1.
Glossary of vexillology
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Flag terminology is the nomenclature, or system of terms, used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display. Badge A coat of arms or simple heraldic symbol, canton Any quarter of a flag, but commonly means the upper hoist quarter, such as the field of stars in the flag of the United States or the Union Jack in the Australian Flag. Charge A figure or symbol appearing in the field of a flag, emblem A device often used as a charge on a flag. It may be heraldic in origin or modern, for example the maple leaf on the Canadian Flag, field The background of a flag, the color behind the charges. Fimbriation A narrow edging or border, often in white or gold, for example the white and gold lines of the South African Flag. Fly The half or edge of a flag farthest away from the flagpole and this term also sometimes refers to the horizontal length of a flag. Hoist The half or edge of a flag nearest to the flagpole and this term also sometimes refers to the vertical width of a flag. Length The span of a flag along the side at right angles to the flagpole, width The span of a flag down the side parallel to the flagpole. Flags often inherit traits seen in traditional European heraldry designs and as a result patterns often share names, banderole or bannerol A small flag or streamer carried on the lance of a knight, or a long narrow flag flying from the mast-head of a ship. Banner Generically, a synonym for a flag of any kind, in heraldry, a flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms, but usually in a square or rectangular shape, also known as a banner of arms. Burgee A distinguishing flag of a recreational boating organisation, Civil ensign, merchant flag or merchant ensign A version of the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality. Civil flag A version of the flag flown by civilians on non-government installations or craft. Colour or color The flag of a military unit, courtesy flag or courtesy ensign A flag flown by a visiting ship in foreign waters as a token of respect. Ensign The flag of a ship or military unit, may also be used generically as a synonym for a flag of any kind. Fanion A small flag used by the French military, gonfalon, gonfanon or gonfalone A type of heraldic flag suspended from a crossbar. Guidon A small flag borne by a military unit, in Scots heraldry, a smaller version of the Standard. Pennon or pennant A flag larger at the hoist than at the fly, pipe banner A decorative flag for the Scottish Highland bagpipes. Prayer flag A type of flag found strung along mountain ridges and peaks in the Himalayas, rank flag or distinguishing flag The flag flown by a superior naval officer on his flagship or headquarters
2.
Civil flag
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A civil flag is a version of the national flag that is flown by civilians on nongovernmental installations or craft. The use of flags was more common in the past to denote buildings or ships not manned by the military. In some countries, the flag is the same as the war flag or state flag but without the coat of arms, such as in the case of Spain. In others, it is an alteration of the war flag, in Scandinavia, state and war flags can be double and triple-tailed variants of the Nordic Cross flag. Many countries, particularly those with a British heritage, still have distinctive civil flags for use at sea, many based on the Red Ensign
3.
State flag
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There are two separate meanings for the term of state flag in vexillology, the flag of the government of a sovereign state and the flag of an individual subnational state. A state flag is a variant of a national flag specifically designated and restricted by law or custom to use by a government or its agencies. For this reason they are referred to as government flags. Scandinavian countries also use swallowtailed state flags, to differentiate them from civil flags. In addition, some countries have state ensigns, separate flags for use by government ships such as guard vessels. For example, government ships in the United Kingdom fly the blue ensign, state flags should not be confused with the national flag as used by military organisations, these are referred to as war flags and naval ensigns. To avoid confusion with the first meaning of the term, however, such a flag would be more referred to as the flag of the state of X. For this usage, see also, Flags of the Australian states and territories Flags of Brazilian states Flags of the U. S. states Flags of German states Znamierowski, the world encyclopedia of flags, The definitive guide to international flags, banners, standards and ensigns
4.
Zia people
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The Zia /ˈziːə/ are an indigenous tribe centered at Zia Pueblo, an Indian reservation in New Mexico, U. S. The Zia are known for their pottery and use of the Sun symbol, the people are a branch of the large Pueblo community. The Spanish explorer Antonio de Espejo first encountered the Zia in 1583, when he noted that the largest pueblo was the one the natives called Tsiya, Spanish settlers and their religious orders slowly took control of the region and outlawed traditional Zia religious ceremonies. The first missionary was assigned to the Zia in 1598 by Don Juan De Oñate, tensions between the Spanish and Zia continued to build until 1680 when a regional uprising led by Popé, a Tewa religious leader, overthrew the Spanish regime. The uprising was successful and the Spanish were forced to flee south, the Pueblo Indians acquired horses from the Spanish, thus allowing the further spread of horses to the Plains tribes. It was another nine years before the Spanish returned, laying siege to Zia Pueblo in 1689, soldiers led by Governor Domingo Jironza Petriz de Cruzate sacked the pueblo, killing 600 people and taking 70 Zia Indians captive. Because of the climate of the land where they live. Since they were home dwellers instead of nomads, farming was essential to their supply of food. In New Mexico rain was scarce during certain parts of the year so new techniques of farming were developed The Zia would plant seeds in a piece of land close to a river or stream. They would then dig paths to the fields from the stream, by strategically placing rocks in the paths, they controlled the flow of water to their crops. In the more elevated regions men planted seeds in a patch on a runny slope, when it rained the rainwater ran down the slope to water the crops as well. Another method was digging huge trenches called cisterns to collect the rain, women would to go to these trenches with clay pottery to collect water for watering the fields. Zia farming produced an array of crops, but the most important of these were maize, beans. These crops were planted in shared or common ground, which everyone contributed and they were the staple of Zia and Pueblo diets. Corn was the most important of all, while some was eaten fresh, most was stored away in pots and cellars for the winter and droughts. When some of the dried, it was turned into flour. They would sit outside at grinding stones, singing songs while rubbing stones against the corn. They sang because they considered the corn to be sacred, once the flour was done, it was mixed with water to make dough
5.
U.S. state
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A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance
6.
New Mexico
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New Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. It was admitted to the Union as the 47th state on January 6,1912 and it is usually considered one of the Mountain States. New Mexico is fifth by area, the 36th-most populous, inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years before European exploration, New Mexico was colonized by the Spanish in 1598 Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. Later, it was part of independent Mexico before becoming a U. S. territory and eventually a U. S. state as a result of the Mexican–American War. Among U. S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics, the major Native American nations in the state are Navajo, Pueblo, and Apache peoples. The demography and culture of the state are shaped by these strong Hispanic and Native American influences and its scarlet and gold colors are taken from the royal standards of Spain, along with the ancient sun symbol of the Zia, a Pueblo-related tribe. New Mexico, or Nuevo México in Spanish, is incorrectly believed to have taken its name from the nation of Mexico. The name simply stuck, even though the area had no connection to Mexico or the Mexica Indian tribes, Mexico, formerly a part of New Spain, adopted its name centuries later in 1821, after winning independence from Spanish rule. New Mexico was a part of the independent Mexican Empire and Federal Republic of Mexico for 27 years,1821 through 1848, New Mexico and Mexico developed as neighboring Spanish-speaking communities under Spanish rule, with relatively independent histories. The states total area is 121,412 square miles, the eastern border of New Mexico lies along 103° W longitude with the state of Oklahoma, and 2.2 miles west of 103° W longitude with Texas. On the southern border, Texas makes up the eastern two-thirds, while the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora make up the western third, the western border with Arizona runs along the 109°03 W longitude. The southwestern corner of the state is known as the Bootheel, the 37° N latitude parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The states New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together at the Four Corners in the corner of New Mexico. New Mexico, although a state, has very little water. Its surface water area is about 250 square miles, the New Mexican landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Despite New Mexicos arid image, heavily forested mountain wildernesses cover a significant portion of the state, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost part of the Rocky Mountains, run roughly north-south along the east side of the Rio Grande in the rugged, pastoral north. The most important of New Mexicos rivers are the Rio Grande, Pecos, Canadian, San Juan, the Rio Grande is tied for the fourth-longest river in the United States. Tourists visiting these sites bring significant money to the state, other areas of geographical and scenic interest include Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and the Gila Wilderness in the southwest of the state
7.
