Betsy Ross Often Told Her Family Stories from the Days of the Revolutionary War

Betsy Ross often told her family stories from the days of the Revolutionary War. It was May, 1776…

“He brought with him a design “...George credited to Francis Hopkinson--” Washington was still the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army when he came to my upholstery shop that day.” “--and I got to work sewing the first flag for our future country.”

“Red for hardiness and valor. White for purity and innocence. Blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.”

“By the time the thirteen colonies had declared their independence--” “--we had the first symbol to represent our new nation.” “A new flag was necessary, you see, because the first U.S. flag still featured the British flag--”

“--which caused confusion among British soldiers at the outset of the Revolutionary War.”

“We needed a symbol of our --alternate newfound independence.” red and white; that the union be “So on June 14, 1777, Congress established Resolved, thirteen stars-- the nation’s new official flag.” that the flag of --white in the United States be a blue field, thirteen stripes-- representing a new constellation…

“That date would become known as Flag Day.”

“Stories about the flag’s creation would be retold countless times.”

“And while there is still some disagreement on exactly who designed the very first flag, it would go on to become a fundamental part of the American identity.” “Although its design would vary over the years--”

“for centuries, the flag would serve as a symbol that both influences and is influenced by the stories that shape that nation.”

“To some, it was an inspiration.”

“Like amateur poet Francis Scott Key--”

“--as he wrote ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ during the War of 1812.”

“Or in 1892, when James B. Upham and Francis Bellamy--”

“--were inspired to write the Pledge of Allegiance.”

South Pacific, 1831

“For others, the flag was a symbol of American patriotism--”

North Pole, 1909

“--resourcefulness--”

“--and freedom.” Women helped make this country!

We deserve a say in what happens in it! Iwo Jima, 1945

“And as the United States of America grew, so too did the flag’s influence across the world, symbolizing the bravery--”

Mount Everest, 1963 “--the determination--”

The Moon, 1969

“...and the ingenuity of its citizens.”

“Today, the 13 horizontal red and white stripes on the flag represent more than the original 13 colonies…”

“...and its 50 stars represent more than just 50 different states.”

“They represent our past, our future----”

“--and all that we as citizens and as a nation aspire to be.”

END. Red, White, and Blue: The Origins of the US Flag

OVERVIEW This comic shows the origin and legacy of the U.S. Flag. Narrated by Betsy Ross herself, the story begins in 1776 and leads readers through the many designs of the U.S. flag by stitching together iconic moments throughout U.S. history like the moon landing, suffragette movement, and World War II. Ultimately the comic shows how, over the past 200 years and through its many iterations, the flag has remained a steadfast source of inspiration, courage, freedom, bravery, ingenuity, and determination for American citizens all across the world.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS • Why do you think colors were so important when creating the flag? What do these colors represent to you? How do you think colors represent words like “hardiness and valor”, “purity and innocence”, and “perseverance and justice”? What words could you attribute to other colors such as green, brown, or purple? • Why do you think nations traditionally use flags, rather than other objects, as symbols for their countries? • What do you find “inspirational” about the American flag? What does the American Flag mean to you? • Pages 2 and 3 contain many images of the flag in different environments, and the captions contain unique qualities like “Determination”, “Resourcefulness”, “Courage”, and Bravery.” How do you think each panel conveys the “quality” that’s listed in its caption? • The American flag has changed many times throughout our nation’s history. Do you think it is likely the flag will change again? What might happen that would cause a change in the flag’s design? • This story begins in 1776 and ends in modern times. Why did the writer tell the story this way? Why do you think the author chose not to put the first two pages in chronological order? • Pick a panel and discuss how the art conveys a sense of American identity. How does the artist convey this and why? • Almost every panel in this comic contains a different image of a flag. How does this impact the reading experience? Why do you think the author and artist made this choice? Is there anything about certain depictions of the flag that are more interesting than others? Why do you think that? • There are specific instructions about flying, folding, and storing a U.S. Flag. Why do you think this is an important part of the tradition surrounding the flag? • What do you think comes to mind for people from countries around the world when they see the American flag?

PROJECT IDEAS • Create Your Own Country and Flag – Every country is built upon founding principles and ideas that will govern its people. Have students work together in groups to create a brand-new country that they will inhabit. Students should brainstorm to think about the country’s fundamental principles and ideas, and how they would envision day-to-day life for its citizens. o What are some laws that the people will have to live by? o What will be common problems for the people in the country? o What problems might arise for those governing the people? o How would students address these problems as the country’s leaders? o What is that country’s equivalent to “The American Dream”? Have students create a new flag for this country using symbolism and color. Finally, ask students to present their new country to the class as if they were recruiting citizens to live there, allowing for Q and A from the prospective citizens. • Reimagine the US Flag – First, have students think about what The United States of America means to them, both in its current form, and the student’s ideal form. What about the U.S. is most important to them? What would they like to see the U.S. become if they were in charge? Then, ask students to design a new flag for the United States of America. After creating their new flag, students should compose a written description of their flag, detailing their reasoning behind each design choice. • Research and Analysis – Instruct students to choose two countries other than the United States. Have students conduct research on those countries answering the following questions: o When were those countries founded? o How were those countries founded? o Why were those countries founded? o Who were those countries founded by? o What inspired the creation of those countries’ flags? o Have there been multiple interpretations of those countries’ flags, or have they stayed the same? If they have changed, how so? o In what ways are those countries’ flags currently used and viewed by its people? After answering these questions, students should compare and contrast these aspects of the chosen countries’ and flags with those of the U.S and its flag. Finally, in a written essay, students should answer the question “What is the importance of a country’s flag to its people?”. • Finding the Facts – There is some controversy about whether Betsy Ross actually created the first American Flag. Using the links in the “Further Reading” section of this guide, as well as other sources, have students write an essay or create a presentation arguing whether, based on historical evidence, Betsy Ross was the creator of the original, physical flag. • Visualization – In the comic, Betsy Ross is telling a story to her grandchildren about a great American accomplishment. In order for students to achieve similarly great things, they must build self-confidence and visualize themselves in that position. First, have students brainstorm a list of great achievements that they would like to achieve in their life, regardless of how attainable that might seem. Next, have students pick their favorite, and envision themselves completing that accomplishment. Students should document their visualization, either with first person writing or illustration. Finally, students should write a story in which their future self is telling their grandchildren about this accomplishment. This story could be written in prose, as a film or play script, or as a comic.

COMMON CORE CONNECTIONS The reading of this comic in combination with a thoughtful analysis through writing, presentation, or discussion, (such as the projects within this guide) can promote the teaching or reinforcement of the following Reading: Information Texts and History/Social Studies Common Core Standards, as well as various Reading, Writing, and Speaking & Listening Common Core standards.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1 - Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2 - Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3 - Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5 - Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7 - Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.8 - Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1 - Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9 - Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1 - Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7 - Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10 - By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.