The first official U.S. flag description specified thirteen stars in its blue union.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution. It called for thirteen alternating red and white stripes and a blue field containing thirteen white stars, representing a new constellation. The thirteen symbols corresponded to the thirteen states that had declared independence from Great Britain.
The resolution did not prescribe the stars’ exact arrangement, number of points, or orientation. Early flag makers therefore produced different designs, including rows, circles, and other patterns. The familiar circle associated with the Betsy Ross flag is traditional, but the congressional wording itself only required thirteen stars.
The flag later changed as new states joined the Union. Congress added stars for new states while retaining thirteen stripes to preserve the original-colony symbolism. The current flag has fifty stars, but the thirteen-star design remains a prominent emblem of the founding era and America’s 250th-anniversary history.