The Continental Congress adopted the Flag Resolution establishing the original U.S. flag design on June 14, 1777.
The resolution specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. The stars represented the thirteen United States, which were then fighting Britain during the American Revolutionary War. The wording described the stars as representing a “new constellation.”
The resolution appeared among congressional measures handled by the Marine Committee and probably addressed a naval flag. It did not specify the stars’ arrangement, their number of points, or exactly which stripe should be at the top. Later flag designs therefore varied in appearance while retaining the central symbolism.
June 14 is now observed as Flag Day in the United States. The original thirteen stripes remain on the modern flag, while stars were added as new states joined the Union. The familiar fifty-star flag dates from 1960, after Hawaii became a state.