The first official United States flag resolution required 13 stars.
The Continental Congress adopted the resolution on June 14, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. It called for thirteen white stars in a blue field and thirteen alternating red and white stripes. The number represented the thirteen United Colonies that had declared independence from Great Britain.
The resolution did not dictate a specific arrangement for the stars. As a result, early flags displayed them in different patterns, including rows, circles, and other handmade arrangements. The familiar Betsy Ross design is one later arrangement associated with thirteen stars, but the congressional wording did not name Betsy Ross or mandate a circle.
The number of stars changed as additional states entered the Union. The flag eventually reached 50 stars after Hawaii joined in 1959; the 50-star flag became official on July 4, 1960. The thirteen stripes remained as a historical reference to the original colonies.