The original U.S. flag resolution specified 13 stripes.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States should have thirteen alternating red and white stripes. It also specified thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing a new constellation.
The thirteen stripes represented the original thirteen states. The design later changed as new states joined the Union: Congress temporarily increased both the number of stars and stripes to 15 in 1795, but the Flag Act of 1818 returned the stripes to 13 and established that only stars would be added.
Today’s flag still has 13 stripes, while its 50 stars represent the 50 states. The 13-stripe pattern is therefore older than the current 50-star arrangement and remains a direct link to the nation’s founding era.