5 Chapter 4 A New Flag

Chapter 4 A New Flag To pay off money that John owed when he died, Betsy had to close his shop. Several months later, she bravely opened one of her own. It would not be easy to run a business alone. She had to find new customers, pay the bills, and order supplies. She had to do all the sewing work herself. But Betsy had watched her great-aunt Sarah run her business, so she thought she could do it, too. The war turned out to be good news for Betsy's business. As people in Philadelphia prepared to fight, they needed the very things she was good at making. Soldiers needed blankets and bedding. Armies needed cots and tents. And everyone needed flags.

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Each unit of the growing colonial army required its own flag. Each colony had its own flag, too. Even ships flew flags. They were all different, and each had to be made by hand. Betsy's sewing skills were perfect for this job.

The flags had to look great, but they also had to be sturdy to wave in any weather. In the spring of 1776, there was not one flag to represent all the colonies. Several different flags had been used by American troops in battles. Most had taken parts of the British flag, which was red, white, and blue. Some of the leaders of the colonies wanted what they were starting to call the United States to have a flag all its own, one that everyone could rally behind.

EARLY COLONIAL FLAGS COLONIES HAD THEIR OWN FLAGS, BUT MOST ALSO USED THE FLAG OF GREAT BRITAIN, KNOWN AS THE UNION JACK. DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, HOWEVER, NEW FLAG DESIGNS WERE CREATED TO SUPPORT THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY. CULPEPER MINUTEMEN, 1775 FLOWN BY CITIZEN-SOLDIERS IN VIRGINIA. IT SHOWED A RATTLESNAKE AND THE WORDS "DON'T TREAD ON ME." WASHINGTON'S CRUISERS, 1775 THIS FLAG SHOWED A PINE TREE, WHICH WAS POPULAR ON FLAGS IN NEW ENGLAND. IT WAS FLOWN ON BOATS USED BY GEORGE WASHINGTON. AROUND THE TREE IT READ "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN." GRAND UNION, 1775 WASHINGTON HELPED DESIGN THIS FLAG, WHICH INCLUDED THE UNION JACK IN THE CORNER, BUT ALSO HAD THE NOW-FAMILIAR THIRTEEN RED AND WHITE STRIPES. WASHINGTON'S PERSONAL FLAG A BLUE FLAG WITH THIRTEEN SIX-POINTED WHITE STARS FLEW OVER WASHINGTON'S

CAMPS THROUGHOUT THE WAR. BUNKER HILL FLAG, 1775 ALL RED EXCEPT FOR A PINE TREE ON THE UPPER LEFT, THE FLAG WAS FIRST FLOWN DURING THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL IN 1775. There's a great American legend that Betsy Ross sewed the very first American flag. Is it true? Her family says so! It's a story that's become a part of the country's early history.