The Betsy Ross Flag

A biography of Betsy Ross, written by National Women’s History Museum Fellow (2018-2019) Kerri Lee, contains the account of William Canby, Betsy’s grandson, explaining to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania why the United States flag has five-pointed instead of six-pointed stars. When George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross approached Betsy about stitching the flag, their design featured thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen six-pointed stars. Betsy convinced them to agree to five-pointed stars by folding a paper into triangles and creating a five-point star with a snip of her scissors. Betsy then made the first United States flag.

From: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betsy-ross