Betsy Ross and General George Washington

June 14, 1777: During the American Revolution, the
Continental Congress adopts a resolution stating that
“the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate
stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen
stars, white in a blue field, representing a new
Constellation.” The national flag, which became
known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the
“Grand Union” flag, a banner carried by the Continental
Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white
stripes. According to legend.

Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross designed the new
canton for the Stars and Stripes, which consisted of a
circle of 13 stars and a blue background, at the request
of General George Washington. Historians have been
unable to conclusively prove or disprove this legend.