Timeline of U.S. state flags

Last updated April 05, 2024

This article contains a list of the flags and/or modifications made to the flags of current U.S. states and territories, through the present day.

U.S. states

State	Before	1770s			1780s	1790s	1800s		1810s	1820s	1830s			1840s		1850s	1860s					1870s			1880s			1890s					1900s					1910s			1920s			1930s	1940s	1950s				1960s			1970s			1980s			1990s				2000s					2010s					2020s					Current	State
State	Before																																																																													Current	State
Alabama																	/ 1861			1865										1895																																													Alabama
Alaska																															1927																																	Alaska
Arizona																															1917																																						Arizona
Arkansas																															1913					1923	1924																								2011										Arkansas
California																															1911																																									California
Colorado																															1907		1911														1964																											Colorado
Connecticut																															1897																																													Connecticut
Delaware																															1913																																								Delaware
Florida																	1861		1865		1868												1900																									1985																					Florida
Georgia																	1861		1865					1879										1902		1906					1920							1956															2001	2003															Georgia
Hawaii															1845																																								Hawaii
Idaho																															1957																							Idaho
Illinois																															1915															1969																								Illinois
Indiana																															1917																																						Indiana
Iowa																															1921																														2018						Iowa
Kansas																															1927													1961																				Kansas
Kentucky																															1918														1963																							Kentucky
Louisiana																	1861 1861																						1912																											2006		2010											Louisiana
Maine																															1901				1909																																										Maine
Maryland																																			1904																																												Maryland
Massachusetts																															1908																		1971																								Massachusetts
Michigan																															1911																																									Michigan
Minnesota																													1893 1893																			1957									1983																						Minnesota
Mississippi																	1861		1865											1894																																1996	2001										2021						Mississippi
Missouri																															1913																																								Missouri
Montana																															1905																							1981																					Montana
Nebraska																															1963																				Nebraska
Nevada																															1905					1915					1929																1991																		Nevada
New Hampshire																															1909									1931																																	New Hampshire
New Jersey																															1896																																													New Jersey
New Mexico																															1915			1920																																				New Mexico
New York				1778																													1901																																								2020						New York
North Carolina																	1861										1885																																1991																				North Carolina
North Dakota																															1911																																									North Dakota
Ohio																															1902																																													Ohio
Oklahoma																															1911							1925					1941												1988					2006												Oklahoma
Oregon																															/ 1925																																		Oregon
Pennsylvania																															1907																																											Pennsylvania
Rhode Island	1640																						1877			1882					1897																																													Rhode Island
South Carolina			1775														1861	1861																				1910							1940																																		South Carolina
South Dakota																															1909															1963										1992																	South Dakota
Tennessee																															1897				1905																																												Tennessee
Texas												1836	1839																																							Texas
Utah																1850																		1903					1913																													2011						2024					Utah
Vermont		1770						1804				1837																														1923																																					Vermont
Virginia																	1861		1865																											1950																																	Virginia
Washington																															1923														1967																					Washington
Washington D.C.																															1924							1938																											Washington D.C.
West Virginia																															1905	1907									1929																																		West Virginia
Wisconsin																				1866																			1913																	1981																							Wisconsin
Wyoming																															1917																																						Wyoming
State	Before																																																																													Current	State
State	Before	1770s			1780s	1790s	1800s		1810s	1820s	1830s			1840s		1850s	1860s					1870s			1880s			1890s					1900s					1910s			1920s			1930s	1940s	1950s				1960s			1970s			1980s			1990s				2000s					2010s					2020s					Current	State

Territories

Territory	Before	1700s	1710s	1720s	1730s	1740s		1750s	1760s	1770s	1780s		1790s	1800s	1810s	1820s		1830s	1840s		1850s			1860s		1870s			1880s				1890s		1900s		1910s			1920s			1930s	1940s	1950s		1960s	1970s		1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s	Current	Territory
Territory	Before																																																						Current	Territory
American Samoa																	1858		1873	1879		1887			1900			1908	1912												1959	1960										American Samoa
Guam																	1885		1898		1908	1912								1941	1944	1947	1948																Guam
Northern Mariana Islands																	1885		1899				1914	1919							1944	1947				1965		1972	1976				1989						Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico	1506	1701					1760					1785															1873							1895												1952										Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands	1672																1917	1921																										Virgin Islands
Territory	Before 1700s																																																						Current	Territory
Territory	Before 1700s	1700s	1710s	1720s	1730s	1740s		1750s	1760s	1770s	1780s		1790s	1800s	1810s	1820s		1830s	1840s		1850s			1860s		1870s			1880s				1890s		1900s		1910s			1920s			1930s	1940s	1950s		1960s	1970s		1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s	Current	Territory

Related Research Articles

A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signalling and identification, especially in environments where communication is challenging. Many flags fall into groups of similar designs called flag families. The study of flags is known as "vexillology" from the Latin vexillum, meaning "flag" or "banner".

