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Betsy Ross and the Making of America
A richly woven biography of the beloved patriot Betsy Ross, and an enthralling portrait of everyday life in Revolutionary War-era Philadelphia Betsy Ross and the Making of America is the first comprehensively researched and elegantly written biography of one of America's most captivating figures of the Revolutionary War. Drawing on new sources and bringing a fresh, keen eye to the fabled creation of "the first flag," Marla R. Miller thoroughly reconstructs the life behind the legend. This authoritative work provides a close look at the famous seamstress while shedding new light on the lives of the artisan families who peopled the young nation and crafted its tools, ships, and homes. Betsy Ross occupies a sacred place in the American consciousness, and Miller's winning narrative finally does her justice. This history of the ordinary craftspeople of the Revolutionary War and their most famous representative will be the definitive volume for years to come.
467 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
December 11, 2025
A fully-researched, yet scattered look at America in the time of Betsy Ross and her rather extensive family. While the title may suggest otherwise, this is less a biography than it is a far better social history of everyday crafters, upholsters, Quakers, and housewives during the American Revolution. Here, each chapter indeed has tidbits about Ross and the (trivial) comings-and-goings of her daily life, but the fact is that Miller warns from the beginning that there is just not enough left to posterity of Betsy's history. Instead of the typical facts gained through personal and private letters and journals, most of Miller's sources come from general newspaper articles of the year, typical traits and happenings of her relatives and fellow working class citizens, city records, and family lore—favorably mostly primary sourced, yet filled with exasperating conjecture and wishful summaries of events nearby:
The costumed revelers danced until nearly dawn. One wonders which craftsmen benefited from this extravaganza, every element of which had to be produced on short notice. Upholsterer’s skills were invoked at every stage, from the barges and boats “lined with Cloth, covered with Awnings, and dressed out with Colours and Streamers in full naval pomp” to the tented pavilions lining the jousting field. Of the hundreds of observers who crowded the banks of the Delaware to watch the flotilla drift past, Betsy Ashburn surely marveled at the work and materials lavished on the display, for she knew better than most what it meant to produce them. Indeed, for all we know, she had.
From the second half on, the truth becomes clearer that Ross's contribution to the Revolutionary War and that of the Early U.S. mostly entails her possible acquaintance with Washington, and supposed designs of various flags for the new nation—a clear indication of why Miller's scope went so broad and speculative. The casual reader enjoying biography and history filled with the words: possibly, likely, surely, maybe, probably, perhaps will undoubtedly find Miller's work entertaining, while the history buff will at least take away a well-documented view of craftsmanship and family dynamics in eighteenth-century America. Well-written with good intention, this was a disappointing trip down the steps and scenes of life in the Age of Revolution through Betsy Ross and her greater relations.
The costumed revelers danced until nearly dawn. One wonders which craftsmen benefited from this extravaganza, every element of which had to be produced on short notice. Upholsterer’s skills were invoked at every stage, from the barges and boats “lined with Cloth, covered with Awnings, and dressed out with Colours and Streamers in full naval pomp” to the tented pavilions lining the jousting field. Of the hundreds of observers who crowded the banks of the Delaware to watch the flotilla drift past, Betsy Ashburn surely marveled at the work and materials lavished on the display, for she knew better than most what it meant to produce them. Indeed, for all we know, she had.
From the second half on, the truth becomes clearer that Ross's contribution to the Revolutionary War and that of the Early U.S. mostly entails her possible acquaintance with Washington, and supposed designs of various flags for the new nation—a clear indication of why Miller's scope went so broad and speculative. The casual reader enjoying biography and history filled with the words: possibly, likely, surely, maybe, probably, perhaps will undoubtedly find Miller's work entertaining, while the history buff will at least take away a well-documented view of craftsmanship and family dynamics in eighteenth-century America. Well-written with good intention, this was a disappointing trip down the steps and scenes of life in the Age of Revolution through Betsy Ross and her greater relations.
June 18, 2010
Normally when I review a book, I first read the book and write my review, then I read reviews written by other people. In the case of Betsy Ross and the Making of America, my introduction to the book was via a review in the New York Times Book Review dated May 9, 2010. It was not a flattering review. The reviewer, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a professor at Harvard, accuses the author, Marla R. Miller, a professor of American History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, of "sentimental fiction" which "weakens her own historical prose, which is strong enough to stand on its own" and "defeats the ultimate purpose of her book, which is to rediscover the woman behind the legend." Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the fact that, other than books for children, this is the first biography of Betsy Ross ever written. Intrigued enough to buy and read the book despite the poor review.
By the end of the first chapter, I had forgotten about the scathing review and was completely hooked. I literally couldn’t put the book down. This was American history as I had never read it before. These were real people and real experiences, not the usual dry recitations of politics and battles and tactics. I never liked American history. I felt it was boring compared to the thousands of years of history of Europe and the Mediterranean. Having been forced in high school to memorize every battle and every general of the Revolutionary War, I subsequently tuned out the following 200 years, learning just enough to pass exams while devoting my spare time to Egyptian pharaohs, Roman emperors and English kings who chopped their wives’ heads off. Now that’s history.
