The tale of Betsy Ross and the first American Flag
Betsy Ross was in her house in May of 1776. Three members belonging to a secret committee of the Continental Congress called upon her. Their mission was simple- ask Ms. Ross to sew the first American flag.
Ms. Ross knew these men well. They were Robert Morris, one of the wealthiest men in the colonies, George Ross, who was the uncle to Betsy Ross' husband, and George Washington, a leader in the Continental Army who attended the same church as Ross, and would later become the first president under the Constitution.
Ms. Ross was an upholsterer in the colonies, who sometimes embroidered and sewed for George Washington. It was common for upholsterers to sew a variety of things, as well as work on furniture. The fact that she sewed for Washington solidified Washington's idea of having Ross sew the flag. George Washington gave her a rough sketch of the flag she was to produce, complete with a six-pointed star.
Betsy Ross' flag was completed in the summer of 1776, just in time for the reading of the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall.
In June of 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the national flag made by Betsy Ross to become a longstanding symbol of America. It stood for, and still represents today, national pride and unity.