A Day in Philadelphia
View A Day in Philadelphia by Rodrigo Muzell, Philadelphia Inquirer. in a larger map
By Naomi Nix
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
In hushed tones, Betsy Ross motions three children into a secret huddle to show them her latest act of treason against the British government: the first American flag.
It is the 1777 version, with 13 stripes of red and white, and 13 five-pointed white stars in a circle on a field of blue.
Just as she did for the Founding Fathers three centuries ago, Ross boasts to the children that she can make a five-pointed star with just one snip of her scissors.
Carrie Haynes, 11, and Mary Neely, 7, believe her. Adam Young, 11, looks skeptical.
"George Washington did not believe it either," says Ross, with an English accent.
After one snip of her scissors, she hands them a five-pointed star.
And three more children have learned the story of the great American flagmaker. From family legend to the tale of a Revolutionary War hero and now a tourist stop, the story of Betsy Ross has evolved over the last 200 years.
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