It is precisely the "sentimental fiction" that makes this book interesting to the general reader. Rather than a dry overview of the development of the city of Philadelphia, we see it from the point of view of Betsy’s great-grandfather, a master carpenter. It’s one thing to read about the tactics, such as boycotts, the colonists used to protest what they perceived to be unfair taxation. It’s quite another to read about the effects those boycotts had on the local artisans and merchants. The yellow fever epidemics that killed so many residents of Philadelphia are more meaningful when we learn of the various family members lost. Rather than just numbers, they are people that we have come to know. Small details like the families who were split between loyalty to the king and loyalty to the rebellion, illustrates the upheaval caused by this colonial rebellion much better than the usual political analysis commonly found in books on the American Revolution.
The final criticism in the review with which I disagreed was that the author devoted "only" 50 pages out of a total of 362 pages to the last 40 years of Betsy’s life, despite the fact that these are the best documented years of her life. I have to admit that after 300 pages, I was pretty much Betsy Ross’ed out. Not only was her life prior to and during the Revolution tumultuous (three husbands and seven daughters), but just trying to keep all the people, many of whom had the same names, straight made my head spin. The author’s decision to gloss over the details of the latter part of Betsy Ross’ life was a sound one. And, in the best Hollywood tradition, leaves room for a "sequel", a more in depth analysis of her life after the Revolution, to be written by the author or another historian.
After I finished the book, I went back and read the review again. My second reading of the review led me to the conclusion that the problem lay in the intention of the author. The reviewer was critiquing the book from a scholarly point of view whereas it seemed to me that the author intended her book to be read by both scholars and general readers. Scholars are more interested in facts and conclusions supported by facts. Hence the harsh review. General readers like myself do tend to speculate as we read. What was she thinking? How would I have reacted in this situation? We enjoy seeing events through the eyes and emotions of ordinary people like ourselves rather than from the lofty perspective of presidents, kings and generals.
By the end of the first chapter, I had forgotten about the scathing review and was completely hooked. I literally couldn’t put the book down. This was American history as I had never read it before. These were real people and real experiences, not the usual dry recitations of politics and battles and tactics. I never liked American history. I felt it was boring compared to the thousands of years of history of Europe and the Mediterranean. Having been forced in high school to memorize every battle and every general of the Revolutionary War, I subsequently tuned out the following 200 years, learning just enough to pass exams while devoting my spare time to Egyptian pharaohs, Roman emperors and English kings who chopped their wives’ heads off. Now that’s history.
It is precisely the "sentimental fiction" that makes this book interesting to the general reader. Rather than a dry overview of the development of the city of Philadelphia, we see it from the point of view of Betsy’s great-grandfather, a master carpenter. It’s one thing to read about the tactics, such as boycotts, the colonists used to protest what they perceived to be unfair taxation. It’s quite another to read about the effects those boycotts had on the local artisans and merchants. The yellow fever epidemics that killed so many residents of Philadelphia are more meaningful when we learn of the various family members lost. Rather than just numbers, they are people that we have come to know. Small details like the families who were split between loyalty to the king and loyalty to the rebellion, illustrates the upheaval caused by this colonial rebellion much better than the usual political analysis commonly found in books on the American Revolution.
The final criticism in the review with which I disagreed was that the author devoted "only" 50 pages out of a total of 362 pages to the last 40 years of Betsy’s life, despite the fact that these are the best documented years of her life. I have to admit that after 300 pages, I was pretty much Betsy Ross’ed out. Not only was her life prior to and during the Revolution tumultuous (three husbands and seven daughters), but just trying to keep all the people, many of whom had the same names, straight made my head spin. The author’s decision to gloss over the details of the latter part of Betsy Ross’ life was a sound one. And, in the best Hollywood tradition, leaves room for a "sequel", a more in depth analysis of her life after the Revolution, to be written by the author or another historian.
After I finished the book, I went back and read the review again. My second reading of the review led me to the conclusion that the problem lay in the intention of the author. The reviewer was critiquing the book from a scholarly point of view whereas it seemed to me that the author intended her book to be read by both scholars and general readers. Scholars are more interested in facts and conclusions supported by facts. Hence the harsh review. General readers like myself do tend to speculate as we read. What was she thinking? How would I have reacted in this situation? We enjoy seeing events through the eyes and emotions of ordinary people like ourselves rather than from the lofty perspective of presidents, kings and generals.
July 20, 2010
This is one tough book to crack. Instead of being focused on Betsy Ross, it is a portrait of Philadelphia and how the colonies reacted to British authority before and during the American Revolution of 1770's. For the first twenty years of Betsy's life, the book comprises of about 100 pages of the aforementioned history of America with accounts of the extended ancestry of Betsy Ross. It is very wordy, but once a chapter winds down, we get a small morsel of what could have been with an entertaining foreshadowing tidbit of how something horrid is going to happen that will change Betsy's life forever. That happened several times, I turned the page excitedly, and we were back to the history lesson that was an automatic sleeping pill.
