Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross was a seamstress who worked in her husband's upholstery company during the Revolutionary War. According to legend, General George Washington went to her in 1776 to ask her to design and make a flag that could represent the cause for which the patriots were fighting. Although we do not know for certain who designed the first flag, we do know that the Continental Congress voted to adopt it in 1777. After the Revolutionary War, stars were added, one for each state, until there were fifty stars instead of thirteen. But the thirteen stripes remain, to remind us of the thirteen original states which fought for freedom.