<P> Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey , a naval flag designer , and a signer of the Declaration of Independence , designed the 1777 flag while he was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board 's Middle Department , sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777 . The Navy Board was under the Continental Marine Committee . Not only did Hopkinson claim that he designed the U.S. flag , but he also claimed that he designed a flag for the U.S. Navy . Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime , when he sent a letter and several bills to Congress for his work . These claims are documented in the Journals of the Continental Congress and George Hasting 's biography of Hopkinson . Hopkinson initially wrote a letter to Congress , via the Continental Board of Admiralty , on May 25 , 1780 . In this letter , he asked for a `` Quarter Cask of the Public Wine '' as payment for designing the U.S. flag , the seal for the Admiralty Board , the seal for the Treasury Board , Continental currency , the Great Seal of the United States , and other devices . However , in three subsequent bills to Congress , Hopkinson asked to be paid in cash , but he did not list his U.S. flag design . Instead , he asked to be paid for designing the `` great Naval Flag of the United States '' in the first bill ; the `` Naval Flag of the United States '' in the second bill ; and `` the Naval Flag of the States '' in the third , along with the other items . The flag references were generic terms for the naval ensign that Hopkinson had designed , that is , a flag of seven red stripes and six white ones . The predominance of red stripes made the naval flag more visible against the sky on a ship at sea . By contrast , Hopkinson 's flag for the United States had seven white stripes , and six red ones -- in reality , six red stripes laid on a white background . Hopkinson 's sketches have not been found , but we can make these conclusions because Hopkinson incorporated different stripe arrangements in the Admiralty ( naval ) Seal that he designed in the Spring of 1780 and the Great Seal of the United States that he proposed at the same time . His Admiralty Seal had seven red stripes ; whereas , his second U.S. Seal proposal had seven white ones . Hopkinson 's flag for the Navy is the one that the Nation preferred as the national flag . Remnants of Hopkinson 's U.S. flag of seven white stripes can be found in the Great Seal of the United States and the President 's seal . When Hopkinson was chairman of the Navy Board , his position was like that of today 's Secretary of the Navy . The payment was not made , however , because it was determined he had already received a salary as a member of Congress . This contradicts the legend of the Betsy Ross flag , which suggests that she sewed the first Stars and Stripes flag by request of the government in the Spring of 1776 . Furthermore , a letter from the War Board to George Washington on May 10 , 1779 , documents that there was still no design established for a national flag for the Army 's use in battle . </P>
<P> Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey , a naval flag designer , and a signer of the Declaration of Independence , designed the 1777 flag while he was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board 's Middle Department , sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777 . The Navy Board was under the Continental Marine Committee . Not only did Hopkinson claim that he designed the U.S. flag , but he also claimed that he designed a flag for the U.S. Navy . Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime , when he sent a letter and several bills to Congress for his work . These claims are documented in the Journals of the Continental Congress and George Hasting 's biography of Hopkinson . Hopkinson initially wrote a letter to Congress , via the Continental Board of Admiralty , on May 25 , 1780 . In this letter , he asked for a `` Quarter Cask of the Public Wine '' as payment for designing the U.S. flag , the seal for the Admiralty Board , the seal for the Treasury Board , Continental currency , the Great Seal of the United States , and other devices . However , in three subsequent bills to Congress , Hopkinson asked to be paid in cash , but he did not list his U.S. flag design . Instead , he asked to be paid for designing the `` great Naval Flag of the United States '' in the first bill ; the `` Naval Flag of the United States '' in the second bill ; and `` the Naval Flag of the States '' in the third , along with the other items . The flag references were generic terms for the naval ensign that Hopkinson had designed , that is , a flag of seven red stripes and six white ones . The predominance of red stripes made the naval flag more visible against the sky on a ship at sea . By contrast , Hopkinson 's flag for the United States had seven white stripes , and six red ones -- in reality , six red stripes laid on a white background . Hopkinson 's sketches have not been found , but we can make these conclusions because Hopkinson incorporated different stripe arrangements in the Admiralty ( naval ) Seal that he designed in the Spring of 1780 and the Great Seal of the United States that he proposed at the same time . His Admiralty Seal had seven red stripes ; whereas , his second U.S. Seal proposal had seven white ones . Hopkinson 's flag for the Navy is the one that the Nation preferred as the national flag . Remnants of Hopkinson 's U.S. flag of seven white stripes can be found in the Great Seal of the United States and the President 's seal . When Hopkinson was chairman of the Navy Board , his position was like that of today 's Secretary of the Navy . The payment was not made , however , because it was determined he had already received a salary as a member of Congress . This contradicts the legend of the Betsy Ross flag , which suggests that she sewed the first Stars and Stripes flag by request of the government in the Spring of 1776 . Furthermore , a letter from the War Board to George Washington on May 10 , 1779 , documents that there was still no design established for a national flag for the Army 's use in battle . </P>
who made the american flag and what year was it
who made the american flag and what year was it
Francis Hopkinson 1777
Francis Hopkinson 1777