On what date did Congress adopt the 1777 Flag Resolution for the United States flag?

Congress adopted the Flag Resolution for the United States flag on June 14, 1777.

The resolution specified 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue union containing 13 white stars. It described the stars as representing “a new constellation,” linking the design to the 13 states that had declared independence.

The resolution was passed by the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. It did not prescribe the exact arrangement or orientation of the stars, and it may originally have been intended mainly to define a naval ensign. Later American flags changed as new states joined the Union.

June 14 is now observed as Flag Day in the United States. The date is sometimes confused with July 4, 1776, the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence. The flag resolution came nearly a year later and created the first official congressional description of the national flag.