The first official United States flag resolution of 1777 specified thirteen stripes.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States should have thirteen alternating red and white stripes, along with thirteen white stars on a blue field. The stripes represented the thirteen colonies that had declared independence from Great Britain.
The number of stripes later increased to fifteen when Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union. Congress restored the number to thirteen in 1818, while allowing new stars to be added for new states. The current flag therefore has thirteen stripes and fifty stars.
The flag resolution did not identify a single designer. The popular story that Betsy Ross personally created the first American flag is a later tradition with limited documentary support. The resolution itself is the firm historical basis for the thirteen-stripe design and for the observance of Flag Day on June 14.