Betsy Ross whose given name was Elizabeth Griscom at her birth in 1752, is known as the legendary patriotic woman who met with George Washington in her parlour and sewed America's first official flag. As it is the stuff of legend and most probably not very true, the author Marla Miller sets out to establish the facts surrounding Betsy, her work, and other flag maker's work. In this all encompassing account of Colonial America, the author explains the political views of Betsy's immediate family and those that she came across or married into, which was a mixture of radicals, loyalists, patriots and conservatives. We do read about how Betsy gets her start in the seamstress business as she works as a young lady in an upholstery shop. The vision of Betsy simply sewing flags is shattered as we learn that Betsy was much more skilled than that as she was a part of the decorator business with chair coverings and the rare window coverings and many other household items.
Betsy's heritage and her great grandfather the talented builder Andrew Griscom are a strong focus in the book. The Boston Tea Party and the events that lead up to the Americans rebelling against the British rule who kept on taxing the Americans comprises the first half of the book. This brings us to the sad event of Betsy's first husband, John Ross, when he died mysteriously. No one really knows for sure what happened to him; he could have been injured while working with military weapons, or he could have been afflicted with a mental sickness that had also plagued his mother.
Interestingly enough, the author recounts how many citizens of America wanted to simply not be be subject to the taxes of the British, but were not expecting to actually go to war. It was the radicals who were loud enough to be heard that seemingly forced the rest of the citizens to go along with whatever was going to happen. Independence was not something that was on the colonies' minds as they opposed the Stamp Act or took part of the Boston Tea Party. The author also explains how Philadelphia was very much a capital of the the colonies, while others looked to Philadelphia for guidance. Bostonians thought they were doing Philadelphia a favor as they destroyed the tea, but Philadelphia was actually a bit chagrined.
The author writes the book with the promise that this is a story of stories, as she mentions several times that it was the grandchildren and heirs to the legend of Ross that have perpetuated certain stories that could be myths; and as such, there is indeed little proof of anything. So in order to bulk up the book, the author turned this would-be biography of Ross into something that could have sufficed as a semester of American History as well as upholstery.
This is a well-researched history of families in colonial America, but I was disappointed that it did not jump right into Betsy Ross' own life. It meanders around it and mentions Betsy or her many family members at certain intervals, but not enough to keep me entertained or ..awake through its entirety. I was once a little girl who cherished a toy bank that portrayed Betsy Ross on her yellow rocking chair as she stitched the American Flag, and even though I learned more about the times of Betsy Ross, this book did not satisfy the desire to know more about that whimsically magical person in the rocking chair. This was a book that would be better served with the title "Evolution of Colonial American Upholstery and Government, featuring Betsy Ross's Family".
Betsy Ross whose given name was Elizabeth Griscom at her birth in 1752, is known as the legendary patriotic woman who met with George Washington in her parlour and sewed America's first official flag. As it is the stuff of legend and most probably not very true, the author Marla Miller sets out to establish the facts surrounding Betsy, her work, and other flag maker's work. In this all encompassing account of Colonial America, the author explains the political views of Betsy's immediate family and those that she came across or married into, which was a mixture of radicals, loyalists, patriots and conservatives. We do read about how Betsy gets her start in the seamstress business as she works as a young lady in an upholstery shop. The vision of Betsy simply sewing flags is shattered as we learn that Betsy was much more skilled than that as she was a part of the decorator business with chair coverings and the rare window coverings and many other household items.
Betsy's heritage and her great grandfather the talented builder Andrew Griscom are a strong focus in the book. The Boston Tea Party and the events that lead up to the Americans rebelling against the British rule who kept on taxing the Americans comprises the first half of the book. This brings us to the sad event of Betsy's first husband, John Ross, when he died mysteriously. No one really knows for sure what happened to him; he could have been injured while working with military weapons, or he could have been afflicted with a mental sickness that had also plagued his mother.
Interestingly enough, the author recounts how many citizens of America wanted to simply not be be subject to the taxes of the British, but were not expecting to actually go to war. It was the radicals who were loud enough to be heard that seemingly forced the rest of the citizens to go along with whatever was going to happen. Independence was not something that was on the colonies' minds as they opposed the Stamp Act or took part of the Boston Tea Party. The author also explains how Philadelphia was very much a capital of the the colonies, while others looked to Philadelphia for guidance. Bostonians thought they were doing Philadelphia a favor as they destroyed the tea, but Philadelphia was actually a bit chagrined.
The author writes the book with the promise that this is a story of stories, as she mentions several times that it was the grandchildren and heirs to the legend of Ross that have perpetuated certain stories that could be myths; and as such, there is indeed little proof of anything. So in order to bulk up the book, the author turned this would-be biography of Ross into something that could have sufficed as a semester of American History as well as upholstery.
This is a well-researched history of families in colonial America, but I was disappointed that it did not jump right into Betsy Ross' own life. It meanders around it and mentions Betsy or her many family members at certain intervals, but not enough to keep me entertained or ..awake through its entirety. I was once a little girl who cherished a toy bank that portrayed Betsy Ross on her yellow rocking chair as she stitched the American Flag, and even though I learned more about the times of Betsy Ross, this book did not satisfy the desire to know more about that whimsically magical person in the rocking chair. This was a book that would be better served with the title "Evolution of Colonial American Upholstery and Government, featuring Betsy Ross's Family".
