The origin of the American flag is a fascinating story. It emerged from the Sons of Liberty’s use of flags and other symbols as a means of civil disobedience to protest British law and government. The first American national flag consisted of 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue canton (the upper left corner) that incorporated elements from the flags of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland.Resource: ultimateflags.com

During the struggle to create an independent nation, several different designs of the American flag were created. The most famous was sewn by a Philadelphia seamstress named Betsy Ross. Legend has it that in May 1776 George Washington and representatives of the Continental Congress visited her upholstery shop where they showed Ross a rough design for the new national flag. Ross suggested changing the six-pointed stars to five-pointed ones, which were easier to make, and that is the pattern that has remained in place to this day.

From Betsy Ross to Today: The Rich History of the American Flag

The enormous 1814 garrison flag that flew during the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore by the British inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner,” which became our national anthem. The National Museum of American History has undertaken the long-term preservation of this enormous flag and a smaller version that survived the shelling and is known as the Betsy Ross Flag. Currently, both are stored in a low-oxygen and filtered light chamber and examined on a microscopic level for signs of damage or decay.