For the design of the flag made in accordance with this resolution it was decided to make the stripes of equal width and the stars five-pointed. Vermont was admitted as a State in 1791 and Kentucky was admitted in 1792, and as a result an act of Congress approved on January 13, 1794, provided: That from and after the first day of May, Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, the flag of the United States be fifteen stripes, alternate red and white. That the union be fifteen stars, white in a blue field. The rapid increase in the number of States in the succeeding years caused much confusion regarding the exact design of the flag and there came to be a great diversity as to the numbers of stars and stripes. In order to clear up all doubt the Fifteenth Congress passed an act, which was approved by the President on April 4, 1818, entitled, AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES _Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in congress assembled_, That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field. SECTION 2. _And be it further enacted_, That on the admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect on the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission. In accordance with this law there are at present forty-eight stars in the union of the flag. The proportions of the national flag as prescribed by the Presidential Executive Order No. 1637, dated October 29, 1912, are as follows: Hoist (or width) of flag 1 Fly (or length) of flag 1.9 Hoist (or width) of union ⁷/₁₃ Fly (or length) of union .76 Width of each stripe ¹/₁₃ [Illustration: GREAT BRITAIN WHITE ENSIGN UNION FLAG RED ENSIGN] [Illustration: BLUE ENSIGN JACK FOR VESSELS IN THE EMPLOY OF PUBLIC OFFICES ADMIRALTY FLAG] [Illustration: ADMIRAL VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL] [Illustration: PENNANT] [Illustration: FRANCE NATIONAL FLAG] [Illustration: ADMIRAL OF FRANCE VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL] [Illustration: PENNANT ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.] There is an exception made in these proportions in the case of the flags carried by the troops, in which case the sizes are established by special orders for the Army and Navy. For the small flags flown by the small boats and launches of the ships of war and other government ships the executive order places the number of stars in the union at thirteen on account of the fact that the identity of the several stars would be lost if the whole number of forty-eight were used.