Petition the NJ Sussex County Board of County Commissioners to formally recognize Francis Hopkinson as the documented designer of the flag, based on primary-source evidence in the Library of Congress and National Archives.

Most Americans have heard the story that Betsy Ross designed the first American flag. But that story didn't appear until 1870 — more than 90 years after the fact — and it's based entirely on family oral tradition. There is no letter, no government record, and no contemporaneous account to support it.

There is, however, a documented designer. His name is Francis Hopkinson.

Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791) was a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served on the Continental Navy Board — the body responsible for naval flags — and was a gifted artist who designed the Great Seal of the United States, the Admiralty Seal, the Treasury Seal, and Continental currency.

In 1780, Hopkinson wrote a letter to Congress explicitly claiming credit for designing "the Flag of the United States of America." That letter is preserved in the Library of Congress. He followed up with a formal invoice requesting payment. Congress reviewed his claim but the Treasury denied the payment — but they never denied that he designed the flag.

He is the only person from the Revolutionary era (1776–1780) who made a documented, contemporaneous claim to designing the flag. No one else. Not in any government record, not in any private letter, not anywhere.

The Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum already presents the Hopkinson evidence as part of its permanent exhibition on the American flag. Modern historians broadly agree he is the most credible candidate.

In 2026 — the 250th anniversary of our nation — it's time to make this official.

We are calling on the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners to issue a formal proclamation recognizing Francis Hopkinson as the documented designer of the American flag, and we encourage state and federal legislators to follow with their own resolutions.

By signing this petition, you are supporting:

Formal recognition of Francis Hopkinson as the documented designer of the flag, based on primary-source evidence in the Library of Congress and National Archives
Updating educational materials to reflect the documented historical record
State and federal resolutions honoring Hopkinson's contribution as a New Jersey Founding Father
The evidence is in the archives. The historians agree. The 250th anniversary is the moment. Let's give credit where the record has always pointed.

Sign this petition and share it — because the American flag has a documented designer, and it's time the country knew his name.