Native Americans in the United States
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In the United States, Native Americans are people descended from the Pre-Columbian indigenous population of the land within the countrys modern boundaries. These peoples were composed of distinct tribes, bands, and ethnic groups. Most Native American groups had historically preserved their histories by oral traditions and artwork, at the time of first contact, the indigenous cultures were quite different from those of the proto-industrial and mostly Christian immigrants. Some of the Northeastern and Southwestern cultures in particular were matrilineal, the majority of Indigenous American tribes maintained their hunting grounds and agricultural lands for use of the entire tribe. Europeans at that time had patriarchal cultures and had developed concepts of property rights with respect to land that were extremely different. Assimilation became a consistent policy through American administrations, during the 19th century, the ideology of manifest destiny became integral to the American nationalist movement. Expansion of European-American populations to the west after the American Revolution resulted in increasing pressure on Native American lands and this resulted in the ethnic cleansing of many tribes, with the brutal, forced marches coming to be known as The Trail of Tears. As American expansion reached into the West, settler and miner migrants came into increasing conflict with the Great Basin, Great Plains and these were complex nomadic cultures based on horse culture and seasonal bison hunting. Over time, the United States forced a series of treaties and land cessions by the tribes, in 1924, Native Americans who were not already U. S. citizens were granted citizenship by Congress. Contemporary Native Americans have a relationship with the United States because they may be members of nations, tribes. The terms used to refer to Native Americans have at times been controversial, by comparison, the indigenous peoples of Canada are generally known as First Nations. It is not definitively known how or when the Native Americans first settled the Americas and these early inhabitants, called Paleoamericans, soon diversified into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes. The archaeological periods used are the classifications of archaeological periods and cultures established in Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips 1958 book Method and they divided the archaeological record in the Americas into five phases, see Archaeology of the Americas. The Clovis culture, a hunting culture, is primarily identified by use of fluted spear points. Artifacts from this culture were first excavated in 1932 near Clovis, the Clovis culture ranged over much of North America and also appeared in South America. The culture is identified by the distinctive Clovis point, a flaked flint spear-point with a notched flute, dating of Clovis materials has been by association with animal bones and by the use of carbon dating methods. Recent reexaminations of Clovis materials using improved carbon-dating methods produced results of 11,050 and 10,800 radiocarbon years B. P, other tribes have stories that recount migrations across long tracts of land and a great river, believed to be the Mississippi River. Genetic and linguistic data connect the people of this continent with ancient northeast Asians
8.
Pueblo
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Pueblos are modern and old communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment structures built of stone, adobe mud and these structures were usually multi-storied buildings surrounding an open plaza. The rooms were only through ladders lowered by the inhabitants, thus protecting them from break-ins. Larger pueblos were occupied by hundreds to thousands of Pueblo people, several different federally recognized tribes have traditionally resided in pueblos of such design. The word pueblo is the Spanish word for town or village and it comes from the Latin root word populus meaning people. The demands of agrarian routine and the need for defense, the desire for human society in the vast solitude of. Nowadays the pueblo might have a running into thousands. Doubtless they were smaller in the early middle ages. There are 21 federally recognized Pueblos that are home to Pueblo people and their official federal names are as follows, Pre-Columbian towns and villages in the Southwest, such as Acoma, were located in defensible positions, for example, on high steep mesas. Anthropologists and official documents refer to ancient residents of the area as pueblo cultures. For example, the National Park Service states, The Late Puebloan cultures built the large, the people of some pueblos, such as Taos Pueblo, still inhabit centuries-old adobe pueblo buildings. Contemporary residents often maintain other homes outside the historic pueblos, adobe and light construction methods resembling adobe now dominate architecture at the many pueblos of the area, in nearby towns or cities, and in much of the American Southwest. In addition to contemporary pueblos, numerous ruins of archeological interest are located throughout the Southwest, some are of relatively recent origin
9.
Hispanos of New Mexico
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Not to be confused with Hispanic, the English translation of Hispano. For other uses of the term, see Hispano, for most of its modern history, New Mexico belonged to Spain and later Mexico. Like some of the Californios and Tejanos, most settlers in New Mexico were of Spanish ancestry, the descendants of the settlers make up an ethnic community of more than 340,000 in New Mexico, with others in southern Colorado. In Spanish, the predominant term for this group has always been Hispano, analogous to Californio. In New Mexico, the Spanish-speaking population was always greater than those of California. The term is used to differentiate those who settled the area early, around 1598 to 1848. It can also refer to anyone of Spanish or Indo-Hispanic descent native to the American Southwest, the settlers founded San Juan de los Caballeros, the first Spanish settlement in what was called the Kingdom of New Mexico, after the Valley of Mexico. Oñate also conquered the territories of the Pueblo peoples and he became the first governor of New Mexico. The exploitation of Spanish rule under Oñate caused nearly continuous attacks and reprisals from the nomadic Amer-Indian tribes on the borders, especially the Apache, Navajo, there were also major clashes between the Franciscan missionaries and secular and religious authorities. The colonists exploited Indian labor, as was typical in areas of the Spanish colonies in the Americas. In the 1650s, Governor Bernardo López de Mendizabal, and his subordinate Nicolas de Aguilar, enacted a law to force the settlers and Franciscans to pay Native Americans for their work. He opposed what he perceived to be the mistreatment of the Indians by the Franciscans and proposed to allow the Indians to preserve and to practice their culture, religion, the Franciscans protested the law and accused the governor before the Inquisition. Later he was tried in Mexico City, so, the Franciscans indirectly governed the New Mexico province. In the 1640s, the Native American groups that lived along the Rio Grande successfully rose against the Spanish colonizers in what known as the Pueblo Revolt. After forcing the flight of the settlers/invadors from New Mexico, they were able to follow their own customs, when they returned to the province in 1692, Don Diego de Vargas became the new governor of New Mexico. He entered the former bearing a image of La Conquistadora. The Native Americans were so intrigued by the statue of the Virgin Mary that they are reputed to have laid down their arms at the sight of it. At the time of Vargas arrival, New Mexico was under the jurisdiction of the Royal Audiencia of Guadalajara, however, in 1777 with the creation of the Provincias Internas it was included only in the jurisdiction of the Commandant-General
10.
Habsburg Spain
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Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. The Habsburg rulers reached the zenith of their influence and power and this period of Spanish history has also been referred to as the Age of Expansion. The Habsburg years were also a Spanish Golden Age of cultural efflorescence, in some cases, these individual kingdoms themselves were confederations, most notably, the Crown of Aragon. Isabella and Ferdinand were bestowed the title of Most Catholic Monarchs by Pope Alexander VI in 1496, the Habsburg period is formative of the notion of Spain in the sense that was institutionalized in the 18th century. Her husband Philip I was the Habsburg son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, shortly thereafter Joanna began to lapse into insanity, though how mentally ill she actually was the topic of some debate. In 1506, Philip I was declared jure uxoris king, but he died later that year under mysterious circumstances, possibly poisoned by his father-in-law, Ferdinand II. Since their oldest son Charles was only six, the Cortes reluctantly allowed Joannas father Ferdinand II to rule the country as the regent of Joanna, Spain was now in personal union under Ferdinand II of Aragon. He also attempted to enlarge Spains sphere of influence in Italy, as ruler of Aragon, Ferdinand had been involved in the struggle against France and the Republic of Venice for control of Italy, these conflicts became the center of Ferdinands foreign policy as king. The war was less of a success than that against Venice, Ferdinand would die later that year. Ferdinands death led to the ascension of young Charles to the throne as Charles I of Castile and Aragon and his Spanish inheritance included all the Spanish possessions in the New World and around the Mediterranean. Upon the death of his Habsburg father in 1506, Charles had inherited the Netherlands and Franche-Comté, in 1519, with the death of his paternal grandfather Maximilian I, Charles inherited the Habsburg territories in Germany, and was duly elected as Holy Roman Emperor that year. At that point, Emperor and King Charles was the most powerful man in Christendom, the accumulation of so much power by one man and one dynasty greatly concerned Francis I of France, who found himself surrounded by Habsburg territories. In 1521 Francis invaded the Spanish possessions in Italy and Navarre, the war was a disaster for France, which suffered defeats at Biccoca, Pavia, and Landriano before Francis relented and abandoned Milan to Spain once more. Charless victory at the Battle of Pavia surprised many Italians and Germans, Pope Clement VII switched sides and now joined forces with France and prominent Italian states against the Habsburg Emperor, in the War of the League of Cognac. Henry VIII of England, who bore a grudge against France than he held against the Emperor for standing in the way of his divorce. Although the Spanish army was defeated at the Battle of Ceresole, in Savoy Henry fared better. The Austrians, led by Charless younger brother Ferdinand, continued to fight the Ottomans in the east, with France defeated, Charles went to take care of an older problem, the Schmalkaldic League. The Protestant Reformation had begun in Germany in 1517, the German Peasants War broke out in Germany in 1524 and ravaged the country until it was brutally put down in 1526, Charles, even as far away from Germany as he was, was committed to keeping order
11.
