The Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777. It specified that the flag of the thirteen United States would have thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field.
The resolution did not provide a detailed drawing or identify a particular designer. It described the symbolism of the new flag as representing the thirteen states as a new constellation. The stars and stripes therefore referred to the original political union rather than to later state additions.
June 14 is now observed as Flag Day in the United States. As new states joined the Union, both the number of stars and the number of stripes increased for a time. In 1818, Congress established a lasting arrangement: the flag would have one star for each state but return to thirteen stripes. The familiar 50-star flag reflects the current number of states, while the thirteen stripes preserve the revolutionary-era symbolism.