The Continental Congress passed the 1777 Flag Resolution for the United States flag on June 14, 1777.
The resolution specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and a blue union containing thirteen white stars. It described the stars as representing “a new constellation,” linking the design to the thirteen states then declaring independence from Britain.
The resolution established the national flag’s basic structure, but it did not provide detailed instructions for the arrangement of the stars. Later flag designs changed as new states joined the Union, adding stars while retaining thirteen stripes to represent the original states. The current flag has fifty stars and thirteen stripes.
June 14 is observed as Flag Day in the United States. The date is sometimes mixed up with July 4, Independence Day, or with later claims about when the first flag was physically displayed. The famous Betsy Ross story is also debated; the resolution itself does not identify a designer or specify a five-pointed star arrangement.