Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

The U.S. flag has 13 STRIPES because they represent the 13 ORIGINAL COLONIES that became the first 13 states. USCIS Civics Question: 'Why does the flag have 13 stripes?' — Accepted answers: because there were 13 original colonies; because the stripes represent the original colonies. The flag also has 50 STARS, one for each of the 50 current states. The 13 original colonies were: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.