Betsy Ross and the Flag..?

Question

How come we still recognize and teach in schools that Betsy Ross sew the first American flag if there is not any hard evidense that she did?

Answer 1

Quite frankly, people are ignorant about such points. I don't know that it is exactly "taught" in the schools. That is, there is not usually any sort of detailed discussion, I doubt you'd find it in recent textbooks, etc. It's just sort of assumed, something "everyone knows" (that just happens not to be true! or at least very unlikely).

The reason the story is out there at all is that it was spread by her descendants in the mid-19th century, based on what THEY had heard growing up. You probably know how family stories get passed on, grow, etc., so that someone in the family Forrest-Gumplike was there and played a key role in various major events. (But no, there were NO affidavits.)

Such stories also put a FACE on things, something concrete that people can remember and point to. So once they get out there, they are hard to correct and replace with things like "the government used a number of different people to makes flags", etc. And since Betsy Ross DID make flags, it's subtler, so even harder to correct such a simple, direct and appealing story. . . . if people are even paying attention!

By the way, if you want a clear explanation of what we DO know about the designing of the first American flag (the design itself probably conceived by Francis Hopkinson, a member of the Continental Congress from New Jersey), check out the 2005 book, *Flag: an American Biography*, by Marc Leepson.

A summary of that part of the book:
http://hnn.us/roundup/comments/12918.html

Answer 2

Hi Pinky. Chris is right. There is no direct link between the first flag and Betsy Ross. According to the guides at the Betsy Ross house in Philadelphia, the story was actually started by Betsy's grandson. Since she was a seamstress, she "may have" sewn flags for the army but, again, there is no evidence linking her to the original flag. In fact, during the Revolution, Continental Army units did not use a national standard. They flew the flags of their individual regiments. What's more interesting about Betsy Ross is that she was linked, possibility romantically, to several officers of the Continental Army and the British Army, most notably, Count von Donop of the Hessian Army. According to period accounts, "she kept him occupied" in a small New Jersey town just prior to Washington crossing the Delaware. Because the Count was "indisposed" he did not bring reinforcements from the outlying areas of Trenton to support the Hessian garrison.

Answer 3

Though there is some speculation about who actually sewed the first flag, it little matters. There are affidavits attesting to the fact that it was Mrs. Ross, as designed with George Washington....
However, to answer your question...people need a figurehead. They need someone they can point to and say..."he/she made history..." We all need our heroes and heroines. Since there is no proof, either way, what difference does it make, really? Betsy Ross and the flag have been linked since the 1800's....if positive proof is found one way or another, then it will be time to change the record.