George Ross

You no doubt have heard of my niece, Betsy. They call her a legend for her needle, and rightly so. But long before her hand stitched our sacred flag, I, George Ross of Pennsylvania, pledged my name to the parchment that gave that flag its meaning. I was born of Scottish stock and Anglican faith in 1730, trained in law by my brother and called to the bar at 20. For years, I served the Crown as prosecutor. I earned a reputation for clear reason and fierce argument. But when Parliament overstepped its bounds, my loyalty shifted, not to rebellion, but to reason and right. I served in Pennsylvania's legislature, its committee of Safety, and the Congress in Philadelphia. I did not debate independence, but I did sign it on August 2, 1776, the final hand from our delegation. That same year, I helped write our state's constitution and stood beside Dr. Benjamin Franklin as vice president of the convention. As for my niece, the story has it I brought General Washington into Betsy's shop that night. He walked in with a sketch, and she stepped into history. While she bore a needle, I bore a quill. Instruments of liberty in their own right. Such is the work of patriots seen and unseen. Though my name remains lesser known, I gave it all I had. My strength, my station, and in the end, my life for the cause of independence. Sa.