During and after the American Revolutionary War, Continental soldiers and patriots made their own Stars & Stripes Flags all sorts of ways. There was not a standard design for the American flag yet. This even included the types of stars used in the 13-star union!

It is said that George Washington originally wanted an eight-point star, but Betsy Ross suggested to Washington that the five-point star would be a better choice. Washington, however, thought that a five-pointed star would be too difficult to cut out by those who were not a skilled seamstress. It was only

after Betsy Ross demonstrated to him how a piece of paper could be folded and cut once with a pair of scissor to make a perfect five-pointed star that the general agreed to the type of star we see today.

There are many examples of early American flags made with the stars you see above (on this page and not in the night sky). If you would like to find your true spirit of American independece, design your very own Stars and Stripes Flag. This means you can use any or all of the types of stars you see here. Who knows? You just might create a Stars and Stripes Flag no one has ever seen before!!