In
1775, England’s monarchy claimed rule over the new land. The men and
women settlers rejected the government oppression that they left behind.
They were determined to be free from England’s monarchy. It meant
standing up against a powerful empire. The risks were high, but that’s
what they did.
July 4th, 1776, the 13 colonies declared their
independence from England. Paul Revere's Ride famously alerted the
colonies to the impending attack.
The American Revolutionary War was a battle for freedom.
History records that it was a fight between the few and the many professional soldiers.
Women stepped up without hesitation. They sacrificed warm beds for cold nights, hunger, thirst, unimaginable fear and broken bones.
It was a woman named Betsy Ross whose name will remain in our hearts.
Elizabeth, or Betsy, Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended a Quaker (a type of Christian) school. She married John Ross in 1773. The couple worked together in an upholstery business that he started. John died in 1776.
In 1776 a private committee of three people, including George Washington, asked her to sew a flag that would symbolize the UNION of the brave men and women.
The flag was to have 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the 13 American colonies. Ross suggested that the stars have five points instead of six, as Washington had chosen.
Ross stitched the flag at her house.The final design featured 13 alternating red and white stripes; and 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle on a blue background. This design representing the people of the 13 original colonies.
June 14, 1777 the United States accepted the Stars and Stripes as its new flag by resolution of the Second Continental Congress — Library of Congress, Washington D.C. USA.
In 1778 Benjamin Franklin was minister to France and helped negotiate and draft the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. — History.com
The colonists carried that first flag MONUMENTAL symbol throughout the bloody war. That’s not all.
War of 1812
This young country had to fignt the British again. It would be the final battle for America’s sovereignty.
Americans continued to hold up that flag.
September 13, 1814, Baltimore’s Fort McHenry withstood 25 hours of bombardment by the British Navy. All through the night with bombs bursting over Fort McHenry.
One after another our Flag waved over Fort McHenry until that patriot died and another took his place. The following morning, it was the "Betsy Ross Flag” that our First Veterans were still holding up for all to see.
On February 17, 1815, the Treaty of Ghent was ratified and the war ended.
The amazing resolve of American patriots’ loyalty was engraved in blood.
Our American Flag represents the blooky sacrifices of American patriots from our fight for independence to today’s many challenges to keep our Republic and our sovereignty.
Our Flag, often called “Old Glory” must be remembered and honored. It reminds us of a debit we can never repay.
God bless America.