The 1777 measure that established the first official United States flag design was the Flag Resolution.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the resolution on June 14, 1777. It specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and a blue field containing thirteen white stars, representing a “new constellation.” The resolution did not prescribe the stars’ precise arrangement or the flag’s proportions.
The measure is often called the First Flag Resolution. It is the reason June 14 is observed in the United States as Flag Day. The original wording was brief and left practical design details open, so early flags varied in their star patterns and construction.
The familiar Betsy Ross flag, with stars arranged in a circle, is a later traditional design rather than a layout required by the 1777 resolution. Historians also debate who designed or made the first official flag. The resolution itself, rather than the Ross story, is the firm congressional milestone.