During the American Revolutionary War, several patriots made flags for our new nation. Among them was Francis Hopkinson -- a lawyer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and, later, a Congressman from New Jersey (who likely was the first person to design the Stars and Stripes). He was appointed to the Continental Navy Board on November 6, 1777. It was then he turned his attention to designing our first flag.
Because Congress did not say how the stars were to be placed, other patriots (such as Betsy Ross) used different star arrangements and even other types of stars. Use the pattern above to make a First Official 13-Star Flag. Go to the Star Patterns page for other types of stars you can cut out and use. You can even combine several types of stars! After all, patriots in 1777 made their flags all sorts of ways. (Talk about a true spirit of independence!)
