Product Description
The embroidered Betsy Ross flag has 13 embroidered white stars in a circle on the blue canton, with 13 red and white stripes, on UV-resistant 200 denier nylon. It finishes with a nylon heading and two brass grommets, in 2 FT x 3 FT, 3 FT x 5 FT, and 4 FT x 6 FT, and it is made in the USA.
Nylon flies in light wind and dries quickly, which makes this the Betsy Ross flag for a house bracket or a residential pole that stays out through the summer. For a period cotton look, see the embroidered cotton Betsy Ross.
Embroidered Betsy Ross Flag Features
- 13 embroidered stars – stitched in dense white thread, arranged in the traditional circle.
- UV-resistant 200 denier nylon – fully dyed and treated to resist fading outdoors.
- Nylon heading with brass grommets – two brass grommets for a halyard pole or a bracket pole with clips.
- Lock-stitched hems – double-needle lock stitching on the side hems and heading join.
- Three sizes – 2 FT x 3 FT, 3 FT x 5 FT, 4 FT x 6 FT.
- Made in the USA – sewn here.
Historical Background
The 13-star circle flag is tied by tradition to Betsy Ross, the Philadelphia upholsterer who, according to a story her grandson told in 1870, sewed the first Stars and Stripes at George Washington’s request in 1776. Historians have never found a period record that confirms the story, and the Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777 did not specify how the 13 stars should be arranged, so several star patterns were in use at the same time. The circle became the best known of them.
Whatever its origin, the circle of 13 stars is now the accepted way to show the flag of the Revolutionary period. It is flown for July 4, for reenactments and living history events, and alongside the 50-star flag on historic properties. The United States Flag Code applies to historical versions of the flag as well as the current one.
Symbolism at a Glance
- Thirteen stars in a circle: the original colonies, arranged so that no colony ranks above another.
- Thirteen stripes: the same colonies, seven red and six white.
- Red, white, and blue: hardiness and valor, purity and innocence, and vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
