Congress adopted the first official Stars and Stripes design on June 14, 1777, a date later connected with America250 history.
The Continental Congress’s Flag Resolution specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. The resolution said the stars represented a “new constellation.” It did not prescribe the stars’ exact arrangement, so early flags appeared in several patterns.
The thirteen stars and stripes represented the thirteen United Colonies. As new states joined the Union, stars were added. In 1795, both the stars and stripes increased to fifteen for Vermont and Kentucky, but the number of stripes returned to thirteen in 1818.
The present flag has fifty stars, reflecting the fifty states, and thirteen stripes honoring the original colonies. June 14 is observed annually as Flag Day. It is separate from Independence Day, which falls on July 4 and anchors the 2026 semiquincentennial celebration.