Betsy Ross

The Seamstress Who Sewed a Nation’s First Symbol

Betsy Ross, born Elizabeth Griscom in 1752, didn’t command troops, draft the Declaration, or fire a musket—but she may have made the most fashionable power move of the Revolution: upgrading America’s look. A trained upholsterer in Philadelphia, Betsy could sew anything from fine drapes to fancy chairs, and when her first husband, John Ross, died serving the patriot cause, she channeled her skills into something a bit more… revolutionary.

According to her family’s famous account, one day in 1776, General George Washington, Robert Morris, and Colonel George Ross came knocking—not for new curtains, but for a brand-new flag. They showed her a draft design, and Betsy, with the confidence of a woman who knows her craft, suggested a few improvements—most notably swapping out the clunky six-pointed stars for elegant five-pointers she could snip out in one quick cut. In other words, Betsy brought both efficiency and style to America’s brand.

Throughout the war, she stitched flags for the Continental Army and Navy, often under the nose of British-occupied Philadelphia. Fabric was scarce, customers were occasionally armed, and her workshop was basically the colonial version of a covert design studio. She married twice more—both husbands serving the patriot cause—while running her business and raising a family.

By the time Betsy passed away in 1836 at the age of 84, she’d lived long enough to see her once-experimental design become an enduring emblem of liberty. Whether or not she truly sewed the very first Stars and Stripes, there’s no doubt she dressed the Revolution for success—and made sure America never went out without a sharp look.

“I do not know whether I can make a flag, but I am willing to try.”

—Presumably Betsy Ross