Birth of “OLD GLORY.”
“OLD GLORY,” the stars and stripes, was born on the 14th of June,
1777, on which day Congress patriotically resolved: “That the flag of
the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; the
union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new
constellation.” It has never been known to what influence we were
indebted for the selection of the stars and stripes in our flag. Some
have thought that the stripes were of Dutch origin, for they occur in
Dutch armorial bearings, while others suspect that they were
introduced as a compliment to Washington, on whose coat-of-arms both
the stripes and stars appear; but there is no tangible evidence that
either supposition is correct.
The Father of his Country, nevertheless, had much to do with designing
the first stars and stripes. It was he, assisted by a committee
appointed by Congress, who directed the preparation of the first
design. They called upon Mrs. Elizabeth Ross, in Philadelphia, some
time between May 23 and June 7, 1777, with the request that she should
prepare the flag. Her house, 239 Arch Street, is, we believe, still
standing at this writing. Washington had a rough draft, in which the
stars were six-pointed. Mrs. Ross proved that five-pointed ones would
look better, and her suggestion was adopted. She had the flag finished
by the next day, and it was received with great admiration wherever
displayed. She was manufacturer of flags for the government for many
years, her children afterwards succeeding to the business.