The Second Continental Congress adopted the first U.S. flag resolution on June 14, 1777, in the Revolutionary era commemorated by America250.
The resolution stated that the United States flag should have thirteen alternating red and white stripes, with thirteen white stars on a blue field. The stars represented a new constellation, while the stripes continued the symbolism associated with the thirteen colonies.
The resolution did not specify the exact arrangement of the stars, their shape, or how the stripes should be ordered beyond alternating colors. That flexibility allowed early flags to vary in appearance. The familiar fifty-star design came much later, after the admission of Hawaii in 1959.
June 14 is now observed as Flag Day in the United States. It should not be confused with July 4, Independence Day, or with the 1776 Declaration of Independence. America250 connects all three dates through the broader history of the Revolution and the country it created.