Cross of Burgundy
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The Duchy of Burgundy was inherited by the House of Habsburg on the extinction of the Valois ducal line. The Spanish monarchs continued to use it in their own arms even after they lost their Burgundian lands. From 1506 to 1701 it was used by Spain as an ensign, and up to 1843 as the land battle flag. The emblem also continues to be used in a variety of contexts in a number of European countries and in the Americas, reflecting both the extent of Valois Burgundy and the former Habsburg territories. The banner strictly speaking dates back to the early 15th century and it represents the cross on which Andrew the Apostle was crucified. The design is a red saltire resembling two crossed, roughly-pruned branches, on a white field, in heraldic language, it may be blazoned argent, a saltire ragulée gules. Pedro de Ayala, writing in the 1490s, claims it was first adopted by a previous Duke of Burgundy to honour his Scottish soldiers. This must be a reference to the Scottish soldiers recruited by John the Fearless in the first years of the century, led by the Earl of Mar. Andrew was the saint of the dukes of Burgundy The year 1506 should be considered its theoretical earliest use in Spain. Philip, after his marriage to Joanna of Castile, became the first Habsburg King of Spain and used the Cross of Burgundy as an emblem as it was the symbol of the house of his mother, Mary of Burgundy. From the time of Philip and Joannas son, Emperor Charles V, nevertheless, the official field was still white. The Spanish monarchs – the Habsburgs and their successors the House of Bourbon – continued to use the Cross of Burgundy in various forms and it also remained in use in Spains overseas empire. In the First Carlist War the Burgundian banner, however, was a banner of the Regent Queens standing Army rather than Carlist. After 1843 the red Burgundian saltire kept on appearing on the new brand red-yellow army flag under a four-quartered Castilian, eventually, under the leadership of Manuel Fal Condé, the Cross of Burgundy became the Carlist badge in 1934. Users mostly have some direct or indirect relation to the historical Burgundy, though such connection can be very vague, the flying of this flag reminds people today of the impact Spain and its military had on world history for over 400 years. It was also used by Spanish military forces, in present-day Bolivia the Cross of Burgundy is the official flag of the department of Chuquisaca. The Flag of Alabama uses a modified representation of the Spanish Cross of Burgundy, an unmodified version of the cross was used in most of Alabama until the 19th century. The colors of the Flag of New Mexico are those of the yellow, Burgundy Flag of New Mexico Saint Patricks Flag Vexillology Flags of the World GeorgiaInfo
12.
Spain
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By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, other urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago, in the Middle Ages, the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a power and a major developed country with the worlds fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP. Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the span is the Phoenician word spy. Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean the land where metals are forged, two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abravanel and Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two different published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had given a kingdom in Spain. He became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, Heracles later renounced his throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in use in Spain by c.350 BCE, Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled by Phoenicians who founded Western Europe´s most ancient cities Cadiz, Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major theater of the Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule, during the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas, a global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas empire for three centuries. Continued wars and other problems led to a diminished status. The Napoleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire, eventually democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a renaissance and steady economic growth
13.
Crown of Aragon
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Put in contemporary terms, it has sometimes been considered that the different lands of the Crown of Aragon functioned more as a confederation than as a single kingdom. In this sense, the larger Crown of Aragon must not be confused with one of its constituent parts, formally, the political center of the Crown of Aragon was Zaragoza, where kings were crowned at La Seo Cathedral. The de facto capital and leading cultural, administrative and economic centre of the Crown of Aragon was Barcelona followed by Valencia, finally, Palma was an additional important city and seaport. For brief periods the Crown of Aragon also controlled Montpellier, Provence, Corsica, the countries that are today known as Spain and Portugal spent the Middle Ages after 722 in an intermittent struggle called the Reconquista. This struggle pitted the northern Christian kingdoms against the Islamic taifa petty kingdoms of the South, in the Late Middle Ages, the expansion of the Aragonese Crown southwards met with the Castilian advance eastward in the region of Murcia. Afterward, the Aragonese Crown focused on the Mediterranean, acting as far as Greece and Barbary, whereas Portugal, mercenaries from the territories in the Crown, known as almogàvers participated in the creation of this Mediterranean empire, and later found employment in countries all across southern Europe. The Crown of Aragon has been considered by some as an empire which ruled in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years and it was indeed, at its height, one of the major powers in Europe. However, its different territories were connected through the person of the monarch. A modern historian, Juan de Contreras y Lopez de Ayala, Marqués de Lozoya described the Crown of Aragon as being more like a confederacy than a centralised kingdom, let alone an empire. Nor did official documents refer to it as an empire, instead. This union respected the institutions and parliaments of both territories. This was due to the loss of Catalan influence, the renunciation of the family rights of the counts of Barcelona in Occitania. Petronillas father King Ramiro, The Monk who was raised in the Saint Pons de Thomières Monastery and his brothers Peter I and Alfonso I El Batallador had bravely fought against Castile for hegemony in the Iberian peninsula. After the death of Alfonso I, the Aragonese nobility that campaigned close him feared being overwhelmed by the influence of Castile, and so, Ramiro was forced to leave his monastic life and proclaim himself King of Aragon. He married Agnes, sister of the Duke of Aquitaine and betrothed his daughter to Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona. The wedding agreement provided Raymond Berengar IV the title of Princeps Aragonum and Dominator Aragonenesis and kept the title, Raymond Berengar IV, the first ruler of the united dynasty, called himself Count of Barcelona and Prince of Aragon. Alfonso II inherited two realms and with them, two different expansion processes, the House of Jiménez looked south in a battle against Castile for the control of the Mediterranean coast in the Iberian peninsula. The House of Barcelona looked north to its origins, Occitania, soon, Alfonso II of Aragon and Barcelona committed himself to conquer Valencia as the Aragonese nobility demanded
14.
Conquistador
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Conquistadors /kɒŋˈkɪstəˌdɔːrz/ is a term used to refer to the soldiers and explorers of the Spanish Empire or the Portuguese Empire in a general sense. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, Oceania, Africa and Asia, conquering territory and they colonized much of the world for Spain and Portugal in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Portugal established a route to China in the early 16th century, sending ships via the southern coast of Africa, human infections gained worldwide transmission vectors for the first time, from Africa and Eurasia to the Americas and vice versa. The spread of diseases, including smallpox, flu and typhus. In the 16th century perhaps 240,000 Europeans entered American ports, by the late 16th century silver imports from America provided one-fifth of Spains total budget. The conquistadors were professional warriors, using European tactics, firearms and their units would often specialize in forms of combat that required long periods of training that were too costly for informal groups. Their armies were composed of Iberian and other European soldiers. Native allied troops were largely equipped with armament and armour that varied geographically. Some groups consisted of men without military experience, Catholic clergy which helped with administrative duties. These native forces often included African slaves and Native Americans and they not only fought in the battlefield but served as interpreters, informants, servants, teachers, physicians, and scribes. India Catalina and Malintzin were Native American women slaves who worked for the Spaniards, Castilian law prohibited foreigners and non-Catholics from settling in the New World. However, not all conquistadors were Castilian, many foreigners Hispanicised their names and/or converted to Catholicism to serve the Castilian Crown. For example, Ioánnis Fokás was a Castilian of Greek origin who discovered the strait that bears his name between Vancouver Island and Washington State in 1592, german-born Nikolaus Federmann, Hispanicised as Nicolás de Federmán, was a conquistador in Venezuela and Colombia. The origin of people in mixed expeditions was not always distinguished. Castilian law banned Spanish women from travelling to America unless they were married and accompanied by a husband, women who travelled thus include María de Escobar, María Estrada, Marina Vélez de Ortega, Marina de la Caballería, Francisca de Valenzuela, Catalina de Salazar. Some conquistadors married Native American women or had illegitimate children, European young men enlisted in the army because it was one way out of poverty. Catholic priests instructed the soldiers in mathematics, writing, theology, Latin, Greek, and history, Kings army officers taught military arts. An uneducated young recruit could become a leader, elected by their fellow professional soldiers
15.
Flags of the U.S. states and territories
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The flags of the U. S. states, territories and federal district exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Nonetheless, the majority of the states share the same design pattern consisting of the state seal superimposed on a monochrome background. The most recent current state flag is that of Utah, while the most recent current territorial flag is that of the Northern Mariana Islands. Modern U. S. state flags date from the 1890s, most U. S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I. Dates in parentheses denote when the current flag was adopted by the states legislature and these are the current flags of the federal district and territories of the United States. Dates in parenthesis denote when the district or territorys current flag was adopted by its respective political body, the U. S. national flag is the official flag for all islands, atolls, and reefs composing the United States Minor Outlying Islands. However, unofficial flags are in use on five of these nine areas, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island. Maine and Massachusetts have ensigns differing from the flag for use at sea
16.