The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton, referred to as the union and bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from Great Britain, which they obtained in their victory in the American Revolutionary War.

The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Flag was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag.

The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue, white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the Tricolour, although the flag of Ireland and others are also known as such. The design was adopted after the French Revolution, where the revolutionaries were influenced by the horizontally striped red-white-blue flag of the Netherlands. While not the first tricolour, it became one of the most influential flags in history. The tricolour scheme was later adopted by many other nations in Europe and elsewhere, and, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica has historically stood "in symbolic opposition to the autocratic and clericalist royal standards of the past".

The national flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold. The flag was first sighted in 1848 in the German Confederation. The flag was also used by the German Empire from 1848 to 1849. It was officially adopted as the national flag of the German Reich from 1919 to 1933, and has been in use since its reintroduction in Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.

The National Flag of Canada, often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the maple leaf flag or l'Unifolié, consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre. It is the first flag to have been adopted by both houses of Parliament and officially proclaimed by the Canadian monarch as the country's official national flag. The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable national symbol of Canada.

Black Flag is an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. Initially called Panic, the band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands, as well as one of the pioneers of post-hardcore. After breaking up in 1986, Black Flag reunited in 2003 and again in 2013. The second reunion lasted well over a year, during which they released their first studio album in nearly three decades, What The... (2013). The band announced their third reunion in January 2019.

The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner bearing a crimson-red circle at its center. This flag is officially called the Nisshōki, but is more commonly known in Japan as the Hinomaru. It embodies the country's sobriquet: the Land of the Rising Sun.

The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and the "Blood-Stained Banner", used in 1865 shortly before the Confederacy's dissolution. A rejected national flag design was also used as a battle flag by the Confederate Army and featured in the "Stainless Banner" and "Blood-Stained Banner" designs. Although this design was never a national flag, it is the most commonly recognized symbol of the Confederacy.

The national flag of Italy, often referred to in Italian as il Tricolore, is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white and red, national colours of Italy, with the green at the hoist side, as defined by article 12 of the Constitution of the Italian Republic. The Italian law regulates its use and display, protecting its defense and providing for the crime of insulting it; it also prescribes its teaching in Italian schools together with other national symbols of Italy.

The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag.

The national flag of the Russian Federation is a tricolour of three equal horizontal fields: white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom. It was first raised in 1696, as an ensign for merchant ships under the Tsardom of Russia.

This gallery of sovereign state flags shows the national or state flags of sovereign states that appear on the list of sovereign states. For flags of other entities, please see gallery of flags of dependent territories. Each flag is depicted as if the flagpole is positioned on the left of the flag, except for those of Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia which are depicted with the hoist to the right.

The flags of the U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Modern U.S. state flags date from the turn of the 20th century, when states considered distinctive symbols for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Most U.S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I.

The national flag of India, colloquially called Tiraṅgā, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag, the colours being of India saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Union of India on 15 August 1947. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, the term "tricolour" almost always refers to the Indian national flag.

The flag of Australia, also known as the Australian Blue Ensign, is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars. Australia also has a number of other official flags representing its people and core functions of government.

The rainbow flag or pride flag is a symbol of LGBT pride and LGBT social movements. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Using a rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBT pride began in San Francisco, California, but eventually became common at LGBT rights events worldwide.

The national flag of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, is a Chinese red field with five golden stars charged at the canton. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off towards the fly. It has been the national flag of China since the foundation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949. The flag was designed by Zeng Liansong.

The national flag of Ireland, frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour is a vertical tricolour of green, white and orange. The proportions of the flag are 1:2.

Although the Confederate States of America dissolved at the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865), its battle flag continues to be displayed as a symbol. The modern display began during the 1948 United States presidential election when it was used by the Dixiecrats, a political party that opposed civil rights for African Americans. Further display of the flag was a response to the civil rights movement and the passage of federal civil rights laws in the 1950s and 1960s.

References

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v t e Flags of the U.S. states and territories, federal district, other political divisions
Flags of cities of the United States Flags of counties of the United States Timeline of U.S. state flags
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
Federal district	Washington, D.C.
Insular areas	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands
Other	Associated states Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau Tribal nations Cherokee Nation Hopi Nation Iroquois Confederacy Navajo Nation Unofficial flags of the USMOI
Historic	Confederate States Cuba Philippines (Commonwealth) California Republic Maine (1901–1909) Panama Canal Zone Texas (Republic) Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Ryukyu Islands (1950–1972) Vermont Republic West Florida (Republic)
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Timeline of U.S. state flags

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Related Research Articles

References