Thirteen stars appeared on the first official U.S. flag, a symbol connected with the America250 story.
The Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777. It specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing the thirteen states. The resolution did not prescribe a particular arrangement for the stars.
The best-known early arrangement is the circular “Betsy Ross” pattern, although historians have found no conclusive evidence that Betsy Ross designed the first flag. Francis Hopkinson, a New Jersey delegate to Congress, is associated with the flag’s design contribution, but the exact maker remains uncertain.
Later flags added stars as new states joined the Union while retaining thirteen stripes for the original colonies. The modern flag has fifty stars and thirteen stripes, so the first official flag should not be confused with the current version.