 21, Betsy crossed the stream to New Jersey to steal away with John Ross, the child of an Episcopal minister who got her ousted from the Quaker church.
The Rosses started their own upholstery shop, and John joined the militia. He died after barely two years of marriage. Though family legend would attribute John's death to a gunpowder explosion, illness is a more likely culprit. Ross is so beloved and so deeply embedded in the nation’s memory that somehow it seems unpatriotic, if not vaguely treasonous, to cast doubt on her story.
The records of the U.S. flag’s origins are fragmentary in part because at the time Americans were indifferent to flags as national relics. “The Star-Spangled Banner†was written in 1812 but did not become popular until the 1840s. As the 1876 U.S. Centennial approached, enthusiasm for the flag increased.
There is a barrage of cheap and inferior American flags being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported flags are cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods of printing do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flags made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of American flags for the future.
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