The splendid blog 3583

Walk into a souvenir shop anywhere near Philadelphia and you will see the same small drama sketched on mugs and tea towels: a resolute Betsy Ross sitting by a window, needle in hand, while George Washington and two colleagues stand nearby with a sketch of a new flag. The scene is charming. It is also the product of a family story published almost a century after the Revolution. The truth behind the first American flag is both richer and messier, with real people, real pay s