The Continental Congress adopted the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777, establishing the design of the first official U.S. flag.
The resolution specified thirteen alternating red-and-white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field. The stars represented the thirteen states, described in the resolution as a “new constellation.” June 14 is now observed annually in the United States as Flag Day.
The 1777 design differed from the earlier Continental Union Flag, which combined thirteen stripes with the British Union Flag in its canton. The new resolution replaced that British symbol with a blue field bearing stars, signaling the developing identity of the United States during the Revolutionary War.
The resolution did not specify the stars’ arrangement or provide a detailed manufacturing pattern. The familiar fifty-star flag came much later: stars were added as states joined the Union, and the current design took effect on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the 50th state.