The United States flag displayed during America250 has 50 stars.
Each star represents one of the 50 states in the Union. The blue canton contains the stars in nine alternating rows: rows of six stars alternate with rows of five. The current design has been used since July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the 50th state.
The flag also has 13 alternating red and white stripes. Those stripes represent the 13 original colonies that declared independence from Great Britain. This creates a useful distinction: the stars show the current number of states, while the stripes preserve the number of founding colonies.
The 50-star flag followed a short-lived 49-star design adopted after Alaska entered the Union in January 1959. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the 50-star design in August 1959, and it became official in 1960. The flag therefore combines a modern state count with a reference to the Revolutionary-era colonies celebrated by America250.