This Day in History: <br />Congress Adopts <br />the Stars and Stripes June 14, 1777 The basic design for the <br />American flag was adopted <br />at the Continental Congress <br />during the American Revolution. Legend has it seamstress <br />Betsy Ross sewed the <br />first flag at the request of <br />General George Washington. The flag had thirteen <br />alternating red and white <br />stripes and thirteen stars set <br />in a circle against a blue field. As new states declared <br />their statehood, the flag <br />added both stars and stripes. Congress restored the <br />original 13 stripes in the <br />early 1800s to represent <br />the original 13 colonies. The inaugural Flag Day <br />was held on June 14, 1877, <br />and was designated officially <br />by Congress in 1949.
