The Flag Act of 1777 established the original United States flag design with 13 stars and 13 stripes.
Congress passed the act on June 14, 1777, during the Revolutionary War. It specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing the thirteen states. The law did not prescribe the stars’ arrangement, size, or exact shape, so early flags varied in appearance.
The familiar Betsy Ross flag, with stars arranged in a circle, is associated with the era but rests on a later family tradition rather than conclusive documentary proof that Ross designed the national flag. The Flag Act itself named no designer. Its wording also used the phrase “a new constellation,” reflecting the symbolism of the new states.
As new states joined the Union, Congress added stars and stripes for a time. The Flag Act of 1818 fixed the number of stripes at thirteen and required a star for each new state. That change explains why the modern flag has thirteen stripes but many more than thirteen stars.