What Betsy Ross’ real story tells us about women’s work in the Revolution − and why it still matters 250 years later

Betsy Ross probably did not sew the first American flag, but she was one of many craftswomen whose wartime labor helped build a nation.

By: Marla Miller, UMass Amherst, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 23, 2026

Words: 1,290

Last Updated: 4 months, 1 week ago

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By Marla Miller, UMass Amherst

For generations, most Americans knew – and maybe believed – a story about upholstery seamstress Betsy Ross and the making of the nation’s first flag.

In the account passed down through her family, Ross was a young Philadelphia widow when George Washington and a congressional committee asked her to make a flag for the Colonies uniting in rebellion against England.

A sketch showed what they envisioned: red and white …

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