Betsy Ross
Elizabeth Griscom was born on New Years day 1752. Known as Betsy to family and friends, she was the eighth of seventeen children born to Rebecca and Samuel Griscom. They lived in Philadelphia. Being staunch Quakers, they were very conservative. Betsy was entirely educated at a friend's Quaker school. It was in this Quaker school that she learned how to upholster. With her parents permission Betsy became an apprentice in the upholstery shop of John Ross.Betsy soon fell in love with John Ross and they eloped on November 4th 1773 in Gloucester, New Jersey. Betsy and John ran the upholstery shop together for three years. In 1775 John joined the militia. While serving the Militia he was killed when a store filled with gunpowder blew up. John was very badly burned. Betsy treated him the best way she knew how, but despite her efforts he died in the middle of January. Against her parents will, Betsy continued to run the upholstery shop. Six months later, in June of 1776, with her husbands death behind her she was approached by George Washington, Robert Morris, and her uncle George Ross. They wanted to discuss the possibility of her sewing the first American flag. The meeting was held in the bac
Joseph's ship was captured at sea several years after he and Betsy's marriage, and he died in the Old Mill Prison in Plymouth, England on March 3, 1782 (4. ushistory). k room of her home, and was kept very secret. During the course of the meeting George Washington presented Betsy with his idea for the flag. George Washington's idea included a six-pointed star (1. Encyclopedia Britanica). Betsy saw the need for a few changes in the idea including changing the six-pointed star to a five-pointed star. Washington disagreed because he thought the five-pointed star would be more difficult to sew. Betsy quickly changed his mind by making a few simple folds in a piece of scrap cloth, and one snip to unfold a five-pointed star (2. Spencer). Betsy also wanted the flag to be a rectangle instead of a square. Betsy went to work on the flag. It was presented to and accepted by Congress on June 14, 1777. Just one short day before she was to marry her second husband. Betsy continued making flags for the government for many years. She would live with one of her daughters until she died on January 30, 1836. The "Betsy Ross Flag" as it is known today was not the first flag flown in the U.S., however it was the first flag representing the original thirteen colonies, the United States of America. The "Betsy R
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Approximate Word count = 895
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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