Congress passed the first Flag Act creating an official United States flag design in 1777.
The Continental Congress approved the resolution on June 14, 1777. It specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing the thirteen states. The resolution did not prescribe the stars’ arrangement, so early flags varied in their layouts.
The act established the basic design during the Revolutionary War, when the new nation needed a recognizable national emblem for ships, forts, and military units. June 14 is now observed in the United States as Flag Day.
The popular Betsy Ross story claims that Philadelphia upholsterer Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross designed the first flag, but surviving evidence does not establish that she created the design. The Flag Act itself names no designer. Later legislation added stars for new states while retaining the original thirteen stripes.