The 50 stars on the American flag represent the 50 states that compose the United States. The 13 stripes (alternating red and white) represent the original 13 American Colonies that declared their independence from Britain—staring the War for American Independence (also called the Revolutionary War or the American Revolution).
The flag we know today is not the same as the flag that flew during the Revolution. The American flag’s appearance has been shaped by three flag acts and the additions of each new state to our Union.
Congress passed the first flag act in 1777 while America was still fighting for its independence from Britain. This flag act established the major features of flag—13 stripes, alternating red and white, and 13 white stars on a blue background. The stars and stripes each symbolized the original 13 colonies-- New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
However, a problem arose as the country grew and added more states. How should the flag be altered to reflect the changing nation? The Flag Act of 1792 mandated that a stripe and star be added for every new state admitted to the union. However, as more and more states were added, people realized the flag would began to look a little crowded.
Therefore, the Flag Act of 1818 returned to the original design of 13 red-and-white stripes—still symbolizing the 13 colonies—but retained the idea of using a star to represent each state.
The flag went through its last changes in 1959 when Alaska and then Hawaii became states. There were now 50 stars and 13 stripes on the flag.
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