The original U.S. flag created under the 1777 Flag Resolution had thirteen stripes.
The resolution adopted by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes. It also called for thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing the thirteen states or former colonies.
The resolution did not specify the exact arrangement of the stars, so early flags used different patterns. The best-known design associated with the Revolutionary era is the Betsy Ross flag, although historians have not established that Ross personally made the first official flag.
The number of stripes changed as new states entered the Union. In 1795, Congress approved a flag with fifteen stripes and fifteen stars to represent Vermont and Kentucky. In 1818, the flag returned permanently to thirteen stripes, while the number of stars continued to increase with statehood. This is why the modern flag has 13 stripes but 50 stars, rather than matching the numbers.