The Counting House No. 7 — The Flag Has a Father
His Name Is Francis Hopkinson — and the Evidence Has Been in the Archives All Along
Most of us grew up with the same story. Betsy Ross, a seamstress in Philadelphia, designed and sewed the first American flag at the request of George Washington. It’s a story woven into elementary school textbooks, museum gift shops, and the national imagination.
There’s just one problem: that story didn’t appear until 1870 — more than ninety years after the fact. It was told by Betsy Ross’s grandson, William Canby, to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It is based entirely on family oral tradition. There is no letter, no government record, no diary entry, no contemporaneous account of any kind to support it.
But there is a documented designer. His name is Francis Hopkinson. And the evidence has been sitting in the Library of Congress and the National Archives for nearly 250 years.
Who Was Francis Hopkinson?
Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791) was one of the most versatile figures of the American Revolution — a man whose contributions to the founding of the nation went far beyond a single flag.
He was a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served on the Continental Navy Board from 1776 to 1778 — the very body responsible for naval flags and ensigns. He later became one of the first federal judges in the country, serving on the U.S. District Court for Pennsylvania.
But Hopkinson was also something unusual among the Founders: he was an artist. A designer. He created official symbols for the new nation — the Great Seal of the United States, the Seal of the Board of Admiralty, the Seal of the Treasury, and designs for Continental currency.
He was, in other words, the closest thing the young republic had to a national graphic designer. And he was in exactly the right position, at exactly the right time, to design the flag.
The Evidence: A Chain of Documents
The case for Hopkinson doesn’t rest on a single smoking gun. It rests on a chain of primary-source documents that interlock — each one reinforcing the others.
Document 1: The Letter to Congress (May 25, 1780)
This is the most important document in the evidentiary record. In it, Hopkinson writes directly to Congress and explicitly requests payment for designing “the Flag of the United States of America.” He lists the flag alongside other national symbols he produced — the Admiralty Seal, the Treasury Seal, and Continental currency designs.
He initially asked to be compensated with a quarter cask of public wine. (The Founders had their priorities.)
This letter is preserved in the Library of Congress, in the Papers of the Continental Congress.
Document 2: The Invoice (June 6, 1780)
A follow-up. Hopkinson submits a formal bill to Congress, this time requesting monetary payment instead of wine. He refers to the “Naval Flag of the United States” and details the scope of his design work.
This document is held in the National Archives.
Document 3: The Journals of the Continental Congress (1780)
Congress reviewed Hopkinson’s claim. They debated it. And ultimately, they denied his request for payment — but not because they disputed his role in designing the flag. They denied it on two grounds: first, that he was already a salaried government official, and second, that others may have contributed to the work.
This distinction is critical. Congress denied the payment. They did not deny the authorship.
The review itself constitutes an implicit governmental acknowledgment that Hopkinson had a legitimate claim to the design.
Document 4: The Admiralty Board Transmittal
Hopkinson’s May 25 letter was formally forwarded by the Board of Admiralty to Congress. This wasn’t a casual note passed between colleagues — it entered the official government record as a matter requiring formal disposition.
Document 5: The Surviving Design Work
No original flag or flag sketch from this period is known to survive. But Hopkinson’s drawings for the Admiralty Seal — which do survive — include thirteen stripes, star patterns, and a design vocabulary that is strikingly consistent with the American flag’s core visual elements.
Why Hopkinson Stands Alone
Here is a fact that deserves more attention than it gets: Francis Hopkinson is the only individual from the Revolutionary era — the entire period from 1776 to 1780 — who is known to have claimed credit for designing the flag of the United States.
Not one other person. Not in any government record, not in any private letter, not in any diary or memoir from the period. In an era when the Continental Congress kept meticulous records, the absence of a competing claim is not silence — it is evidence.
The Betsy Ross story, by contrast, first surfaced in 1870, when Hopkinson had been dead for nearly eighty years. It was presented as family tradition handed down across generations. There is no supporting documentation from the 1770s or 1780s. None.
This doesn’t mean Betsy Ross didn’t sew flags — she very likely did. But sewing a flag and designing a flag are two different things. The question of authorship — who conceived the arrangement of stars and stripes that became the national symbol — is answered by the documents, and the documents point to Hopkinson.
What the Historians Say
This isn’t a fringe theory. Modern historians broadly regard Hopkinson as the most credible and best-documented candidate for the design of the American flag. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Postal Museum presents the Hopkinson evidence as part of its permanent exhibition on the flag.
The evidentiary case is document-based, not folkloric. It relies on first-person claims, government records, and archival evidence — exactly the kind of sources historians consider most reliable.
Why Now?
The year 2026 marks the semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the United States. Across the country, communities are celebrating America’s founding. The White House has launched “Freedom 250.” The America250 Commission is coordinating events in every state. Here in New Jersey, Sussex County is hosting a major America 250 Celebration at the Fairgrounds on June 7, complete with historical lectures, living history reenactments, and fireworks.
If there was ever a moment to set the record straight about the most recognizable symbol of the nation, this is it.
I’ve submitted a draft proclamation to the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners asking them to formally recognize Francis Hopkinson as the documented designer of the American flag. Lorraine Hentz, the Deputy Administrator coordinating the June 7 event, has forwarded the resolution to the Commissioners for their review.
I’ve also launched an online petition for anyone who wants to add their voice to this effort.
This isn’t about tearing down one story. It’s about lifting up the documented record. Francis Hopkinson signed the Declaration of Independence for New Jersey. He designed the symbols of a nation. And for 250 years, his contribution to the flag has been overshadowed by a story that appeared almost a century after the fact.
It’s time to give credit where the evidence has always pointed.
What You Can Do
If this story resonates with you, here’s how you can help:
Sign the petition. Every signature demonstrates public support and strengthens the case when it reaches the Commissioners.
Share this post. The more people who learn the real history, the harder it becomes to ignore.
Write a letter to the editor of your local New Jersey newspaper. Letters from real residents carry weight with local officials.
Show up on June 7 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Frankford, NJ for the America 250 Celebration. If the proclamation is adopted, it will be a historic moment — and the more people who are there to witness it, the better.
The American flag has a documented designer. His name is Francis Hopkinson. Let’s make sure the 250th anniversary is the year we finally recognize him.
Paul Mole is a New Jersey resident and the organizer of the campaign to recognize Francis Hopkinson as the designer of the American flag. The full research brief with primary-source citations is available upon request.