Flag of Alabama
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The bars forming the cross shall be not less than six inches broad, and must extend diagonally across the flag from side to side. – The cross of St. Patrick referred to in the law is a diagonal cross, because the bars must be at least six inches wide, small representations of the Alabama flag do not meet the legal definition. On January 11,1861, the Alabama Secession Convention passed a resolution designating an official flag, designed by several women from Montgomery, final touches were made by Francis Corra of that city. One side of the flag displayed the Goddess of Liberty holding a sword in her right hand. Above the gold star appears the text Alabama in all capital letters, in an arch above this figure were the words Independent Now and Forever. The reverse side of the flag had a plant with a coiled rattlesnake. The text Noli Me Tangere, was placed below the cotton plant and this flag was sent to the governors office on February 10,1861. Due to damage from weather, the flag was never flown again. Alabamas current flag was adopted in 1895, the legislation introduced by Representative John W. A. Sanford Jr. stipulates that 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. Sanfords father, John W. A. Sanford, had commanded the 60th Alabama Infantry Regiment during the U. S. Civil War, the design of that regimental flag was a white saltire over a blue field with a circle of white stars surrounding the crossing. The regimental flag accompanied them through the end of the war and was surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, the saltire of Alabamas flag most closely resembles the saltire of the flag of Florida, which has its heritage in the Spanish Cross of Burgundy. Southern Alabama was originally part of Spanish Florida and subsequently West Florida, Alabamas flag is officially a St. Andrews cross as described in its legislation, and so is the Cross of Burgundy, representing the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified. It is sometimes believed that the saltire of the current flag of Alabama was designed to resemble the blue saltire of the Confederate Battle Flag. Many battle flags were square, and the flag of Alabama is sometimes depicted as square. The legislation that created the flag did not specify that the flag was to be square. The authors of a 1917 article in National Geographic expressed their opinion that because the Alabama flag was based on the Battle Flag, another remote, but possible inspiration was the flag carried by Co. The regiment was the only Alabama regiment in Ruckers Brigade, commanded by Col. Edmund Rucker of Tennessee, the flag of Ruckers brigade utilized a white background with a red saltire charged with 13 blue/green stars
17.
Flag of California
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The Bear Flag is the official flag of the state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and was known as the Bear Flag. The first official version of the Bear Flag was adopted by the California State Legislature, the 1911 statute stated, The bear flag is hereby selected and adopted as the state flag of California. In 1953, the design and specifications for the flag were standardized in a bill signed by Governor Earl Warren. He shall, periodically, compile the laws and regulations regarding the State Flag, copies of the compilation shall be printed and made available to the public at cost by the Department of General Services. When the flag is displayed vertically, it is rotated 90 degrees clockwise such that the bear and star face upward, the flag is also used as the state ensign. The modern state flag is white with a red strip along the bottom. There is a red star in the left corner and a grizzly bear facing left in the center. The size of the bear is 2/3 the size of the hoist width and has a ratio of 2 by 1, the grass plot has a ratio of 11 to 1. The five-point star is taken from the California Lone Star Flag of 1836, the bear on the current flag of California is claimed to have been modeled on the last Californian grizzly bear in captivity. The bear, named Monarch, was captured in 1889 by newspaper reporter Allen Kelley, the bear was subsequently moved to Woodwards Gardens in San Francisco, and then to the zoo at Golden Gate Park. After the bears death in 1911, it was mounted and preserved at the Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park, the 1953 law includes an official black and white rendering of the bear as well as the plot of grass and brown tufts. This drawing and other specifications that define the flags colors and dimensions are identified as 54-J-03. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial, and Canadian provincial flags and ranked the flag of California 13th. The 1953 legislation defined the shades of the Californian flag with a total of five colors relative to the 9th edition of the Standard Color Card of America. It is one of only four US state flags that does not contain the color blue, Seal is used for the dark shading of the bear, the 12 darker tufts in the plot of grass, the border of the plot and the lettering CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC. Old Glory Red is used for the star, the bears tongue, irish Green is used for the grass plot. The bears claws are also accented with white, the left front and rear paws have four white claws while the right rear claw displays three
18.
Flag of Maryland
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The official flag of the state of Maryland consists of the heraldic banner of George Calvert, Lord Baltimore. The flag was adopted by the Maryland General Assembly in 1904. The first Maryland flag design consisted of the Seal of Maryland on a blue background, the black and gold design on the flag is the coat of arms from the Calvert line. It was granted to George Calvert as a reward for his storming a fortification during a battle. The red and white design is the coat of arms of the Crossland line, the family of Lord Baltimores mother, since George Calverts mother was a heiress, he was entitled to use both coats of arms in his banner. It is one of only four U. S. state flags that does not contain the color blue. It is also the only US state flag to be based on English heraldry, although the flag of Washington. The heraldic blazon is, Quarterly, 1st and 4th, paly of six Or and Sable, a bend counterchanged, 2nd and 3rd, quarterly argent and gules, at first, only the gold and black Calvert arms were associated with Maryland, being reintroduced in 1854. The black and gold colors with the design of the Calvert family were used in the flags and devices. After the war, Marylanders who had fought on either side of the returned to their state in need of reconciliation. The present design, which both of the coats of arms used by George Calvert, began appearing. At first, the Crossland coat of arms was put in the upper-left corner, the flag in its present form was first flown on October 11,1880, in Baltimore, at a parade marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of Baltimore. However, it was not officially adopted as the flag until 1904. Section 7-202 of the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland provides, the Maryland Secretary of State publishes a Protocol for the Maryland State Flag which, among other things, specifies the colors of the flag,1.04. In 1945, the Maryland General Assembly made a cross bottony the official ornament for the top of any flagpole carrying the state flag. Some time before October 10,2007, Government House in Annapolis ceased to display the cross bottony at the top of the flag pole, all other state government buildings, including public schools, obey this guideline, but many private individuals and businesses do not. The Calvert and Crossland coats of arms, and the flag itself, have adapted for use in various ways across the state. Beginning on September 9,2008, the University of Maryland painted both end zones at Maryland Stadium with the two patterns
19.
Flag of Washington, D.C.
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The flag of Washington, D. C. consists of three red stars above two red bars on a white background. As elements in heraldry, the stars are properly called mullets, for over a century, the District of Columbia was without an official flag and flew several unofficial banners—usually the flag of the D. C. In 1938, Congress established a commission to choose an official, original flag design, the commission held a public competition, and picked the submission of graphic designer Charles A. R. Dunn, who had first proposed his design in 1921. The three five-pointed stars have a diameter of 2⁄10 of the hoist and are spaced equidistant in the fly, or horizontal, council debated a proposal to change the flag in protest of the Districts lack of voting rights in Congress. The new design would have added the letters D. C. to the center star, the change presumably would have been temporary and revoked once the city achieved equal representation or statehood. It passed the council on a 10–2 vote, but support for the proposal soon eroded, in 2001, the flag placed eighth in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state, and U. S. territory flags ranked. In a 2004 poll on the North American Vexillological Association website, Washington, DCs flag was voted the best design among United States city flags, seal of the District of Columbia Official Symbols of the District of Columbia. Government of the District of Columbia, archived from the original on February 5,2006. DC Finally Gets Its Own Flag
20.
