What name is given to the 1777 law that established the first official U.S. flag design?

The Flag Resolution of 1777 established the first official U.S. flag design. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that the flag should have thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field.

The thirteen stars and stripes represented the thirteen United States. Congress described the stars as forming “a new constellation,” linking the revolutionary states to a new political identity. The resolution did not specify the stars’ arrangement, so early flags used circles, rows, and other patterns.

Flag Day is observed each year on June 14 to commemorate the resolution. The modern flag has fifty stars and thirteen stripes, but the stripes remain fixed at thirteen to represent the original states. New stars are added when states join the Union.

The famous story that Betsy Ross made the first U.S. flag is not firmly established by contemporary evidence. The resolution itself is the documented congressional action, making its formal name the safest answer.