On the modern U.S. flag displayed for America's 250th anniversary, what do the 13 stripes represent?

The 13 stripes on the modern U.S. flag represent the original thirteen colonies.

The stripes alternate red and white and preserve the number used to symbolize the colonies that declared independence from Great Britain. The thirteen colonies became the first states of the United States after independence.

The Flag Resolution adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, specified thirteen alternating stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. As new states joined the Union, both stars and stripes briefly increased. In 1818, Congress returned the stripes to thirteen while continuing to add a star for each new state.

The modern flag has 50 stars, one for each current state, but it retains 13 stripes to honor the original colonies. The stripes therefore do not represent the current number of states or the thirteen signers of a particular founding document.