Congress approved the first United States flag design with 13 stars and 13 stripes on June 14, 1777.
The Flag Resolution of 1777 directed that the flag have thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. The stars represented a new constellation, while the stripes represented the thirteen states. The resolution was brief and did not specify the exact arrangement or shape of the stars.
June 14 is now observed as Flag Day in the United States. The resolution came during the Revolutionary War, less than a year after the Declaration of Independence. It created a national emblem for the new union, although military units and ships had used other flags before and around that time.
The flag later changed as states joined the Union. In 1795, two stars and two stripes were added for Vermont and Kentucky. The stripe count returned to thirteen in 1818, while stars continued to be added for new states.