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 In
June 1777, the Continental Congress decided to break the
symbolic tie to Britain then reflected in the United States
flag. By then, the colonies had declared their independence as
new states. The 13 red and white stripes on the Grand Union flag
were retained as a symbol of the 13 unified states. However, the
British Union Jack was replaced with a canton consisting of a
circle of 13 stars on a solid blue field- symbolic of "a new
constellation" of 13 independent states. In actual practice,
several versions of what would be known as the "Stars and
Stripes" had cantons with stars arranged in other ways.
Tradition has long credited Betsy Ross with designing and
creating the first Stars and Stripes for George Washington, but
the best available evidence suggests that credit should go to
Francis Hopkinson, a delegate to the Continental Congress from
New Jersey.
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