The first U.S. flag authorized by Congress in 1777 had 13 stars.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777. It specified 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue field containing 13 white stars, representing the original states. The resolution did not prescribe the stars’ arrangement, so early flags used several patterns.
The best-known early arrangement is the circular “Betsy Ross” pattern, but historians have not established that Betsy Ross designed the first national flag. The flag resolution itself named no designer. This is one reason the number of stars is a firmer historical fact than many stories about the flag’s manufacture.
Stars were added as new states entered the Union. The flag reached 15 stars and 15 stripes after Vermont and Kentucky joined, but Congress restored 13 stripes in 1818 while continuing to add stars. The modern flag has 50 stars, while its original symbolism began with 13.