The first flag had 13 stripes and 13 stars arranged in a circle. Both the stars and the stripes represented 13 colonies that declared independence from the Great Britain. Each new flag was the addition of new states. The 48-star flag stood for 47 years until the 49th version of the flag became official on 4th July 1959. Today it displays 50 stars that represent the 50 states of the United States of America.