Years flown: 1777-1795

President: George Washington

The Betsy Ross flag is one of the many 13-star flags flown during the early years of the United States.

Design: Thirteen alternating red and white stripes, a blue canton with thirteen 5-pointed stars arranged in a circle

What differentiated this flag from others is that it has 5 point stars instead of 6 point stars.

It is unknown how this flag design became associated with Betsy Ross. At the time, Betsy Ross was an upholsterer in Philadelphia, and she was depicted sewing the US flag in the well recognized 1851 painting by Elloie Sully Wheeler. In 1870, her grandson William Canby claimed that his grandmother made the first flag in 1776 after meeting with a small committee including George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross. There are other variations of the story. However, there is lack of historical evidence to support this claim. Betsy Ross was credited with the contribution of the five-point star to the flag design. The five point star was easier for her to create.

References:

www.wilkapedia.org

www.ushistory.org

www.gettyburgsflag.com