The current United States flag has thirteen stripes, whose origins are remembered during America250.
The stripes alternate red and white and represent the thirteen colonies that declared independence from Great Britain. The Continental Congress specified thirteen stripes and thirteen stars in the Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777.
The flag briefly had fifteen stripes after Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union. The Flag Act of 1818 restored the number of stripes to thirteen while establishing that future states would be represented by additional stars.
Today’s flag has fifty stars, one for each state, but it retains thirteen stripes to honor the original colonies. The stars and stripes therefore refer to different stages of American history: the stripes preserve the founding number, while the stars reflect the nation’s later growth.