The thirteen stripes on the United States flag represent the original thirteen colonies.
The flag has seven red stripes and six white stripes arranged horizontally. Together, they commemorate the colonies that declared independence from Great Britain and became the first states of the United States.
The first national flag design had thirteen stars and thirteen stripes. In 1795, Congress increased both numbers to fifteen to reflect the admission of Vermont and Kentucky. As more states joined, the number of stripes became visually impractical, so Congress returned the design to thirteen stripes in 1818.
Stars continued to be added for new states, but the stripes remained fixed. This explains why the current flag has 50 stars but only 13 stripes. The thirteen colonies were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.