Betsy Ross
By: Alyssa Hawbaker
Background Info
- Birth Date: January 1, 1752 in Philadelphia, PA
- Death Date: January 30, 1836 in Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy was the eighth of 17 children, attended Quaker schools and learned sewing and other crafts common in her day
- After completing school, got a job as a furniture maker and met John Ross at age 17
- Since Betsy was a Quaker, marrying outside the religion as off-limits, but in 1772 they married. She was expelled from her house in Philadelphia
- They both opened own furniture business, using Betsy's needlework skills
Betsy - The Flag Maker
American Flag 1776 made in Philadelphia
- Betsy was known to have sewn flags during the Revolutionary War
- Summer of 1776, and Ross received a visit from George Washington regarding a design regarding a design for a the new nation
- The first flag was first brought to show by her grandson
- No official documents was found to confirm that Ross was responsible
- June 14, 1777, Congress officially adopted the flag
Why is Betsy Ross important in PA colonial time?
- Ross created the first United States of America flag (Stars and Stripes Flag)
- Made flag for the Revolutionary War