Why are the states represented by stars and does the white on the flag stand for the mothers of the soldiers who died in the wars?

Answer 1

I can't say why stars in particular were chosen, but the stripes on the flag represent the 13 original states. The original idea was to add both a star and a stripe for each state, but it soon became clear that the flag would become unwieldy. So, sometime after the fifteenth state or so, the number of stripes was fixed at 13. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Act. The act established that the flag of the United States of America would be composed of 13 stripes, alternating red and white, with a union of 13 stars, white in a blue field, to denote a new constellation. The white on the flag represents purity.