August 16, 2015
Interesting book from the point of view of marketing: it is not about Betsy Ross, and it would have been more accurately titled, "An Economic History of a Philadelphia Luxury-Goods Market in the Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary Period." No one would have bought that, of course. The book describes, on the basis of a great deal of historical documentation, the effects of the separation from and battle with Great Britain on one important trade as carried out in one important city. Betsy Ross's extended family was heavily involved in the changes and adaptations that took place. It feels as if there was no historical datum on this subject which the author chose to omit.
There is a set of twinkly asides which deserve notice. The author frequently alludes to things in Ross's life which may have happened, must have happened, must have been experienced, and so on, describing Ross's probable response to these situations. I wonder if, when the author has completed her academic career, she will pick up the pen again and write a fiction piece based on this setting and characters. I think she has a gift for it -- but not now!
There is a set of twinkly asides which deserve notice. The author frequently alludes to things in Ross's life which may have happened, must have happened, must have been experienced, and so on, describing Ross's probable response to these situations. I wonder if, when the author has completed her academic career, she will pick up the pen again and write a fiction piece based on this setting and characters. I think she has a gift for it -- but not now!
July 23, 2010
Beautifully researched book that attempts to separate the real woman from what may have been a myth. The author provides lots of context for Betsy's life. We follow her through three marriages, seven children, the Revolution, yellow fever epidemics, shunning by the Quakers and the rise and fall of her fortune. Betsy Ross was my great, great, great, great, great aunt and I completely enjoyed getting to know her and other relatives through this book!
September 10, 2016
This is a historians biography...in that it is a biography written by a historian. This means that though it does serve as a biography of Betsy Ross, Miller has a larger goal. She basically uses what we can piece together about the story of Betsy Ross to tell the story of craftspeople in revolutionary-era Philadelphia, and about late 18th and early 19th century Philly in general. She hopes that Ross's story will be a window into "the working men and women who built early America's cities, furnished its rooms and clothed its citizens - families who fomented, endured and remembered the upheaval of the Revolution."
So, if you just want a neat little story about Betsy, this isn't it. But you will get a long and complex story of Betsy and her extended family, and her husbands's families, and the other craftspeople in Philly, and how the Revolution affected Philly, and the economics of trade in the era, and quite a bit on Quakers and the religious currents affecting 18th century Philly. I was interested to learn that there is some truth behind the Betsy Ross story, which I had wrongly assumed to be totally fake, like the Washington cherry tree story. Ms. Ross, it turns out, did actually make flags for the Revolutionary government, and her shop turned out flags for years afterwards. She was an upholsterer, and had family connections to members of the Continental Congress, so it makes sense that they might turn to her for some flags. The part of the story where Washington marches up to her house himself and she invents the American flag right there and he is captivated by it and declares it the best flag ever and America! and all that, that might be a little tall tale-ish. But the basic outlines of the story have some truth to them.
So, if you just want a neat little story about Betsy, this isn't it. But you will get a long and complex story of Betsy and her extended family, and her husbands's families, and the other craftspeople in Philly, and how the Revolution affected Philly, and the economics of trade in the era, and quite a bit on Quakers and the religious currents affecting 18th century Philly. I was interested to learn that there is some truth behind the Betsy Ross story, which I had wrongly assumed to be totally fake, like the Washington cherry tree story. Ms. Ross, it turns out, did actually make flags for the Revolutionary government, and her shop turned out flags for years afterwards. She was an upholsterer, and had family connections to members of the Continental Congress, so it makes sense that they might turn to her for some flags. The part of the story where Washington marches up to her house himself and she invents the American flag right there and he is captivated by it and declares it the best flag ever and America! and all that, that might be a little tall tale-ish. But the basic outlines of the story have some truth to them.
December 20, 2021
Interesting as social history of a typical colonial Philadelphia artisan family, as well as associated info on luxury goods and Quakers. My problems were firstly WAY too much speculation presented as fact about Ross's emotions, and secondly that Betsy Ross was fairly typical; the book while insisting on her exceptionality actually proves the case that her contribution was interesting but ultimately fairly minor. Honestly it reads like the author sold a bio of Ross, found out there really wasn't enough material to support the endeavor, and tried anyway to insist that Ross was key to the revolution in the face of all the evidence to the contrary. I would much rather have read a book that did exactly what this one did (used Ross's story as a springboard for a discussion of artisanal craftsmanship and luxury goods in the American colonies) but that was content to acknowledge Ross's contribution for what it was rather than flying into hyperbole.
June 11, 2021
I enjoyed learning about life during the RW period and how it affected regular people.
It was interesting but a difficult reading level and font. I had to really focus on it. I still enjoyed and would recommend it to history affectionados
It was interesting but a difficult reading level and font. I had to really focus on it. I still enjoyed and would recommend it to history affectionados
March 21, 2011
I had a love-hate relationship with this book. Actually, love is too strong a word. And hate is too strong as well. The things I liked about it were the same things that annoyed me about it, but I suppose it depended on my mood.