Daughters of the American Revolution
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The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States struggle for independence. A non-profit group, they work to promote preservation, education. It currently has approximately 180,000 members in the United States and its motto is God, Home, and Country. The DAR is a white organization with a record of excluding African American women. In 1889 the centennial of President George Washingtons inauguration was celebrated, out of the renewed interest in United States history, numerous patriotic and preservation societies were founded. The first meeting of the society was held August 9,1890, the first DAR chapter was organized on October 11,1890, at the Strathmore Arms, the home of Mary Smith Lockwood, one of the DARs four co-founders. Other founders were Eugenia Washington, a great-grandniece of George Washington, Ellen Hardin Walworth and they had also held organizational meetings in August 1890. The First Lady, Caroline Lavina Scott Harrison, wife of President Benjamin Harrison, lent her prestige to the founding of DAR, having initiated a renovation of the White House, she was interested in historic preservation. She helped establish the goals of DAR, which was incorporated by charter in 1896. This was in addition to fraternal and civic organizations flourishing in this period. The DAR chapters raised funds to initiate a number of historic preservation and they began a practice of installing markers at the graves of Revolutionary War veterans to indicate their service, and adding small flags at their gravesites on Memorial Day. Other activities included commissioning and installing monuments to battles and other related to the War. The DAR recognized women patriots contributions as well as those of soldiers, for instance, they installed a monument at the site of a spring where Polly Hawkins Craig and other women got water to use against flaming arrows, in the defense of Bryan Station. In addition to installing markers and monuments, DAR chapters have purchased, preserved and operated historic houses, see DAR Historic Sites and Database for a map and database of DAR sites. Washington, D. C. had segregated facilities under laws established by a Southern-dominated Congress, in 1945, African-American jazz singer Hazel Scott was excluded from performing at Constitution Hall. In October 1945, the DAR invited First Lady Bess Truman to a tea at the hall, congressman Powell protested and asked Truman not to attend the tea. She chose to go, but said publicly that she opposed discrimination, the White House received letters asking Bess Truman to resign from the DAR in protest of their policy, she declined to do so. Other letters supported her having attended the tea, the DAR did not officially reverse its white performers only policy until 1952
21.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Santa Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of Santa Fe County and this area was occupied for at least several hundred years by indigenous peoples who built villages. The city of Santa Fe, founded by Spanish colonists in 1610, is known as the oldest state capital city in the United States, Santa Fe had a population of 69,204 in 2012. It is the city of a Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Santa Fe County and is part of the larger Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Las Vegas combined statistical area. The citys full name when founded was La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís, the area of Santa Fe was originally occupied by indigenous Tanoan peoples, who lived in numerous Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande. One of the earliest known settlements in what today is downtown Santa Fe came sometime after 900, the river had a year-round flow until the 1700s. By the 20th century the Santa Fe River was a seasonal waterway, as of 2007, the river was recognized as the most endangered river in the United States, according to the conservation group American Rivers. Don Juan de Oñate led the first European effort to colonize the region in 1598, under Juan de Oñate and his son, the capital of the province was the settlement of San Juan de los Caballeros north of Santa Fe near modern Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. In 1610, he designated it as the capital of the province, Santa Fe remained Spains provincial seat until the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. It was considered important to fur traders based in present-day Saint Louis, when the area was still under Spanish rule, the Chouteau brothers of Saint Louis gained a monopoly on the fur trade, before the United States acquired Missouri under the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The fur trade contributed to the wealth of St. Louis, the citys status as the capital of the Mexican territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was formalized in the 1824 Constitution after Mexico achieved independence from Spain. When the Republic of Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836, it claimed Santa Fe as part of the portion of Texas along the Rio Grande. In 1841, a military and trading expedition set out from Austin. Known as the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, the force was prepared and was easily captured by the Mexican army. In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, brigadier General Stephen W. Kearny led the main body of his Army of the West of some 1,700 soldiers into Santa Fe to claim it and the whole New Mexico Territory for the United States. By 1848 the U. S. officially gained New Mexico through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, colonel Alexander William Doniphan, under the command of Kearny, recovered ammunition from Santa Fe labeled Spain 1776. This showed that New Mexico had received munitions and other support under Mexican rule, some American visitors at first saw little promise in the remote town. One traveller in 1849 wrote, I can hardly imagine how Santa Fe is supported, the country around it is barren
22.
Zia Pueblo, New Mexico
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Zia Pueblo is a census-designated place in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 646 at the 2000 census, Male,310 Female,336 The pueblo after which the CDP is named is included within the CDP, Zia Pueblo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 27.3 square miles. 27.3 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles of it is water, as of the census of 2000, there were 646 people,155 households, and 137 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 23.7 people per square mile, there were 189 housing units at an average density of 6.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 99. 85% Native American, hispanic of any race were 0. 46% of the population. 10. 3% of all households were made up of individuals and 1. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 4.17 and the average family size was 4.38. In the CDP, the population was out with 34. 8% under the age of 18,12. 4% from 18 to 24,28. 5% from 25 to 44,18. 3% from 45 to 64. The median age was 27 years, for every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males, the median income for a household in the CDP was $34,583, and the median income for a family was $37,679. Males had an income of $20,313 versus $19,271 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $8,689, about 15. 0% of families and 15. 4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18. 6% of those under age 18 and 9. 1% of those age 65 or over. Zia people National Register of Historic Places listings in Sandoval County, New Mexico Sims, Native Language Communities, a descriptive study of two community efforts to preserve their native languages National Indian Policy Center, The George Washington University, Washington. OCLC38077755 Stanley, Francis The Zia, New Mexico Story no publisher listed, Pep, Texas, OCLC2776310 Stevenson, Matilda Coxe The Sia Government Printing Office, the Pueblo of Sia, New Mexico Government Printing Office, Washington. OCLC1044554, reprinted as White, Leslie A
23.
Seal of New Mexico
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The Great Seal of the State of New Mexico is the official seal of the U. S. State of New Mexico and was adopted in 1913. When New Mexico became a state in 1912, the Legislature named a Commission for the purpose of designing a state seal, in June 1913, the Commission, which consisted of Governor William C. That seal is still in use today as the seal of New Mexico. The great seal of the state shall be a disc bearing the coat of arms, the Mexican eagle and the American bald eagle. New Mexico was settled by Spanish colonists as part of New Spain, as such, symbols and customs of Mexico grew up in New Mexico as well. The Mexican eagle grasps a snake in its beak and cactus in its talons, Mexico adopted this symbolic image when it was under Spanish administration, and New Mexico identified with it as well. On the seal, it symbolizes that New Mexico still holds on to its Spanish, Mexican, the Mexican eagle is small and shielded by the larger American eagle, which grasps arrows in its talons, its wings outstretched with its watchful eyes guarding the Mexican eagle. This configuration is meant to show the change of sovereignty in 1846 between Mexico and the United States and it also symbolizes Americas dominant yet delicate protection of New Mexico and its heritage and culture. Originally, New Mexicos territorial seal was engraved with MDCCCL to commemorate the date New Mexico was organized as a territory, but after it was admitted as a state, the commission decided that that was a better date to use on the seal. They decided against using Roman numerals, believing it was too pretentious, Great Seal of the State of New Mexico. The official motto of New Mexico is Crescit eundo, translated from Latin, it means It grows as it goes and has been criticized for appearing strange or even nonsensical at first hearing. However, the effect is more clear if one considers it within the context of its source in the epic poem De Rerum Natura by first-century B. C. Here, it refers to an increasing in strength as it moves across the sky. The motto was first used in 1882, when acting Territorial Secretary William G. Ritch added the Latin phrase Crescit eundo to an early 1860s version of the territorial seal. In 1887, Ritchs version of the seal, including the words Crescit eundo, was adopted by the legislature as part of the official New Mexico Territory seal and coat of arms. When New Mexico became a state in 1912, the Legislature appointed a commission to settle on a design for a state seal. As it turned out, the commission recommended the territorial seal to be continued as the state seal, New Mexicos first seal was designed shortly after the organization of the Territorial Government, in 1851. The original seal has long disappeared, possibly as part of the artifacts placed into the cornerstone of the Soldiers Monument in the Santa Fe Plaza
24.
Flag of the Navajo Nation
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The flag of the Navajo Nation is the official flag of the Navajo Nation, a Native American Governed Nation in the Four Corners states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. On May 21,1968, the flag was adopted for the Navajo Nation and this flag was designed by Jay R. Degroat, a student from Mariano Lake, New Mexico and was initially selected from 140 entries for the Navajo Flag Competition. It incorporates elements of the seal designed by John Claw, Jr. adopted earlier. The overall flag recalls sand painting, an art form used by the Navajos, a rainbow symbolizing Navajo sovereignty appears over the main design. In 1995 the Navajo flag became the first Native American tribal flag in space when Bernard Harris carried it aboard the space shuttle Discovery
25.
Flag of Alaska
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The flag of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and Polaris, on a dark blue field. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a bear, as depicted on the flag, its stars can be used as a guide by the novice to locate Polaris and determine true north, which varies considerably from a magnetic north. The design was created by Benny Benson of Seward and selected from among roughly 700 entries in a 1927 contest. More than 30 years before Alaska was to become a state, up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U. S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. Bensons design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide in grades 7–12, most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded US$1,000, Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design. The flag flown by the Companys ships and their shore establishments was Russias commercial flag, the new Company flag design of 1806 placed the Imperial eagle in the upper left quarter of Russias commercial flag. In order that the State symbol remain unobstructed and more visible the width of the stripe was enlarged to cover roughly one half of the flags width. The normal width proportions of Russias commercial flag were equal thirds, the Imperial eagle carried a scroll which dipped into the blue stripe, also for more visibility, which read, in abbreviated form Russian American Companys. The symbolism of the scroll beneath the Imperial eagle compliments the official version of the Companys name Under His Imperial Majestys Protection Russian-American Company, the flag flew over Alaska until October 18,1867, when all Russian-American Company holdings in Alaska were sold to the United States. The Alaska Legislature adopted Bensons design as the flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2,1927. The first flag made based on Bennys design was made of silk and appliquéd gold stars. It was retained as the flag upon statehood in 1959. The flags symbolism is described in the song, Alaskas Flag. Symbols of the State of Alaska Seal of the State of Alaska Starry Plough Catalog of the Eight Stars exhibit at the Alaska State Museum, in PDF format
26.
