The United States flag had 13 stars under the Continental Congress’s 1777 Flag Resolution.
On June 14, 1777, Congress resolved that the flag should contain thirteen white stars in a blue field and thirteen alternating red-and-white stripes. The stars represented the thirteen states then united in the new nation. The resolution did not specify the stars’ arrangement, so early flag makers used several patterns.
The number 13 remains on the modern flag through its stripes, while the stars now number 50, one for each state. New stars have been added when states joined the Union, but the stripes have stayed at thirteen to preserve the connection with the original states.
The famous circular “Betsy Ross” arrangement is widely recognized, but the 1777 resolution did not require a circle. Nor is there firm historical evidence that Betsy Ross designed the first official U.S. flag.