Congress adopted the original Flag Resolution establishing the United States flag’s design on June 14, 1777.
The resolution specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing the thirteen states. It did not prescribe the stars’ arrangement, which allowed later flags to use different patterns.
The resolution came nearly one year after the Declaration of Independence and two years after Congress created the Continental Army. As new states joined the Union, Congress later changed the flag to add stars and, for a time, additional stripes.
The modern flag has thirteen stripes and fifty stars. Flag Day is observed annually on June 14, commemorating the 1777 resolution, although the holiday is not a federal public holiday.