One thing I liked was that it gave tremendous detail to the intricate lives of Betsy and her family and friends. The author successfully created the environment for us and made it possible to visualize a time that we didn't experience first hand. At times I became annoyed at this because it could get very long--even down to the details of the advertisements in the newspaper for the different shops in town. We would read through one shops advertisement, which included a list of goods, then read another, and another, and another. It sort of went like this, "Items available are, brown velvet, blue velvet, black velvet, red velvet, purple velvet, ocher velvet, green velvet, brown silk, blue silk, purple silk, red silk, green silk, black silk, red damask, gold damask, brocades, canvases, muslin....and on and on.....burgundy tassels, gold tassels....and on and on....tacks, pins, needles....and on and on. It got a little monotonous, but I was confident that the information in this book was accurate.
The truth is, this is a HUGE BOOK about a person we know very little about. I did come away with an appreciation for Betsy Ross and the experiences she had. Not a must read, but it is interesting if you are interested in understanding the environment during the American revolution. I recommend listening to it on a road trip or something.
One thing I liked was that it gave tremendous detail to the intricate lives of Betsy and her family and friends. The author successfully created the environment for us and made it possible to visualize a time that we didn't experience first hand. At times I became annoyed at this because it could get very long--even down to the details of the advertisements in the newspaper for the different shops in town. We would read through one shops advertisement, which included a list of goods, then read another, and another, and another. It sort of went like this, "Items available are, brown velvet, blue velvet, black velvet, red velvet, purple velvet, ocher velvet, green velvet, brown silk, blue silk, purple silk, red silk, green silk, black silk, red damask, gold damask, brocades, canvases, muslin....and on and on.....burgundy tassels, gold tassels....and on and on....tacks, pins, needles....and on and on. It got a little monotonous, but I was confident that the information in this book was accurate.
The truth is, this is a HUGE BOOK about a person we know very little about. I did come away with an appreciation for Betsy Ross and the experiences she had. Not a must read, but it is interesting if you are interested in understanding the environment during the American revolution. I recommend listening to it on a road trip or something.
August 16, 2015
A bit of a disappointment. There isn't much direct primary source information known about Betsy Ross. So this "biography" bounces between family history, tediously written traditional history of Philadelphia during the Revolution, family stories (sometimes critical of them, other times swallowing them whole sale for no clear reason either way), and this kind of chatty, slangy, informal soap opera version of Ross' life that is popular today. "No," I want to tell Marla Miller, "we cannot assume we know that she's thinking. And please stop putting our cultural assumptions on her behavior while we're at it."
I found Miller understanding of Friends during this period biased, stereo-typical and uninspired. She minimizes Friends' neutrality during the war and patronizes them in discussions of abolition. The high light of the book, for me, was reading about Betsy and her many many sisters marrying-out of meeting along with their and the meetings responses. My own bias may be showing here though as my daughter is currently marrying-out herself.
An uninspired book. All in all, a book that deserves to gather dust on the library shelf--where I will be happily returning it later today.
I found Miller understanding of Friends during this period biased, stereo-typical and uninspired. She minimizes Friends' neutrality during the war and patronizes them in discussions of abolition. The high light of the book, for me, was reading about Betsy and her many many sisters marrying-out of meeting along with their and the meetings responses. My own bias may be showing here though as my daughter is currently marrying-out herself.
An uninspired book. All in all, a book that deserves to gather dust on the library shelf--where I will be happily returning it later today.
December 15, 2011
Oh,gads, I read a whole lot more than I record on Goodreads. Must take my game to another level...
So, what did I like about this book? Well, it gave a context for Betsy Ross's life for me. She was quite the survivor, and businesswoman--not just someone who may or may not have sewn the first U.S. flag. I had thought (if I'd thought at all about it) she was some genteel wife of an officer in the army, not a woman running a successful business. I like reading history about daily life, and realize I knew very little about the lives of the skilled craftsmen and women who really built (literally, with wood and bricks and mortar and fabric) America. This filled in that gap quite a bit. I might not have liked it so much had I not spent some time in Philadelphia and could easily picture where the action was taking place. Since her life probably had much more in common with my own ancestors (those who were on this continent in that time period anyway) than most of the people I'd read about in American history books, that was another connection for me. A book for history buffs, but not a spell-binding story for those who don't love history.
So, what did I like about this book? Well, it gave a context for Betsy Ross's life for me. She was quite the survivor, and businesswoman--not just someone who may or may not have sewn the first U.S. flag. I had thought (if I'd thought at all about it) she was some genteel wife of an officer in the army, not a woman running a successful business. I like reading history about daily life, and realize I knew very little about the lives of the skilled craftsmen and women who really built (literally, with wood and bricks and mortar and fabric) America. This filled in that gap quite a bit. I might not have liked it so much had I not spent some time in Philadelphia and could easily picture where the action was taking place. Since her life probably had much more in common with my own ancestors (those who were on this continent in that time period anyway) than most of the people I'd read about in American history books, that was another connection for me. A book for history buffs, but not a spell-binding story for those who don't love history.
