Who was the designer of the first stars and stripes?

The flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the American flag, is the national flag of the United States. It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a naval flag designer, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, designed the 1777 flag while he was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department, sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777. The Navy Board was under the Continental Marine Committee. Not only did Hopkinson claim that he designed the U.S. flag, but he also claimed that he designed a flag for the U.S. Navy. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime, when he sent a letter and several bills to Congress for his work. No payment was made because it was determined he had already received a salary as a member of Congress.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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47 Comments

Shirley Crisp

There's a discrepancy, when he asked for compensation, was denied because other people were consulted on a design & there's documentation that Betsy Ross did sew the 1st flag.

Richard S. Levine

Diane Johnson, spg cool dude cut & paste this answer from Wikipedia. "Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a naval flag designer, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, designed the 1777 flag[20] while he was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department, sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777. The Navy Board was under the Continental Marine Committee.[21] Not only did Hopkinson claim that he designed the U.S. flag, but he also claimed that he designed a flag for the U.S. Navy. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime, when he sent a letter and several bills to Congress for his work. These claims are documented in the Journals of the Continental Congress and George Hasting's biography of Hopkinson. Hopkinson initially wrote a letter to Congress, via the Continental Board of Admiralty, on May 25, 1780.[22] In this letter, he asked for a "Quarter Cask of the Public Wine" as payment for designing the U.S. flag, the seal for the Admiralty Board, the seal for the Treasury Board, Continental currency, the Great Seal of the United States, and other devices.

Laurie Johnson Gonzalez

Some people are a little dense here but maybe they can be forgiven because of they way the writeup describes the flag. The question is about the FIRST flag, while you describe the CURRENT flag. People are also confused because they mix up the myth of Betsy Ross with history and mash it all together with the question asking who DESIGNED the flag, not who SEWED it (maybe, maybe not, Betsy Ross).

Richard D. Boyle

Since the author was SPG, I knew that the answer would NOT be Betsy Ross.

Brenda Hobbs

It was Betsy Ross who designed the FIRST Stars and Stripes when there were 13 colonies! It didn’t ask when it had 50 stars!!!

joneseanthony

upon research it is a fact the Betsy Ross design the first stars and strips in honor fo the 13 colonies but Francis Hopkins was given credit for the design

Mary Ann Gordon

Not a scholar or anything but, the way I read this he was describing the current US flag and not the original one.

Joyce Bruns

"'Shoot, if you must, this old grey head, but spare your country's flag,' she said." "'Who harms a hair on yon grey head, dies like a dog! March on,' he said." I don't remember the name of the poem or who wrote it. And I got the answer wrong, 'cause I chose Betsy Ross.

Vladimir Orozco

THat was the time that the treasure was properly “guarded” and not extravagant expenditures took place. Unfourtunately it changed and not for better. Today it’s abused by members of the govermrment that squander it in the most auregious ways.