Hot dogs and fireworks are fun, but the American flag is the real heart of Independence Day. Stopping to admire the Stars and Stripes always makes me feel patriotic! The American flag hasn’t changed in decades, but today’s flag is actually the 27th official version. As the United States evolved, the flag did too!
It’s like the British flag, but with stripes
Before the United States became a country, American colonists flew several different flags. An early design involved 13 red and white stripes (to represent the colonies) and a British Union Jack in the top left corner. Since the colonies were seeking independence from Great Britain around this time, using a British motif seems like a bad marketing move to me!
“I designed it, I promise!”
One of America’s first flags was supposedly designed by Francis Hopkinson, a New Jersey resident who signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1780, two years after the first Stars and Stripes were sewn, Francis wrote a letter claiming he designed the national flag. In the letter, he asked for a quarter cask of wine as compensation for his design. But after his letter went unanswered, he asked for a payment in British pounds that roughly equals $3,200. Adjusted for modern inflation, that’s about $71,000! Since Frances didn’t have any proof that he designed the flag, he never received any compensation.
The woman, the myth, the five-pointed star legend
After the Union Jack debacle, historians think the next American flag design featured thirteen six-pointed stars. But modern flags have five-point stars, which may have been chosen by Elizabeth Griscom - AKA Betsy Ross! Legend says that in June 1776, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross came to Betsy’s house to discuss a six-pointed star design. Supposedly, Betsy showed the men how she could cut a five-pointed star in one scissor snip and convinced them to adjust their design! She’s also said to be the seamstress of the “first American flag” - meaning the first flag with five-pointed stars and thirteen stripes.
No one knows if this story is true - Betsy herself wasn’t able to verify it. The story was first reported by her grandson, William Canby, 20 years after her death! In 1870, William claimed that his aunt, Clarissa Sydney Wilson (who was one of Betsy’s daughters), had told him the story in 1857. But Clarissa’s testimony isn’t on record, so we still don’t know whether Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. The five-pointed star claim can’t be proven, either! But the Betsy Ross story is still an American classic.
More stars, more stripes!
The flag Betsy Ross supposedly sewed had 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the 13 states in the union. After Vermont and Kentucky were admitted, the flag design was updated include 15 stars and 15 stripes. But when more states were added to the union, no one could fit that many stripes on the flag! So designers reverted to 13 stripes, symbolizing the original colonies, and increased the number of stars to match the number of states. That was a good decision - can you imagine trying to fit 50 stripes on a flag?
The school assignment flying from your flagpole
In 1958, a high schooler named Bob Heft had a school assignment to make a history-inspired craft. Inspired by rumors that Alaska and Hawaii might become states, Bob spent hours arranging 50 stars on the flag. But his history teacher wasn’t impressed and gave the project a B-! Bob’s teacher said, “If you don’t like your grade, get [your flag] accepted into Washington… and I might consider changing your grade.” So for the next two years, Bob tried to gain support for his design by making calls and writing letters to the White House. In 1960, once Alaska and Hawaii were states, over 1,000 people submitted designs for a new flag. President Eisenhower and his team chose Bob’s design, and true to his word, Bob’s history teacher changed his grade to an A!
Before his death in 2009, Bob created a design for a 51-star flag. If another state is added to the union, Bob’s family will submit his design for consideration on his behalf. If his submission was chosen, he would be the first person to design two U.S. flags!
From Francis Hopkins and Betsy Ross to Bob Heft, it’s taken a village to create today’s American flag. With motivation and persistence, they helped turn an idea into a legendary creation! 👓