Flagmaker Betsy Ross is a famous American seamstress who is credited with creating the first American flag. She was born in Philadelphia in 1752 and was a fourth-generation American of English, Welsh, and Scottish descent. She was a successful upholsterer and businesswoman who ran her own upholstery business. In 1776, she was commissioned by the Continental Congress to create the first American flag. Her design, which featured 13 stars and 13 stripes, became the official flag of the United States.