The United States flag’s first official design specified 13 stars in 1777.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution. It called for thirteen alternating red and white stripes and a blue union containing thirteen white stars, representing a new constellation. The thirteen stars symbolized the thirteen states that had declared independence.
The resolution did not prescribe the stars’ exact arrangement. Early flag makers used circles, rows, and other patterns, so the familiar Betsy Ross circle is only one traditional arrangement rather than a design required by the 1777 law.
As new states joined the Union, Congress eventually added stars to the flag. The number of stripes was fixed at thirteen in 1818, while the number of stars continued to change. Hawaii’s admission in 1959 led to the current fifty-star design, which first became official on July 4, 1960.