Proudly Flying the Stars and Stripes. 

I wanted to whip together some things for Flag Day.  Some schools will be out before the 14th, but others go longer because of snow day make up, or they are year round,  some are already starting their summer school programs, or perhaps you home school and simply want to teach your little ones about the flag. 

I remember after 911 factories couldn't keep up with the demand for flags,they were being flown everywhere; it was truly amazing.  

Who Designed The Flag?

I always surf the net for background and history to get ideas.

I found a tremendous amount of interesting information about our flag, everything from the controversies and debate about who designed it: Betsy Ross or Francis Hopkinson to the numerous designs that were actually flown throughout the years.

I love folklore, so I like to think that Betsy was truly asked by George Washington to sew the flag with the circle of 13 stars, but later it was Hopkinson who designed another flag that was adopted by The Continental Congress. 

There seems to be enough proof for both arguments, especially Hopkinson who had to submit all sorts of things to get paid.

According to popular legend, the Philadelphia seamstress who made flags for the navy, was acquainted with George Washington.

As you know he was the leader of the Continental Army.  The story goes, that in May of 1776, Washington and two representatives from the Continental Congress visited Ross at her upholstery shop and showed her a rough design of the flag.

Although Washington initially favored using a star with six points, Ross advocated for a five-pointed star. They were skeptical, but the gentlemen were won over, when she quickly folded a scrap of fabric and with one quick snip of her scissors produced a perfect 5-pointed star.

Thus we have a five-pointed star on the flag... or so the legend goes.  Click on the link to view/print Betsy Ross's 5-pointed star magic trick!

For a Betsy Ross page you can color online as a nice independent computer center, click on the link. Online Betsy Ross Coloring Page

For a regular Betsy Ross coloring page click on the link.

For a coloring page for a Betsy Ross Flag + other flags through 1960 click on the link.

The Betsy Ross star circle flag and the 13-star Hopkinson flag clipart is courtesy of the University of Oklahoma site.

They also have all of the state flags if you’re looking for a project. They give permission for teachers to use their clipart for educational purposes, provided you link back to them.

To color an original 1776 flag click on the link.

Unfortunately, historians have never truly been able to verify these charming events.  The story of Washington's visit to the flag maker became popular about the time of the country's first centennial, after William Canby, a grandson of Ross, told about her role in shaping U.S. history in a speech given at the Philadelphia Historical Society in March 1870.

What is known is that the first unofficial national flag, called the Grand Union Flag or the Continental Colors, was raised at the request of General Washington near his headquarters outside Boston, on Jan. 1, 1776.

This flag had 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes and the British Union Flag (a predecessor of the Union Jack) in the canton. (Blue part of the flag.)

The Continental Congress approved the first official national flag, also known as the Stars and Stripes, on June 14, 1777. The blue canton contained 13 stars, representing the original 13 colonies, but the layout varied.

Although nobody knows for sure who designed the flag, many believe it may have been Continental Congress member Francis Hopkinson. He was a lawyer, and Congressman from New Jersey, who also signed the Declaration of Independence.

I thought it would be fun to have students read about Betsy Ross and Francis Hopkinson and decide for themselves which story they believe. 

Have a discussion and then graph the results.  You can also do a Venn diagram of the two flags, either Betsy's or Hopkinson's or a 1700's flag to the current flag. Click on the University of OK site and choose your flags.  Click on the link to view/print the Betsy Ross/Francis Hopkinson graph and Venn diagram of their two flags.

I spent several days researching many sites to find what I felt to be kid-friendly and informative.  To read more interesting history about the flag, Betsy Ross and Hopkinson click on the links.    Hopkinson Site,  Betsy Ross Site,  Flag Site,    US Flag Site,  United States Flag Site   

Be sure to read part 2 of this article to continue learning about our flag!