On the early United States design known as the Betsy Ross flag, the 13 stars were arranged in a circle.
The design shows 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue canton containing 13 five-pointed white stars. The circular arrangement is a familiar feature of the flag, but the claim that Philadelphia upholsterer Betsy Ross designed the first United States flag is not firmly documented.
The Betsy Ross story became prominent in the late nineteenth century, more than a century after the Revolutionary War. The earliest known appearance of the design is in an 1820 painting by John Trumbull showing George Washington at Trenton, although the painting’s details do not prove who created the flag.
The Flag Resolution of 1777 specified 13 stripes and 13 stars but did not require a circle. Early flags used several arrangements, including rows. The circular design therefore became a traditional version rather than a uniquely mandated national pattern.