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List of US state flags and territories
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Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas |
State flags are flags adopted by each state to represent them. The concept of state flags dates to the 1890s, when states wanted to have their own unique symbols at the 1893 Columbian World's Fair in Chicago. Aside from states with flags used during independence (California and Texas), colonial rule (Massachusetts and Maryland), and the Civil War (South Carolina), all other original state flags were adopted between 1893 and World War I.[1]
List of state flags in the United States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Flag changes (2020-Present)
Minnesota (2024)
During the 2023 legislative session, the Minnesota State Legislature created a commission to design a new state flag and seal.[2] Legislators also removed the requirement that the flag contain an image of the seal. The commission's members received more than 2,200 submissions for the new flag design and 400 submissions for the new seal design.[3]
The commission settled on a flag design on December 19, 2023. The design featured a white star, a dark blue shape meant to invoke Minnesota, and a field of lighter blue to represent the Mississippi River. Minnesota's new flag became official on May 11, 2024.[4]
Utah (2023)
On March 2, 2023, the Utah legislature approved a new state flag design. Jared Gans of The Hill wrote that "The new flag, if the bill is signed into law, will be divided into three sections. The top part is blue, the middle is white, and the bottom is red. The white area would be designed to appear as a mountain with five peaks, cutting into the blue area on top. A mostly blue hexagon would be placed in the middle of the white area, also cutting into the red area on the bottom. Inside the hexagon will be a yellow beehive and a white star. The beehive is meant to symbolize industry, community and the year 1847, when the first settlers reached modern-day Utah, according to the legislation."[5]
On March 21, 2023, Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed Senate Bill 31 into law and signed an executive order to formalize the new state flag design. Cox said, "As governor, I am proud to issue today an executive order requiring that the current state flag be flown at the Capitol at all times and at all state buildings on certain holidays and special occasions. I am further requesting that, during an upcoming session, the Legislature amend SB 31 to require the historic state flag be flown above the new state flag when the two flags are flown together. This will ensure that the historic flag will remain a symbol of our history and strength."[6]
Senate Bill 31 took effect on March 9, 2024. The group 2023 Utah Flag Referendum, filed a veto referendum targeting Senate Bill 31 on March 6, 2023. To place Senate Bill 31 on the 2024 ballot for voter approval or rejection, 134,298 valid signatures were due on April 12, 2023.[7] On April 13, 2023, the Lieutenant Governor's office stated that proponents submitted under 50,000 signatures and therefore did not qualify for the ballot.[8]
Mississippi (2020)
At the election on November 3, 2020, Mississippi voters were shown a colored picture of the new proposed state flag, named the In God We Trust Flag. Voters were able to vote either yes to adopt the new flag or no to oppose adopting the new state flag. It was approved. If the new proposed flag had been rejected by voters, the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag would have reconvened to design another flag, and voters would have voted on it in November 2021. The commission unanimously selected the final flag on September 2, 2020. The flag is shown below:[9]
- Note: Small changes to the flag were set to be made before it is finalized, such as making the words IN GOD WE TRUST bold.[10]
Click here to read more about the 2020 state flag referendum in Mississippi.
List of territory flags in the United States
American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ North American Vexillological Association, "Questions & Answers," accessed September 8, 2020
- ↑ KARE 11, "Minnesota seeks unifying symbol to replace state flag considered offensive to Native Americans," September 5, 2023
- ↑ KARE 11, "For better or worse, thousands of new Minnesota flag designs are publicly released," November 9, 2023
- ↑ KARE 11, "Here's the final design chosen for Minnesota's new state flag," December 19, 2023
- ↑ The Hill, "Utah lawmakers approve new state flag design featuring beehive," March 3, 2023
- ↑ Fox News, "Utah gets official new flag after Governor Cox signs bill, executive order," accessed March 22, 2023
- ↑ Facebook, "2023 Utah Flag Referendum," accessed March 9, 2023
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah state flag referendum fails, but organizers vow to fight on," accessed April 14, 2023
- ↑ Mississippi State Legislature, "House Bill 1796," accessed June 29, 2020
- ↑ WAPT, "Commission chooses Mississippi state flag design," accessed September 2, 2020
