The American flag was most likely designed by Francis Hopkinson, a founding father who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and served on the Continental Navy Board. He claimed to have created the American flag design along with other national symbols, and requested compensation for his work in 1780, though this request was denied. Although the popular legend credits Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, with sewing the first American flag, there is no solid historical evidence to confirm that she designed or made the original flag. The story of Betsy Ross making the first flag originated from her family a century after the fact and is considered more of a legend than a proven fact.
