The first official United States flag adopted in 1777 had thirteen stars.
The Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777. It specified 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 white stars on a blue field, representing the 13 states that had declared independence from Britain.
The resolution did not specify the stars’ arrangement, so early flags used several patterns, including circles, rows, and other layouts. The familiar Betsy Ross story is widely known, but historians have found no conclusive evidence that she made the first official flag.
As new states joined the Union, Congress added stars to the flag. The number of stripes was later fixed at 13, while the number of stars continued to change. The current flag has 50 stars for the 50 states.