Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross was born Betsy Grimcom in Philadelphia on January 1, 1752. She was the 8th child out of 17 children. She always had a love for sewing and was very good at it. She was a very spirited girl and always made up her own mind. Betsy married Johnny Ross much to her parents disapproval, he was not a Quaker a member of the Society of Friends. Sense she married out of the society she was expelled.

Betsy's life was filled with a lot of ups and downs, just like America was going through at the time. Betsy and Johnny opened a upholstering store in 1774. Johnny became a soldier and was killed when a keg of gun powder blew up in 1776.

One day Gorge Ross (her husbands Uncle), Robert Morris and General George Washington came and asked Betsy if she could make them a flag. A flag that would represent the United States of America. They wanted to give the soldiers something to fight for. General Washington gave her a rough sketch it had 13 stars and 13 stripes one for each of the 13 states. Betsy told General Washington a square flag would not wave well, she said to make it wider. Then it would catch the breeze in any direction, and it also would catch the soldiers attention. They decided the stars would have 5 points and be in a circle as a symbol of unity. The colors where to be Red for bravery, white for purity, and blue for strength.

On June 14, 1777 Congress gave its official approval, and the flag became the first flag of the United States. People looked at the flag with a feeling of wander. It showed others that we could think and act for ourselves. They had stood up for what they thought was right.

After this the British captured Betsy's town, she was very scared that they would find out she had made the flag. Many people were jealous of her and wanted something bad to happen to her. Her new husband Captain Joseph Ashburn had sailed for Europe and had not been heard from since. A man by the name of Nathan Woods was trying to blackmail Betsy into marring him or else he would tell the British who she was. Betsy told him to go ahead and tell she would not be forced into marring a man like him. That same day a shipmate of her husbands showed up at her door to tell her of her husband. He found her crying and when he asked she told him of what Mr. Woods was trying to do. He told he not to worry and that