PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The morning of Flag Day, a group of fourth-graders from a Brooklyn public school marked the 246th anniversary of the American flag in fitting fashion: with a field trip to the place where the stars and stripes were first sewn.
This, after all, was Betsy Ross’ great contribution to American history, wasn’t it?
“She made the [American] flag,” said one of the students, as she waited in line for her tour of the Betsy Ross House.
Making the first American flag, which was formally recognized on June 14, 1777, is indeed Ross’ main claim to fame — or her family’s claim, at least.
In the late 1800s, nearly 50 years after Ross’ death, one of her grandsons held a press conference to lay out evidence that Ross — a reputable upholsterer who married the nephew of Founding Father George Ross and later did business with George Washington — made the first American flag.
His sources? Stories, mostly, that were passed down through previous generations of his family. Beyond that, there wasn’t much in the way of concrete, primary material.
Historians, however, have questioned the reliability of this kind of oral history and, over the years, have debated the extent to which Ross was actually involved with the first flag.
“When I started here, there were so many haters, so to speak,” said Lisa Acker Moulder, director of the Betsy Ross House. She’s worked at the red-brick colonial row home in Old City for nearly 23 years.
“Over time, to see people’s opinions change has been really gratifying.”
To sway skeptics, Acker Moulder and the Betsy Ross House point to the tangible artifacts they do have in their possession to highlight what they consider likely links between Ross and the first American flag.
A receipt from May 29, 1777, demonstrates she fulfilled a hefty order of a ship’s colors. One of Washington’s ledger books contains details of business transactions with Ross.
“We have a lot out there to show she had something to do with that first American flag,” said Acker Moulder.
Exactly what that “something” was, however, could forever be a mystery, she concedes. “I still feel like [the flag] is really not even the most important and interesting part of her story.”
Why, then, is Ross’ story still worth telling, and perhaps more relatable to contemporary themes than ever before?
On this episode of the KYW Newsradio original podcast The Jawncast, Brian Seltzer visits the Betsy Ross House to learn more about the truths and myths surrounding her legacy — and whether or not this gray area even matters.
Listen in the player below, on the Audacy app or wherever you get your podcasts.