Thirteen stars appeared on the first official U.S. flag design adopted in 1777.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution. It specified 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue union containing 13 white stars, representing the 13 states or former colonies united in the struggle for independence.
The resolution did not prescribe the stars’ exact arrangement. Early flags therefore used different layouts, including circles, rows, and other patterns. The familiar 50-star arrangement developed much later as new states entered the Union.
The number of stripes was later fixed at 13, while the number of stars increased with statehood. Vermont and Kentucky raised the total to 15 in 1795, but Congress restored 13 stripes in 1818. The 50-star flag became official in 1960 after Hawaii joined the United States.