The first official United States flag under the Flag Act of 1777 had 13 stars.
Congress passed the Flag Act on June 14, 1777, establishing a design with 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 white stars on a blue field. The stars represented the thirteen states then united in the Revolutionary War. The law did not specify the stars’ arrangement, so early flags used different patterns, including circles and rows.
The act’s wording described a new constellation, an image that suggested the states forming a new political group. The familiar modern arrangement of 50 stars did not exist until 1960, after Hawaii joined the Union. The flag has retained 13 stripes even as its star count increased with each new state.
Flag Day is observed annually on June 14, the anniversary of the 1777 law. The date is separate from Independence Day, which commemorates the Declaration of Independence. The Betsy Ross story is widely associated with the first flag, but historians do not have conclusive evidence that Ross personally designed the official flag adopted by Congress.