Betsy Ross

In 1776, Americans did not have a flag. They needed one. Some people think a woman named Betsy Ross made it. She could sew. She had a shop where she stitched cloth onto chairs.

George Washington gave Betsy a picture of a flag. It had seven red stripes. These stripes meant bravery. The flag had six white stripes. They meant truth. The flag had a blue square. Blue meant fairness.

Betsy Ross had never made a flag. But she tried hard. Finally, she made a flag to honor our country. She put in a circle of thirteen stars—one for each colony.

Now our flag has many stars. But it is a lot like the one that Betsy Ross made a long time ago.