April 29, 2010
Every American schoolchild knows the legend of Betsy Ross, the humble Philadelphia seamstress who received a surprise visit from George Washington in the summer of 1776 when the great general and his young nation needed a new flag.
But in "Betsy Ross and the Making of America," the first full-length biography of this beloved figure from the Revolutionary era, University of Massachusetts, Amherst professor Marla R. Miller shows that Ross' role in creating the original Stars and Stripes, a story handed down from generation to generation within the Ross family, is actually more complex and elusive than the standard version of events might suggest...
The rest of my review is posted online here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html...
But in "Betsy Ross and the Making of America," the first full-length biography of this beloved figure from the Revolutionary era, University of Massachusetts, Amherst professor Marla R. Miller shows that Ross' role in creating the original Stars and Stripes, a story handed down from generation to generation within the Ross family, is actually more complex and elusive than the standard version of events might suggest...
The rest of my review is posted online here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html...
February 12, 2017
I enjoyed this, both for the biography and for the gratification of seeing nitty gritty details included, as i'm sure my own writing will, and also to see the various formats one can write scholarly novels.
March 18, 2022
I took my time and enjoyed every single page of this marvelous work of serious historical investigation and wonderful writing. My greatest thanks to Marla R Miller for detailing all this fabulous history. PS I fell in love with Plunkett Fleeson.
September 6, 2012
More about Philadelphia and family background than Betsy Too much info not enough interesting things... I wish it was a smaller book with details about Betsy.
July 28, 2021
Long, but filled with interesting detail delivered with excellent writing. If you are interested in the commercial and political life in Philadelphia at the end of the 18th century, read it.
January 29, 2018
This was very thorough and just as much about the time period as about one specific person. I was surprised to discover that as I was reading because of the title but as I'm preparing this review I realize that observation is right there in the description. I didn't look at what it was about before I bought it because it cost $1 brand-new. I couldn't read many pages at a time because of the depth and detail but it was a good one to carry in my bag for the times where I had a few minutes to read.
Although there is no definitive answer on how instrumental Betsy Ross was to the creation and/or design of the flag, the author did a good job both of explaining why we want there to be one figure to hold above others when inventions are almost always a collaborative process and why Ross deserves her place in history even if it was a group effort. To quote from the book, "Congress knew then what we must understand now: there was no single maker and no one prototype. That subsequent generations have tried to bring order to these chaotic circumstances - to strive to identify a single moment and a single maker for the first United States flag - is an artifact of the way we have come to think about the Revolution itself, as the result of orderly deliberations by larger-than-life statesmen, rather than a desperate, ad hoc scramble to defeat the greatest military force in the world."
I love the expression "He takes out his words and looks at 'em, 'fore he speaks." to describe a quiet, thoughtful talker.
Find all my reviews at: https://readingatrandom.blogspot.com
Although there is no definitive answer on how instrumental Betsy Ross was to the creation and/or design of the flag, the author did a good job both of explaining why we want there to be one figure to hold above others when inventions are almost always a collaborative process and why Ross deserves her place in history even if it was a group effort. To quote from the book, "Congress knew then what we must understand now: there was no single maker and no one prototype. That subsequent generations have tried to bring order to these chaotic circumstances - to strive to identify a single moment and a single maker for the first United States flag - is an artifact of the way we have come to think about the Revolution itself, as the result of orderly deliberations by larger-than-life statesmen, rather than a desperate, ad hoc scramble to defeat the greatest military force in the world."
I love the expression "He takes out his words and looks at 'em, 'fore he speaks." to describe a quiet, thoughtful talker.
Find all my reviews at: https://readingatrandom.blogspot.com
July 3, 2019
It took me a long time to read this, and I'm a fast reader. The book is packed with dense facts and tangential synopses that paint a detailed picture of life in pre- and post-Revolutionary War era Philadelphia. I came away with a good image of what everyday life was like for many people, primarily the white artisan class. The details are why I give the book 5 stars, although it sometimes included too much information even for me, and I'm a fan of social history.
The book steers clear of what's called informed speculation, which I appreciate. Miller gives us so much tangential information because archival records on Betsy Ross are slim. Rather than offering speculation from a 21st century viewpoint, the author uses existing archives to illustrate what life was life around Ross as well as within her family. History and myth are separated and explained.
It's interesting that I just finished the book and am writing this review during the PR campaign of the company (don't want to give them more PR!) that just pulled a "Betsy Ross sneaker" from its line of products. The move was timed for Fourth of July week. Ross was raised a Quaker and her third husband (she was widowed twice when young) was active in the abolitionist movement. That may or may not mean she was, too. One of the crimes of the era - when viewed through my 21st century eyes - was how often the record of a woman's participation in something was overlooked because only her husband's actions were recorded.
The book steers clear of what's called informed speculation, which I appreciate. Miller gives us so much tangential information because archival records on Betsy Ross are slim. Rather than offering speculation from a 21st century viewpoint, the author uses existing archives to illustrate what life was life around Ross as well as within her family. History and myth are separated and explained.
