American Flag Circle

Red and white stripes next to a blue triangle with white stars

The first official flag of the United States was the Stars and Stripes, featuring thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue background. Sometimes referred to as the “Betsy Ross” flag, the Continental Congress approved its design on June 14, 1777.  On May 1, 1795, the second Flag Resolution mandated new stars and stripes are added when new states were admitted to the Union. The third and last Flag Resolution of 1818 declared the number of stripes would remain thirteen, but the number of stars would always match the number of states. The Resolution stated that these updates would only be made on the Fourth of July.