The story behind Betsy Ross and the first American flag as America celebrates 250th birthday

Betsy Ross was a Philadelphia seamstress in 1776. Historical accounts attribute the first American flag to her, sewn during the American Revolution. The claim originates from statements made by her descendants after her death in 1811. Historians have found no contemporaneous documentation confirming she sewed the flag, though she did operate an upholstery and flag-making business in Philadelphia during that period.

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