It's interesting that I just finished the book and am writing this review during the PR campaign of the company (don't want to give them more PR!) that just pulled a "Betsy Ross sneaker" from its line of products. The move was timed for Fourth of July week. Ross was raised a Quaker and her third husband (she was widowed twice when young) was active in the abolitionist movement. That may or may not mean she was, too. One of the crimes of the era - when viewed through my 21st century eyes - was how often the record of a woman's participation in something was overlooked because only her husband's actions were recorded.
June 13, 2023
This is not a simple Betsy Ross biography, but an account of the founding and the initial development of the city of Philadelphia, covering several generations of ancestors before her birth. Needless to say, the information is incomplete, but the author tries to avoid speculation when possible, and when needed offers all the logical possibilities, such as motives for why things happened as they did.
Why go through all this rigmarole? Because Betsy Ross is more children's legend than historical figure, and who was she really and what did she do, and why did she do it? Did she really sew the original American flag?
The book is long but not overlong or repetitive, and she is known to have met George Washington and really did sew flags as part of her living, as did many other people in Philadelphia during that era, and it also covers the many reasons the American Revolution even happened, and how life was like afterward. Finally the book even covers how she became a legend to begin with, as opposed to other people making flags in her era. Good to learn about early American history.
Why go through all this rigmarole? Because Betsy Ross is more children's legend than historical figure, and who was she really and what did she do, and why did she do it? Did she really sew the original American flag?
The book is long but not overlong or repetitive, and she is known to have met George Washington and really did sew flags as part of her living, as did many other people in Philadelphia during that era, and it also covers the many reasons the American Revolution even happened, and how life was like afterward. Finally the book even covers how she became a legend to begin with, as opposed to other people making flags in her era. Good to learn about early American history.
August 4, 2019
A history professor, the author wrote what she calls the first scholarly approach to the life of Betsy Ross who, American children learn, was a seamstress George Washington hired to stitch the first American flag. Actually, Ross was not a just seamstress but an upholsterer, a craft she pursued into her late 70s and which her descendants carried on well into the 19th century. While the author supplies what information she can on Ross (for instance, she outlived three husbands), she allows Ross's story to unfold as that of a working class colonial woman who lived to see the Industrial Revolution's effects on a cottage industry. Little is known about Ross and this book filled that void. It is highly detailed, and I had difficulty remembering how this person was related to that one in Ross's large extended family, but this history is well-written, with occasional puns the author inserts which show a dry sense of humor and make her narration all the more charming.
September 15, 2020
If you're looking for a mythical story of Betsy Ross, I would hunt down a copy of Edwin Parry's "Betsy Ross: Quaker Rebel." If you're looking to read about the recent controversy surrounding the Betsy Ross flag, you'll have to look online. But if you're like me and you're totally geeking out over descriptions of Revolution-era Philadelphia and the people who lived there (especially Quakers), this is your book! As Marla Miller says in her epilogue, Betsy Ross "is important to our understanding of American history not because she made any one flag, however iconic that moment may have become, but because she was a young craftswoman who embraced the resistance movement with vigor, celebrated its triumphs and suffered its consequences." Super impressed by the amount of research that went into this. Highly recommended for those interested in that time period, flags, Quakers and the middle-class artisans behind the American Revolution.
November 11, 2023
I picked this up after my daughter did a report on Betsy Ross for her second grade class. It made me wonder about what more there was to know about her. Turns out there was quite a bit.
This was such a well - researched book. She took the legend of Betsy Ross and found where the true story might lie. While there are many uncertainties about her life, Miller was about to paint a vivid picture of her time and place and where she fit into it. Much like David Hackett Fischer's Paul Revere's Ride, a much richer life within a complex society emerges.
Some of the names were hard to keep straight, and there were a few side stories that I could have done without. But it was amazing how many details she was able to pull from such a variety of records. Great historical detective work! And I was left with a much better understanding for having read it.
This was such a well - researched book. She took the legend of Betsy Ross and found where the true story might lie. While there are many uncertainties about her life, Miller was about to paint a vivid picture of her time and place and where she fit into it. Much like David Hackett Fischer's Paul Revere's Ride, a much richer life within a complex society emerges.
Some of the names were hard to keep straight, and there were a few side stories that I could have done without. But it was amazing how many details she was able to pull from such a variety of records. Great historical detective work! And I was left with a much better understanding for having read it.
Read
January 21, 2024This is the February book selection for the new virtual Herstory Book Group hosted by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum.
The ultimate urban legend, Betsy Ross!
This book is about more than Betsy Ross, lots of contextual history.
Listening reminded me how little I know about American history, and what a young country this is!
I learned about Quakers, Masons, Philadelphia the second Capitol (1791-1800), artisans, beds and linens were a sign of wealth (still expensive today), commerce, trade to the colonies (tomatoes at first medicinal “strange souvenirs of terrible times”), yellow fever (no vax until the 1930s), etc.
I was familiar with the abolitionist Benjamin Lay.
It might be time to revisit Fraunces Tavern Museum Flag Gallery. I’ve only been to Philly for business, might be time to explore some American history there.
