Official Acts Relating to the American Flag

• June 14, 1777 – The Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act stating, “Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”  In 1949, President Harry S Truman officially named June 14th Flag Day in commemoration of this event.

• January 13, 1794 – Act which stated that after May, 1795 there would be 15 stripes and 15 stars.

• April 4, 1818 – Act signed by President James Monroe stated that there would be 13 stripes and one star for each state. New states’ stars would be added on July 4th after their admission to the Union.

• June 24, 1912 – For the first time, flags became standardized with specific proportions and the arrangement of the stars into six rows of eight each according to an Executive Order from President Taft.

• January 3, 1959 – An Executive Order from President Dwight Eisenhower stated that the stars would be arranged in seven rows of seven stars each.

• August 21, 1959 – An Executive Order from President Eisenhower resulted in the stars being arranged in nine rows staggered horizontally and 11 rows staggered vertically.