Thirteen stripes appear on the United States flag displayed during America250 celebrations.
The flag has seven red stripes and six white stripes. Together, the 13 stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that declared independence from Great Britain and formed the first United States.
The 50 stars in the blue canton represent the current states, so the stripes and stars carry different historical meanings. The number of stripes has remained 13 since 1795, even though the flag temporarily had 15 stripes after Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union.
In 1818, Congress restored the design to 13 stripes and established that new states would be represented by additional stars rather than additional stripes. This rule preserved the visual connection between the flag and the original colonies while allowing the Union to grow.