The United States flag has 13 horizontal stripes, representing the original Thirteen Colonies.
The stripes alternate red and white. The first national flag resolution, passed by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, specified 13 stripes and 13 white stars on a blue field. The stars represented a new constellation and the united states then forming the nation.
The flag briefly had 15 stripes after Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union in the 1790s. Congress returned the design to 13 stripes in 1818 while continuing to add stars for new states. That decision preserved the original colonies as a permanent part of the flag's symbolism.
Today the flag has 50 stars, one for each state, but its 13 stripes remain unchanged. This combination connects the modern United States to the revolutionary period highlighted by the 250th anniversary.