Flag of Arizona
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The flag of Arizona consists of 13 rays of red and weld-yellow on the top half, the colors of the flag of Spain, representing the 13 original states. The red and yellow also symbolize Arizonas picturesque sunsets, the copper star represents the copper mining industry in Arizona. The rest of the flag is colored blue, representing the Colorado River, during the rifle competition at Camp Perry, Ohio, the Arizona team was the only team without an emblem of any kind. Colonel Harris was chiefly responsible for the creation of the team flag that in 1917 became the Arizona State Flag. Blue and gold are the colors of Arizona, red and gold are the colors carried by Coronado’s Expedition of 1540 to the Seven Cities of Cibola. The blue is “liberty blue” identical to the color in the United States flag field of stars, since Arizona is a western state, the rays of the setting sun seemed appropriate. There are thirteen rays representing the original “thirteen colonies. ”The large copper star identifies Arizona as the largest producer of copper in the United States. While Colonel Harris is credited with the creation of the Rifle Team flag, W. R. Stewart of Mesa was working in conjunction with Colonel Charles W. Harris, who was the Arizona Adjutant General and head of the Arizona National Guard. Stewart, as President of the Mesa Rifle Team, felt compelled to design a flag for competition, stewarts wife sewed the first flag for competition from a sketch he had made on the back of an envelope. The Stewart/Harris version of the flags origin is due to Stewart dropping some copper dye and white material into boiling water. However, these early explorers never used the current Spanish flag, the flag was adopted on February 17,1917, by the 3rd Arizona Legislature. It was passed into law without the signature of Governor Thomas Campbell, the governor did not officially state his reasons for taking no action on the bill. To properly produce the flag, the height of the flag is two units high while the width is three units wide. The sun rays at the top are divided into 13 equal segments, starting with red, in the center of the flag, the copper star is one unit high, while the rest of the flag is covered by blue section measuring one unit high and three units wide. The colors of red and blue are the shade used on the flag of the United States. The specific colors of copper and gold have not been set down in law, the suggested flag size is four by six feet, with the star being two feet tall. Seal of Arizona List of Arizona state symbols Arizona flag history http, //www. mesaaz. gov/planning/RobsonHistoricDistrict. aspx
27.
Flag of Arkansas
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The Flag of Arkansas, also known as the Arkansas flag, consists of a red field charged with a large blue-bordered white lozenge. Twenty-nine five-pointed stars appear on the flag, twenty-five small white stars within the blue border, the inscription ARKANSAS appears in blue within the white lozenge, with one star above and three stars below. The star above and the two stars below point upwards, the inner star below points downwards. It was designed by Willie Hocker of Wabbaseka, a member of the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, around 1912, the Pine Bluff Chapter of the DAR wished to present a state flag for the commissioning of the battleship USS Arkansas. When it was discovered that Arkansas did not have a state flag, Hocker, a member of the Pine Bluff DAR chapter, won with a design that is similar to the current flag. She designed the flag with three stars in the middle of the white diamond and omitted ARKANSAS. At the request of the committee, chaired by Secretary of State Earle Hodges, Hocker added ARKANSAS and rearranged the stars to one on top. This flag was adopted by the legislature on February 26,1913, in 1923, the legislature added a fourth star, representing the Confederate States of America. This fourth star was placed so that there were two stars above the state name and two below, this was to include the Confederacy alongside Spain, France, and the United States. The 1924 design was confirmed as law in 1987 by Act 116, in 2011, Act 1205 was signed by Governor Beebe adding some more details to the state flag. In the terms of colors, the red and blue used on the flag is Old Glory Red. The Act also stated that flags purchased by the Secretary of State must be manufactured in the United States, the flags elements have a complex symbolism. According to the 1987 state law defining the flag, the diamond represents Arkansas status as the only diamond-bearing state in the Union, the number of white stars around the border of the diamond represents Arkansas position as the 25th state to join the union. The blue star above ARKANSAS represents the Confederate States of America, the design of the border around the white diamond evokes the saltire found on the Confederate battle flag. The three stars below ARKANSAS have three meanings, The three nations to which Arkansas has belonged The Louisiana Purchase, which brought Arkansas into the U. S. was signed in 1803. Arkansas was the state formed from the Louisiana Purchase. However, that part of the statute contains two inaccuracies, The three stars were in a row in Hockers original design, they were not arranged in a triangle until later. Once that happened, it was finally admitted January 26,1837, the law defining the flag also defines a text to be used in saluting the flag, I salute the Arkansas Flag with its diamond and stars
28.
Flag of Colorado
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The flag of the state of Colorado consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width, the top and bottom stripes are blue, and the middle stripe white. On top of these stripes sits a circular red C, filled with a golden disk. The blue is meant to represent the skies, the stands for the sunshine enjoyed by the state, the white represents the snowcapped mountains. The flag was designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson in 1911 and adopted by the Colorado General Assembly on June 5 of the same year, however, the legislature did not specify the size of the C or the exact shade of blue or red. Thus, some flags were in different colors and had the C wholly within the center stripe. On February 28,1929, the General Assembly added to the description of the flag that the blue, on March 31,1964, the legislature further dictated the diameter of the gold disc to be equal to the center stripe. In a 2001 survey of 72 state, provincial, and territorial flags conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the Colorado state flag is also incorporated into the design of Colorados state highway markers. Colorado is the state to incorporate its entire, unaltered flag design into its State Route Marker
29.
Flag of Connecticut
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The flag of the state of Connecticut is a white baroque shield with three grapevines, each bearing three bunches of purple grapes on a field of azure blue. The banner below the shield reads Qui Transtulit Sustinet, Latin for He who transplanted still sustains), the flag dimensions are 5.5 feet in length and 4.33 feet in width. The Connecticut General Assembly approved the flag in 1897 after it was introduced by Governor Owen Vincent Coffin in 1895, the design comes from the seal of Saybrook Colony, designed by George Fenwick when it was established in 1639. That seal depicted 15 grapevines and a hand in the left corner with a scroll reading Sustinet qui transtulit. When Connecticut Colony bought Saybrook in 1644, the transferred to Connecticut Colony. On October 25,1711, the governor and legislature changed the seal and they reduced the number of grapevines from 15 to three, in order to represent the three oldest settlements and rearranged the wording and position of the motto. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial, the survey ranked the Connecticut flag 50th out of 72. The flag is traditionally at half mast when the American flag is flown at half mast, according to 2007-R-0624, only the governor of Connecticut may decide to fly the state flag at half mast, though the right is a power of office and not a law. State of Connecticut Symbols of the state of Connecticut Great Seal of the State of Connecticut Coat of arms of Connecticut History of the Connecticut flag
30.
Flag of Delaware
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The flag of the state of Delaware consists of a buff-colored diamond on a field of colonial blue, with the coat of arms of the state of Delaware inside the diamond. Below the diamond, the date December 7,1787, declares the day on which Delaware became the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, the colors of the flag reflect the colors of the uniform of General George Washington. The coat of arms in the center of the flag was adopted on January 17,1777 and it depicts a shield of horizontal green, blue, and white stripes. On the stripes are a sheaf of wheat, an ear of corn, above the shield is a sailing ship. Supporting the shield are a farmer on the left and a soldier on the right, the state motto, below the shield, reads Liberty and Independence. These symbols are included on the seal of Delaware. The current flag was adopted on July 24,1913, during the American Civil War, regiments from Delaware flew a flag which was similar to the state coat of arms on a field of blue. The official state colors, colonial blue and buff, are designated by the Textile Color Card Association of the United States,2, 1/140565, dated November 18,1954, which is on file with the Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. State of Delaware Symbols of the state of Delaware Great Seal of the State of Delaware Wyatt, Delaware Delaware Flag,29 Del. C. 1953, §506,50 Del. Laws, c,288, §1,70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §1,72 Del. Laws, c,1953, §507,50 Del. Laws, c. Delaware Facts and Symbols - State Flag
31.
