You probably think you know the answer to how many stars the American flag has without even blinking. It’s 50. Fifty stars for fifty states. Simple, right? But honestly, if you dug through a dusty attic and found an old flag with 48 stars, or maybe even 13, it wouldn't be "wrong"—it would just be a snapshot of a different time in American history.
The story of those little white points on the blue canton is a lot weirder than your third-grade social studies teacher likely let on. It involves a high school student getting a "B-" on a project that eventually became the national standard, a persistent myth about a seamstress named Betsy, and the fact that there isn't actually a "wrong" number of stars to fly if you're feeling historical.
The Official Count and Why It Stuck
Right now, today, the American flag has 50 stars. These are arranged in nine offset horizontal rows. It’s a staggered pattern—five rows of six stars and four rows of five stars.
This specific 50-star version is actually the longest-running design in the history of the United States. It’s been the official look since July 4, 1960, after Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state in 1959. Before that, the 48-star flag held the record, staying unchanged for 47 years while the country went through two World Wars.
Most people don't realize that the flag didn't always just add a star and keep everything else the same. In the early days, they were adding stripes too. By 1795, the flag had 15 stars and 15 stripes because Vermont and Kentucky joined the party. Thankfully, someone realized that adding a stripe for every single state was going to make the flag look like a giant candy cane that reached the ground. In 1818, Congress wised up and passed an act that capped the stripes at 13 (for the original colonies) and decreed that only the stars would increase with new states.
The Teenager Who Beat the Government
Here is the part that sounds like a movie script but is actually 100% true. The current 50-star flag wasn't designed by a committee of heraldry experts or a high-ranking general.
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It was designed by a 17-year-old kid named Robert G. Heft for a class project in 1958.
Bob Heft lived in Lancaster, Ohio. He spent 12.5 hours at his family's sewing machine, taking his parents' 48-star flag apart and rearranging the stars into the staggered pattern we see today. He had a hunch that Alaska and Hawaii were going to become states soon.
His teacher, Stanley Pratt, was not impressed. He gave Bob a B-minus.
The teacher told him, "If you don't like the grade, get it accepted in Washington, then come back and see me."
Bob didn't take that as a joke. He sent his flag to his congressman, and eventually, President Dwight D. Eisenhower called him up to say his design had been chosen from over 1,500 submissions. Legend has it (and Bob confirmed it in many interviews before he passed in 2009) that his teacher eventually changed that grade to an A.
Wait, Can I Fly a Flag With Fewer Stars?
Believe it or not, yes.
A common misconception is that once a new star is added, the old flags become "illegal" or obsolete. According to the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, any official United States flag is still a valid flag. If you want to fly a 48-star flag to honor your grandfather who served in WWII, go for it. As long as it’s in good condition and treated with respect according to the Flag Code, it’s a perfectly legal American flag.
Quick Facts About the Stars:
- Five Points: There is no law saying the stars must have five points, but it became the standard because Betsy Ross (supposedly) showed George Washington how much easier they were to snip out of fabric with a single cut compared to six-pointed stars.
- The Color: They are "White," which in flag terms technically represents purity and innocence.
- The Blue Field: This is called the "union." It represents the union of the states, and the blue itself stands for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
What Really Happened With Betsy Ross?
We have to talk about the Betsy Ross of it all. Most of us grew up with the story of her sitting in a parlor, sewing the first flag with 13 stars in a circle.
The problem? There is almost zero historical evidence that she actually designed it.
The story didn't even surface until 1870—nearly a century later—when her grandson, William Canby, told the Historical Society of Pennsylvania about it. Most historians actually point toward Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, as the likely designer. He even tried to bill Congress for his work (he asked for a "quarter cask of the public wine" as payment, which is a very relatable request).
Is a 51st Star Already Planned?
The short answer is: Sort of.
While there is no "official" 51-star flag yet, the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry has designs ready to go just in case Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., or any other territory becomes a state. The most common proposed design for 51 stars uses six rows of stars, alternating between nine and eight stars per row.
Flag manufacturers like Annin Flagmakers (the oldest in the country) have said that making the switch wouldn't be a huge deal. Their machines are all digital now. They just need to upload a new file, and the embroidery machines would start cranking out the new pattern in minutes.
How to Handle Your Flag Like an Expert
If you're going to display the Stars and Stripes, don't just wing it. People get really heated about flag etiquette, but it’s mostly common sense wrapped in tradition.
- Don't let it touch the ground. Contrary to popular belief, if it does touch the ground, you don't have to burn it immediately. Just clean it off. You only retire a flag if it's so torn or dirty that it no longer looks like a fitting symbol.
- Lighting at night. If you’re flying how many stars the American flag has (all 50 of 'em) after the sun goes down, it needs to be "properly illuminated." That usually means a dedicated spotlight, not just a porch light.
- The Union goes on the left. When you’re hanging a flag on a wall—either horizontally or vertically—the blue part with the stars should always be in the upper left-hand corner from the observer's point of view.
If you’ve got an old, tattered flag that’s seen better days, don't just toss it in the bin. Most VFW posts, American Legion halls, or even Boy Scout troops have drop-off boxes for retired flags. They’ll dispose of them in a formal ceremony, which usually involves a respectful burning.
The next time someone asks you about the flag, you can tell them it’s not just a piece of fabric with 50 stars. It’s a 17-year-old’s homework assignment that somehow became the most recognized symbol in the world.
If you're interested in the actual legalities of flag display, your best bet is to look up the U.S. Flag Code (Title 4 of the U.S. Code). It’s not actually "law" in the sense that you’ll get arrested for breaking it—the Supreme Court has ruled that flag treatment is a matter of free speech—but it’s the definitive guide on how to show respect for the design.