Betsy Ross Legacy

Betsy Ross’s Legacy: The Emblem of America

Elizabeth Griscom (later known as Betsy Ross) crossed the Delaware River to New Jersey to elope with John Ross. Since she was a Quaker, and John an Episcopalian, her parents wouldn’t allow her to marry him, for fear of rejection by the Quaker community. Her parents were right - the Quakers disowned her after she got married, but her family were able to remain members of the church. After crossing the river and getting married in New Jersey, she lost all communication with her family. Sadly, just two years after their marriage, John died in an explosion at a munitions depot that he was guarding during the American Revolution. She re-married two more times, but her second husband died in a British prison,

After John’s death, Betsy continued to work in her business, now repairing uniforms and making tents and blankets for the Continental Army. And after the war, Betsy forever shaped our country’s future by making the first American flag. On June 14, 1777, America’s Second Continental Congress passed a resolution approving the design of a flag to represent the newly formed United States of America. The document states “resolved that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Betsy Ross was most likely chosen because she lived in Philadelphia, where the Second Continental Congress was held, and was a very skilled worker, went to the same Church as George Washington, and was the niece of George Ross, one of the signatories of the “Declaration of Independence”. It was an exciting challenge for Betsy to make a flag that would fly across America. Although the flag was designed by the Continental Congress, Betsy Ross is credited with changing its shape from square to rectangular, and also changing the arrangement and shape of the stars (from six points down to five

It makes me proud when I see the American flag flying in the sky, makes us honor our heroes and sports stars, and it makes us remember the people who fought for the independence of our country. The flag flies tall and proud in so many places across America, the world, and even on the moon. Today, one hundred fifty million flags that are sold per year. The American flag brings together Americans as one united nation. “The American flag, Old Glory, standing tall and flying free over American soil for 228 years is the symbol of our beloved country. It is recognized from near and afar, and many lives have been lost defending