The ultimate urban legend, Betsy Ross!
This book is about more than Betsy Ross, lots of contextual history.
Listening reminded me how little I know about American history, and what a young country this is!
I learned about Quakers, Masons, Philadelphia the second Capitol (1791-1800), artisans, beds and linens were a sign of wealth (still expensive today), commerce, trade to the colonies (tomatoes at first medicinal “strange souvenirs of terrible times”), yellow fever (no vax until the 1930s), etc.
I was familiar with the abolitionist Benjamin Lay.
It might be time to revisit Fraunces Tavern Museum Flag Gallery. I’ve only been to Philly for business, might be time to explore some American history there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2023
Not just a biography; the author sets the stage starting with Betsy's great-grandfather who emigrated from England in the 1680's along with a number of other Quakers (Society of Friends). Lots of history and background of colonial Philadelphia. The book brings to life the folks of Philadelphia and environs in a much more personal way than history classes in school.
Whether Elizabeth Griscom Ross Ashburn Claypoole, aka Betsy Ross, made the very first flag for America isn't the point of this book. It brings out much about the lives of the people who built a major city in a new land, especially the tradespeople.
The one thing that would make this book better would be some genealogical trees of Betsy's extended families.
Whether Elizabeth Griscom Ross Ashburn Claypoole, aka Betsy Ross, made the very first flag for America isn't the point of this book. It brings out much about the lives of the people who built a major city in a new land, especially the tradespeople.
The one thing that would make this book better would be some genealogical trees of Betsy's extended families.
June 11, 2024
I became interested in Betsy Ross when visiting Philadelphia last year. I saw the Betsy Ross house but didn't opt for the tour, now I wish I would have.
Parts of this were overly dry and detailed, but I guess good research leads to that. The author really sought to place BR within the context of what was happening at this era of our country's founding outside of the (probably fictional) story of her sewing the first true American flag. So it was a great way to take the revolution and aftermath by showing the effects on one (very extended) family of everyday folks who worked hard for a living.
If you're planning a trip to Philly, I suggest reading it first for a greater appreciation of the old part of the city.
Parts of this were overly dry and detailed, but I guess good research leads to that. The author really sought to place BR within the context of what was happening at this era of our country's founding outside of the (probably fictional) story of her sewing the first true American flag. So it was a great way to take the revolution and aftermath by showing the effects on one (very extended) family of everyday folks who worked hard for a living.
If you're planning a trip to Philly, I suggest reading it first for a greater appreciation of the old part of the city.
June 21, 2025
Although this incredibly well researched book doesn't definitively answer the long debated question surrounding who actually designed the first American flag, it does do a great job painting a picture of her life and times. I particularly enjoyed the story of how the city of Philadelphia came to be and how artisans like Betsy Ross and her family contributed to not only the success of this great city but of our country in its infancy. The book is incredibly detailed with long accountings of many members of Ross's family and associates. This level of detail is a testament to the author's research effort but does render the book a slower read.
November 21, 2017
As many other reviewers have noted this book is tangentially related to Betsy Ross but really covers the lives of every day Philadelphians leading up to an including the American revolution. It looks at those specifically in the upholstery trade as most of Ross’ family was. It is interesting and goes into tremendous detail but if you are looking for a biography of Betsy Ross and her relationship to the flag then this will not be the book for you. If you are deeply interested in how people in Pennsylvania lived during this time period than this will be an excellent book.
May 2, 2020
I think that this book is misunderstood. The author cast her net wide in order to provide a full look at Betsy Ross. Understanding her Griscom ancestry helped place Betsy in a social context in Philadelphia during the revolution, as did all the other detours from the main narrative. I really enjoyed reading this and am grateful for Professor Miller's scholarship and attempts to bring Betsy Ross to life. Very readable and packed with historical detail, especially in the world of colonial upholstery.
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May 3, 2021By researching the legend of Betsy Ross, Marla Miller takes us deep into the lives and homes of the folks whose lived with the co-llateral damage that war, no matter how noble, must bring.
Betsy Ross was widowed twice by the war. Betsy Ross was shunned by her Quaker faith. Betsy Ross was an Artisan, business owner, and eventually a mother and grandmother. It was her grandchildren who gave us the legend... Marla Miller gives us her world.
5 stars if you're a history/academia fan ...Everyone else should read the cliffnotes :-)
Betsy Ross was widowed twice by the war. Betsy Ross was shunned by her Quaker faith. Betsy Ross was an Artisan, business owner, and eventually a mother and grandmother. It was her grandchildren who gave us the legend... Marla Miller gives us her world.
5 stars if you're a history/academia fan ...Everyone else should read the cliffnotes :-)
February 17, 2022
Betsy Ross and the Making of America is more than a book about a flag. As the title suggests, Betsy is just an aside, a guide if you will, to the many incidents and happenings that created the USA. As with most historians, this book contains so many facts that seem to have little consequence to Betsy, but there is so much here to learn. The sacrifices of our ancestors are at the forefront, but the very interesting thread is the work force of the Revolution. Betsy was a career woman! Interesting read!
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