geography

Maine - Pine Tree State 1

Maine – Pine Tree State

The flag of the state of Maine features the state coat of arms on a blue field. In the center of the shield, a moose rests under a tall pine tree. A farmer and seaman represent the traditional reliance on agriculture and the sea by the state. The North Star represents the state motto: Dirigo (“I Lead”).
There are no official colors for the coat of arms, so variations in coloration can be seen in flags from different manufacturers. The blue field, however, is specified to be the same blue as in the flag of the United States. According to the official description, the flag should have a fringe of yellow silk and should have a blue and white silk cord attached at the spearhead. These embellishments are very rarely observed.
Originally, the 1901 Maine Flag consisted of a green pine tree, Native symbol of New England and freedom, in the center, with a blue “North Star”, all on a buff-colored background.
The Maine legislature approved the current flag on February 23, 1909.

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Alabama - The Yellowhammer State 2

Alabama – The Yellowhammer State

Alabama’s current flag was adopted in 1895. The legislation introduced by Representative John W. A. Sanford Jr. stipulates that “[t]he flag of the state of Alabama shall be a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white. The bars forming the cross shall be not less than six inches broad, and must extend diagonally across the flag from side to side.” Sanford’s father, John W. A. Sanford, had commanded the 60th Alabama Infantry Regiment during the U.S. Civil War and he modeled his design on the battle flag used by that regiment.[5] The design of that regimental flag was a white saltire over a blue field with a circle of white stars surrounding the crossing. It had been adopted from the flag of Hilliard’s Legion of Alabama Volunteers which was raised in 1862 and dissolved after the Battle of Chickamauga with parts of its 1st and 3rd battalions entering the 60th Alabama Infantry. The regimental flag accompanied them through the end of the war and was surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.

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Illinois - The Prairie State 3

Illinois – The Prairie State

The Great Seal of the State of Illinois is the official emblem of the state, and signifies the official nature of a document produced by the state of Illinois. The flag of the state of Illinois consists of the seal of Illinois on a white background, with the word “Illinois” underneath the seal. The present seal was adopted in 1869, the flag bearing the central elements of the seal was adopted in 1915, and the word Illinois was added to the flag in 1970.
The current flag depicts the Great Seal of Illinois, which was originally designed in 1819 and emulated the Great Seal of the United States. In the eagle’s beak there is a banner with the state motto, “State Sovereignty, National Union.” The dates on the seal, 1818 and 1868, represent the year Illinois became a state and the year in which the Great Seal was redesigned.

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Mississippi - The Magnolia State 4

Mississippi – The Magnolia State

In January 2001 then-Governor Ronnie Musgrove appointed an independent commission which developed a new proposed design. On April 17, 2001, a non-binding state referendum to change the flag was put before Mississippi voters. The proposal would have replaced the Confederate battle flag with a blue canton with 20 stars. The outer ring of 13 stars would represent the original Thirteen Colonies, the ring of six stars would represent the six nations that have had sovereignty over Mississippi Territory (various Native American nations as a collective nation, French Empire, Spanish Empire, Great Britain, the United States, and the Confederacy), and the inner and slightly larger star would represent Mississippi itself. The 20 stars would also represent Mississippi’s status as the 20th member of the United States. The referendum for a new flag was defeated in a vote of 64% to 36% and the 1894 flag was retained.

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Indiana - The Hoosier State 5

Indiana – The Hoosier State

The flag consists of a gold torch that represents liberty and enlightenment; the rays around the torch represent their far-reaching influence. The nineteen stars represent Indiana’s place as the nineteenth state to join the United States. The thirteen stars in the outer loop symbolize the original Thirteen Colonies, the five inner stars represent the next five states added to the Union, and the one large star above the torch represents Indiana.

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Louisiana - The Pelican State 6

Louisiana – The Pelican State

The flag of Louisiana consists of a “pelican in her piety,” the heraldic charge representing a mother pelican “in her nest feeding her young with her blood, on an azure field with the state motto reworded to “Union Justice Confidence.” This version of the flag was first adopted in 1912 and it was last modified in 2006.

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Ohio - The Buckeye State 7

Ohio – The Buckeye State

According to vexillologist Whitney Smith, the uniquely shaped Ohio flag may be loosely based upon cavalry flags of the Civil War and Spanish–American War. The flag has been officially defined as a “burgee” since 2002, even though burgees are typically used as maritime flags. Its shape, lack of text, and mirror symmetry allow it to be flown or hung in various orientations without affecting legibility. On account of the flag’s uncommon shape, foreign manufacturers have occasionally set the entire design against a white, rectangular field.

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Tennessee - The Volunteer State 8

Tennessee – The Volunteer State

The flag of the state of Tennessee consists of an emblem on a field of red, with a strip of blue on the fly. The emblem in the middle consists of three stars on a blue circle.
The three stars represent the three Grand Divisions of the state, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The blue circle around the stars represents the unity of the “Grand Divisions” of the state. The blue bar at the edge of the flag was just a design consideration. When asked about the blue bar, Reeves stated that “The final blue bar relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when hanging limp.”

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Kentucky - The Bluegrass State 9

Kentucky – The Bluegrass State

The flag consists of the Commonwealth’s seal on a navy blue field, surrounded by the words “Commonwealth of Kentucky” above and sprigs of goldenrod, the state flower, below. The seal depicts a pioneer and a statesman embracing. Popular belief claims that the buckskin-clad man on the left is Daniel Boone, who was largely responsible for the exploration of Kentucky, and the man in the suit on the right is Henry Clay, Kentucky’s most famous statesman. However, the official explanation is that the men represent all frontiersmen and statesmen, rather than any specific persons. The state motto: “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” circles them. The motto comes from the lyrics of “The Liberty Song”, a patriotic song from the American Revolution.

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Vermont - The Green Mountain State 10

Vermont – The Green Mountain State

Multiple versions of the flag have been included throughout history. Originally, the flag was the same as the flag of the Green Mountain Boys. It was then changed to look similar to the flag of the United States, consisting of red and white stripes, and a blue canton. It was changed to be dissimilar to avoid confusion. Proposals have been brought up to revert the flag back to the Green Mountain Boys’ flag, but none have succeeded.
There is no record today of a design for an official Vermont Flag prior to 1804, although Ira Allen’s design—common to both the Great Seal of Vermont and the coat of arms of Vermont—dates to 1778. While an official government flag might not have existed prior to 1804, the Vermont militia—known as the Green Mountain Boys—was formed in 1770, and remaining accounts record use of the Flag of the Green Mountain Boys as far back as 1777.

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