Why does the flag have 50 stars?

Why this is the answer

Each of the fifty stars stands for one of the fifty states, so the answer comes down to counting. The official list offers three phrasings of that single idea: one star for each state, each star represents a state, or there are 50 states. Any of them works, and the words in parentheses on the list can be dropped. The design goes back to 1777, when the Second Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act. It called for thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing what it called a new constellation. That choice built growth into the flag. Whenever a state joined, a star was added, and the total climbed over the years from 13 to 50. The last change came on August 21, 1959, when Hawaii became the 50th state. Since 1818 the stripes have stayed fixed at thirteen, so the stars are the only part of the flag that tracks the size of the country. A star marks statehood. The country also has five territories, which are part of the United States, and they have no stars because a territory is not a state. That distinction connects to other questions on the test. The number fifty shows up again when you study how the Constitution is amended, because three-fourths of the states, which today means 38 of them, have to approve an amendment before it takes effect. Candidates sometimes reach for the stripes answer here and say the stars stand for the original colonies. Others mention senators or territories. If the word "colonies" comes to mind, you are thinking of the stripes, which point to the past. The stars describe the present, and you can check the number against the map of the country you are joining.