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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the bedroom of the Betsy Ross House, a reconstruction of where the upholsterer worked on her most famous commission, a long flag with a
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the bedroom of the Betsy Ross House, a reconstruction of where the upholsterer worked on her most famous commission, a long flag with a circle of 13 stars hangs over a Chippendale side chair and extends across the floor. Over the weeks in 1776 needed to complete the project, Ross would have likely knelt on the flag, stood on it and treated it more like an everyday banner — not with the kind of reverence we'd expect today.
Only in the mid-20th century was a federal code established for how the U.S. flag should be displayed.
There's just not much evidence of it being a thing before the Civil War.
The American flag will be flown throughout the country on July 4, but it wasn’t always a revered and debated symbol.