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Betsy Ross — Standing Tall
The famous always seem to have a cloud of mystery, myth, and controversy surrounding them. No matter how pure their actions or how noble, something always seems to cloud it. Not even Betsy Ross can avoid historical controversy.
Ask anyone who Betsy Ross was and they will tell you that she sewed the first American flag. Beyond that, very few non-historians know much more about her. But this woman led a strong and courageous life in a time when rebelling and moving forward was becoming popular but not always so for women.
From a Quaker Family
Ushering in a new year in 1752, a Quaker couple in Philadelphia welcomed their eighth child, a daughter named Elizabeth Griscom. She would be raised following Quaker customs and upon reaching adulthood went into a trade — upholstery. Doing this job, she learned to sew flags, tents, and all manner of sewing needs. It was there at this job that she met the man who would claim her heart.
There was just one problem. He was Episcopalian. Quakers did not believe in marriages between different Christian sects or across religions. The penalty of such an act was expulsion from the Quaker community. In other words, the person was considered dead or never existed at all. Elizabeth, Betsy, took that chance as she agreed to marry John Ross and they eloped.
