The Flag Resolution of 1777 specified thirteen stars and thirteen stripes for the United States flag.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the resolution on June 14, 1777. It stated that the flag should have thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. The stars represented the thirteen states, while the stripes continued the symbolism of the original thirteen colonies.
The resolution did not prescribe the arrangement, shape, or precise design of the stars. As a result, early flags varied, with stars appearing in rows, circles, or other patterns. The resolution also did not identify a designer or establish the Betsy Ross story, which became popular much later and remains historically disputed.
As new states joined the Union, Congress approved additional stars for the flag. The number of stripes eventually returned to thirteen, preserving the original-colony symbolism while the stars came to represent the current states.