Flag of Florida
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The flag of Florida consists of a red saltire on a white background, with the state seal superimposed on the center. The design was approved by popular referendum November 6,1900, the flags current design has been in use since May 21,1985, after the state seal was graphically altered and officially sanctioned for use by state officials. Spain was a union and federation of kingdoms when Juan Ponce de León claimed Florida on April 2,1513. As with other Spanish territories, the Burgundian saltire was generally used in Florida to represent collective Spanish independence between 1513 and 1821, in 1763, Spain passed control of Florida to Great Britain via the Treaty of Paris. Great Britain used the original union flag with the diagonal stripes in Florida during this brief period. The British also divided the Florida territory into East Florida, with its capital at St. Augustine, Spain regained control of Florida in 1783. In 1785, King Charles III chose a new naval and battle flag for Spain, which was now a more centralized nation-state, and its territories. This flag, a tri-band of red-gold-red, was used along with the Burgundian saltire in the provinces of East and West Florida until 1821, between 1821 and 1861, Florida had no official flag. This flag was used when Floridian forces took control of U. S. forts. Col. William H. Chase was Commander of Floridian troops, later in the year the Florida Legislature passed a law authorizing Governor Perry to design an official flag. His design was the tri-band of the Confederacy but with the field extending all the way down. As part of the Confederacy, Florida used all three versions of the Confederate flag and the Bonnie Blue Flag, which was used as an unofficial flag of the Confederacy. The Bonnie Blue flag features a single five-point star centered in a blue background and it was used as the flag of the short-lived Republic of West Florida in 1810, which included parts of modern-day Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Between 1868 and 1900, the flag of Florida was simply the state seal on a white background, in a discrepancy, however, a later version of the state seal depicts a steamboat with a white flag that includes a red saltire, similar to Floridas current flag. In the late 1890s, Governor Francis P. Fleming, a nationalist, floridians approved the addition of St. Andrews Cross by popular referendum in 1900. The red saltire of the Cross of Burgundy represents the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified, the addition was made during a period of nostalgia for the Lost Cause around the time of the flags change
32.
Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)
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The current flag of the state of Georgia was adopted on May 8,2003. The flag bears three stripes consisting of red-white-red, and a canton containing a ring of 13 white stars encompassing the states coat of arms in gold. In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the states constitution, within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the states constitution. An additional motto, In God We Trust, is positioned underneath these elements acting as the states foundation, the ring of stars that encompass the states coat of arms symbolize Georgias status as one of the original Thirteen Colonies. The design principle is based on the first national flag of the Confederacy, the 1879 flag was introduced by Georgia state senator Herman H. Perry and was adopted to memorialize Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Perry was a colonel in the Confederate army during the war. Over the following decades, the flag was changed by adding, at the time, opposition to changing the flag came from various sides, including from Confederate historical groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy. S. Pledge of Allegiance, which states that the U. S. was one nation, opponents to the flags change also said that there was nothing wrong with the 1920 flag and that people were content with it. Others opposed changing the flag out of the burden it would place on those who would have to purchase a new flag to replace the outdated one. Board of Education and pro-segregationist comments by then-Governor Marvin Griffin, such as The rest of the nation is looking to Georgia for the lead in segregation. Political pressure for a change in the state flag increased during the 1990s. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller announced his intention to get the battle flag element removed, the matter was dropped after the 1993 legislative session. Many Atlanta residents and some Georgia politicians refused to fly the 1956 flag, millers successor as governor, Roy Barnes, responded to the increasing calls for a new state flag, and in 2001 hurried a replacement through the Georgia General Assembly. Those flags are a thirteen-star U. S. flag of the Betsy Ross design, the first Georgia flag, the 1920–1956 Georgia flag, the state flag. In a 2001 survey on state and provincial flags in North America conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the group stated that the flag violates all the principles of good flag design. After the 1956 state flag was replaced in 2001, the Georgia city of Trenton adopted a version as its official city flag. In 2002, Sonny Perdue was elected Governor of Georgia, partially on a platform of allowing Georgians to choose their own flag in a state referendum and he authorized the Georgia legislature to draft a new flag in 2003. Perdue signed the legislation into law on May 8,2003, the 2003 flag legislation also authorized a public referendum on which of the two most recent flags would be adopted as the flag of the state
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Flag of Hawaii
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The flag of the state of Hawaii is the official flag symbolizing Hawaii as a U. S. state. The same flag had previously been used by the kingdom, protectorate, republic. It is the only U. S. state flag to feature the flag of a country which is the Union flag of the United Kingdom. The canton of the flag of Hawaii contains the Union Flag of the United Kingdom, the field of the flag is composed of eight horizontal stripes, symbolizing the eight major islands. Other versions of the flag have only seven stripes, probably representing the islands with the exception of Kahoʻolawe or Niʻihau. The color of the stripes, from the top down, follows the sequence, white, red, blue, white, red, blue, white, the colors were standardized in 1843, although other combinations have been seen and are occasionally still used. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association placed Hawaiis flag 11th in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state, there are various accounts of the earliest history of the flag of Hawaii. One relates how King Kamehameha I flew a British flag, probably a Red Ensign, subsequent visitors reported seeing the flag flying from places of honor. This explains why the flag of Hawaii was a deliberate hybrid of the two nations flags. In 1816, Kamehameha commissioned his own flag to avoid this conflict and it was probably designed by one of the commanders of the Royal Hawaiian Navy, former officers of the British Royal Navy, who advised Kamehameha, based on a form of the British naval flag. There is debate as to the designer, some credit Alexander Adams. It was very similar to the flag of the British East India Company in use about this time which had only red, Captain Adams used this flag for the first time on a Hawaiian trade mission to China in 1817. The original flag was designed to feature stripes alternating in the order red-white-blue, there may have been possibly different versions of the flag with different numbers of stripes and colors. The number of stripes also changed, originally, the flag was designed with seven or nine horizontal stripes. The latter arrangement was adopted and is used today, in 1990, Governor of Hawaii John Waihee proclaimed July 31 to be Ka Hae Hawaii Day, the Hawaiian Flag Day. It has been celebrated each year since then, the flag used by the governor of Hawaii is a red and blue bi-color. In the middle of the eight white stars appears the name of the state in all capital letters, during the time Hawaii was a United States territory, the letters in the middle of the flag were TH, which stood for Territory of Hawaii. List of Hawaii state symbols Seal of Hawaii Constitutional Provisions for the Display of Ka Hae Hawaii Hawaii at Flags of the World
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Flag and seal of Idaho
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The Seal of the Territory of Idaho was adopted in 1863, and redrawn several times before statehood in 1890. The state Great Seal was designed by Emma Edwards Green, the woman to design a state seal. The flag of the state of Idaho consists of the seal on a field of blue. The words “State of Idaho” appear in letters on a red. The seal depicts a miner and a woman representing equality, liberty, the symbols on the seal represent some of Idaho’s natural resources, mines, forests, farmland, and wildlife. The current seal contains the text Great Seal of the State of Idaho in the outer ring, the inner ring contains a banner with the Latin motto, Esto perpetua. A woman, signifying justice, and a man, dressed as a miner, the miner reminds us of the chief industry of the State at the time of statehood. Inside, the shield bears images symbolic of the State, the pine tree in the foreground refers to Idahos immense timber interests. Idaho has a law, which protects the elk and moose. The state flower, the wild Syringa or Mock Orange, grows at the womans feet, the river depicted in the shield is the Snake or Shoshone River. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of all 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state and U. S. territorial flags, Idaho finished in the bottom ten, finishing 64th out of the 72. Idaho Symbols of Idaho The Great Seal of the State of Idaho Facts About Idaho
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Flag and seal of Illinois
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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, 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 designed in 1819. In the eagles beak there is a banner with the motto, State Sovereignty. The dates on the seal,1818 and 1868, represent the year Illinois became a state, although State Sovereignty comes first in the motto, State is at the bottom and Sovereignty is upside-down. The first Great Seal of the State of Illinois was adopted in 1819 by the first Illinois General Assembly, the first law authorizing the Great Seal required the Secretary of State of Illinois to procure and keep the seal. The first seal engraved was essentially a duplicate of the Great Seal of the United States and it was used until 1839, when it was recut. The seal designed in 1839 became the Second Great Seal, Illinois Secretary of State Sharon Tyndale spearheaded the drive to create a third state seal for Illinois. In 1867, he asked State Senator Allen C, however, the bill passed by the legislature on March 7,1867, kept the original wording. Despite declining his suggestion, the legislature nonetheless entrusted Tyndale with designing the new seal, tyndales seal features a bald eagle pitched on a rock carrying a shield in its talons and a banner with the state motto in its beak. Thirteen stars and thirteen stripes on the represent the original thirteen states of the Union. This basic design has survived through several modifications since it was first conceived. The Illinois Secretary of State is still the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Illinois, during her time as state regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1912, Ella Park Lawrence began a campaign to have Illinois adopt a state flag. Thirty-five designs were submitted in response to this contest, the contest was judged by a panel chaired by Lewis Stevenson, Illinois Secretary of State. They selected the design of Lucy Derwent, the flag became the official state banner on July 6,1915, following its passage in the Illinois State House and Senate. Governor Edward F. Dunne did not sign the bill, in the 1960s, Chief Petty Officer Bruce McDaniel petitioned to have the name of the state added to the flag. He noted that many of the people he served with during the Vietnam War did not recognize the banner. Ogilvie signed the addition to the flag into law on September 17,1969, for Illinoiss first 100 years of statehood in 1918, Wallace Rice, who designed Chicagos flag, designed a centennial flag for the state
