The Legacy of Betsy Ross and the Birth of Old Glory

In 1917, artist Percy Moran painted The Birth of Old Glory, a stirring tribute to the creation of the American flag. Today, the painting resides in the Library of Congress, preserving a symbol deeply tied to the legacy of Betsy Ross.

Born on January 1, 1752, in Camden County, New Jersey, Betsy Ross was an upholsterer by trade. Her name has long been associated with the American Revolution, credited by tradition with sewing the first American flag. This claim gained traction in 1870 when her daughter, Rachel Fletcher, submitted an affidavit recounting Betsy's meeting with a congressional committee. According to Fletcher, Betsy critiqued the original flag design, suggesting changes to its proportions and the arrangement of the stars. Most notably, she is said to have recommended five-pointed stars over six.

While definitive evidence confirming Ross as the flag’s original seamstress has never been found, records do show she sewed flags for the Pennsylvania Navy. Her patriotic service allowed her descendants to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Betsy Ross died on January 30, 1836, and is buried at the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia, now a National Historic Landmark. Her story gained renewed interest in 2021 when the Revolutionary War diary of her husband, John Claypoole—a former prisoner of war—was discovered in a shoebox in a California garage.

Though the full truth of the flag’s origin remains uncertain, Betsy Ross’s legacy as a symbol of American ingenuity and independence endures.