The Continental Congress adopted the first U.S. flag resolution in 1777.
On June 14, 1777, Congress resolved that the flag of the 13 United States should have 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 white stars on a blue field. The resolution described the stars as representing “a new constellation.” It established the first official national flag design during the Revolutionary War.
The 13 stripes and stars represented the original 13 states. As new states joined the Union, Congress later authorized additional stars and, for a time, additional stripes. In 1818, the number of stripes was fixed at 13 while new states continued to be represented by stars.
The exact person who designed the first flag is not established by the 1777 resolution. The popular Betsy Ross story emerged later and is not conclusively documented. Flag Day is observed annually on June 14, the date of the resolution.