The first U.S. flag resolution specified thirteen stars for the original states.
The Continental Congress adopted the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777. It described a flag with thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing the thirteen states in the new union.
The resolution did not specify a precise arrangement for the stars. Early flags therefore used different layouts, including circles, rows, and other patterns. The familiar field of stars developed over time rather than appearing in one universally fixed design.
As new states joined the United States, Congress increased the number of stars. The number of stripes was eventually fixed at thirteen to continue representing the original states, while the star count grew until the current fifty-star flag was adopted after Hawaii entered the Union in 1959.