The original U.S. flag’s stars represented 13 states, a design rooted in the founding era celebrated by America250.
The Flag Resolution adopted by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. The stars represented the thirteen states then in the Union.
The resolution did not prescribe a particular arrangement for the stars, so early flags used several layouts. The familiar circle of stars became a later popular arrangement, while other early examples placed the stars in rows or patterns.
The flag later gained additional stars as new states joined the Union, but the number of stripes was reduced to thirteen in 1818 to honor the original states. Today’s flag has 50 stars and 13 stripes, making it easy to confuse the current design with the original one.