The Continental Congress adopted the first U.S. flag resolution on June 14, 1777, a date recalled during America250 commemorations.
The resolution stated that the flag should have thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. The thirteen stars and stripes represented the thirteen states then united in the American cause.
The resolution did not specify the precise arrangement of the stars, and it did not name a designer. Later traditions credited Betsy Ross with sewing the first flag, but historians have found no contemporary evidence proving that she designed the national flag. The official resolution itself is the firm historical milestone.
The flag changed as new states joined the Union. Congress added stars for new states and temporarily added stripes for Vermont and Kentucky before returning the design to thirteen stripes in 1818. Flag Day is observed annually on June 14.