The first congressional United States flag officially specified 13 stars.
The Flag Resolution adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, described an American flag with 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue union containing 13 white stars. The stars represented the Thirteen Colonies, which had declared independence from Great Britain the previous year.
The resolution did not specify the stars’ exact arrangement, size, or number of points. As a result, early American flags appeared in several designs. One later arrangement placed 13 stars in a circle and became popularly known as the Betsy Ross flag.
The story that Betsy Ross designed the first flag is traditional but not firmly established by contemporary evidence. The flag’s design evolved through the work of multiple people and institutions. Later laws added stars for new states while retaining the original 13 stripes.