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Flag of Indiana
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The flag of Indiana was designed by Paul Hadley and officially adopted by the state of Indiana on May 31,1917. It was the states first official flag and has remained unchanged since then except for the creation of a statute to standardize the production of the flag, to commemorate the state’s 1916 centennial anniversary, the Indiana General Assembly issued a resolution to adopt a state flag. At the request of the General Assembly, a contest was sponsored by the Indiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to design a flag to serve as the state banner. As an incentive to increase the number of submissions, the contest offered the winner a one hundred dollar cash prize, more than two hundred submissions were received and examined by the Society before a winner was selected. The entry created by Paul Hadley of Mooresville, Indiana, was chosen as the winner of the contest. On May 31,1917, the flag was chosen as the official banner. The General Assembly made only one change to Hadleys original design, they added the word Indiana, in a crescent shape, the state banner was later renamed the states flag in a new statute passed in 1955 that also standardized the dimensions of the flag. The flag consists of a torch that represents liberty and enlightenment. The nineteen stars represent Indianas place as the state to join the United States. The field of the flag shall be blue with nineteen stars, rays shall be shown radiating from the torch to the three stars on each side of the star in the upper center of the circle. Several other laws govern the use of the state flag, the flag is required to be flown by all state militias and the Indiana National Guard. It is to be on display at the Indiana Statehouse at all times, the flag must also be displayed at any agency that is funded in part or in full by the state government, including public schools, state universities, and state parks. In all other respects the flag should be treated with the same care, in late 2008, Tribune Media station WTTV in Indianapolis began to use the flags design as part of their stations logo until acquiring CBS affiliation in January 2015. A variation of the Indiana state flag was used as the Gotham flag in the 1989 movie Batman, the flag can be seen in the mayors office. List of Indiana state symbols Great Seal of the State of Indiana Indiana Historical Bureau
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Flag of Iowa
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The flag of the state of Iowa is a vertical tricolor of blue, white, and red, reflecting Iowas history as part of the French Louisiana Territory. The image of an eagle with a long ribbon reading Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain. The word Iowa is placed directly below it in red, serifed majuscules, the flag was adopted in 1921, it was first approved in May 1917, by the Iowa State Council for Defense. It was designed in 1917, by Knoxville, Iowa resident Mrs. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt, of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Iowa. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association placed Iowas flag 42nd in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state, flag of Des Moines, Iowa List of Iowa state symbols Seal of Iowa Iowa State Symbols
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Flag of Kansas
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The flag of the state of Kansas was adopted in 1927. The elements of the flag include the state seal and a sunflower. This original design was modified in 1961 to add the name of the state at the bottom of the flag, the official flag of Kansas is represented by a dark-blue silk rectangle arranged horizontally with the state seal aligned in the center. Above the seal is a sunflower which sits over a bar of gold, below the seal is printed the name of the state KANSAS. The state seal centered on the flag tells the history of Kansas, Kansas state law provides that the flag is to be used on all occasions when the state is officially represented. The flag of Kansas was designed in 1925 by Hazel Avery and first used in a Fourth of July parade in Lincoln, officially adopted by the Kansas State Legislature in 1927 and modified in 1961. First flown at Fort Riley by Governor Benjamin S. Paulen in 1927 for the troops at Fort Riley, from 1925 to 1927, Kansas used a state banner instead of a flag. The Kansas state banner, which consisted of a large sunflower and it was given a unique design to avoid competition with the United States flag. However, after the banner was rejected for display in Washington, according to the North American Vexillological Association, the state banner exists today as an official alternative to the state flag. The organizations website features the banner – a lone sunflower on a blue field –, flags of the Governors of the U. S. States State of Kansas Symbols of the state of Kansas Great Seal of the State of Kansas Kansas State Flag
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Flag of Kentucky
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The flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was adopted on March 26,1918. In the early history of the state there were many flags representing various affiliations or countries that came from. A portion of the state was held by the French monarchy until the French, after the war, the land was ceded to Great Britain and the Union Jack flew over the commonwealth until the Revolutionary War. After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Kentucky as a Commonwealth of Virginia flew adopted the flag of Virginia, as the war progressed, Louisville and Lexington adopted the Betsy Ross flag. The rest of the state followed, after the war ended, the Flag of Virginia was restored for a short period of time. Once Kentucky became part of the Union in 1792, the state adopted the 15-star flag of the Union, the U. S. flag was kept as the unofficial state flag for many years that followed. During the American Civil War, the flag of the Confederate States as well as the flag of the Union flew over Kentucky with prominence varying on location, the flag was designed by Jesse Cox Burgess, an art teacher in Frankfort, the state capital. The flag was adopted by the Kentucky General Assembly on March 26,1918, the flag consists of the Commonwealths 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, 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. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state, and U. S. territorial flags, Kentuckys flag was ranked 66th
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Flag of Louisiana
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The flag of Louisiana consists of a heraldic charge called a pelican in her piety, representing a mother pelican wounding her breast to feed her young from the blood. The mother pelicans head and outspread wings covering the three pelican chicks nestled below her form a stylized fleur-de-lis, another emblem of similar significance often depicted in Louisiana and this symbol, emblematic of Christian charity, is also found on the state seal. On the flag it is depicted above a ribbon with the motto, Union, Justice. The current flag was adopted in November 2010, a revision of the original design of 1912. During the 19th century it was traditional in Louisiana flags and the seal for the pelican in her piety to have three drops of blood on her chest. The issue was resolved in April 2006, when the Louisiana State Legislature passed a bill which requires three drops of blood to be depicted on the used in both the states flag and seal. The new state flag, featuring a new design, was unveiled during ceremonies of new state officials. In November 2010, the flag was revised again, featuring a more detailed pelican than the one, as well as removing the word. Prior to 1861, the state of Louisiana had no official flag, in February 1861, Louisiana officially adopted a flag with a single yellow star in a red canton, with thirteen red, white and blue stripes. This was used through the end of the American Civil War, on November 22,2010, a new version of the flag bearing an updated version of A Pelican In Her Piety was unveiled. List of Louisiana state symbols Seal of Louisiana Official website
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Flag of Maine
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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 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. 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 description, the flag should have a fringe of yellow silk and should have a blue. These embellishments are very rarely observed, the North American Vexillological Association conducted a survey in 2001 that ranked Maines current flag as one of the worst in design. Amongst the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags, NAVA criticized the unoriginality of seal on blue bed-sheet design, which is currently used by almost half of the flags of U. S. states. Originally, the flag consisted of a green pine tree, symbol of New England in the center, with a blue North Star. The image to the right contains a reproduction of the 1901 Flag. The reproduction uses the same tree used in the Merchant Marine Flag of Maine. Also, the size of the tree, set to 1/3 the fly, the Maine legislature approved the current flag on February 23,1909. Maine is also one of two states with a separate ensign, which is rarely seen. It features symbols from the current flag and the one, with a white field. The green pine tree has the seamans anchor, and the words MAINE, the flag used by the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. Great Seal of the State of Maine Symbols of the state of Maine Maine at Flags of the World Merchant and Marine Flag of Maine at Flags of the World
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Flag of Massachusetts
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A variant of the white flag with blue seal was carried by each of the Massachusetts volunteer regiments during the Civil War alongside the National Colors. An exception were the two Irish regiments, each of which was permitted to carry a green flag with a harp symbol. The state currently has three flags, a state flag, a naval and maritime flag, and a governors flag. The flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts displays, on sides, the state coat of arms centered on a white field. The shield depicts an Algonquian Native American with bow and arrow, the arm itself is the Goliad symbol common in early Texas flags and signifying the philosophy that those represented would rather lose their right arm than live under tyranny. A white star with five points appears next to the figures head, a blue ribbon surrounds the shield, bearing the state motto Ense Petit Placidam, Sub Libertate Quietem. Above the shield is the military crest, the bent arm holding a broadsword aloft. The sword has its blade up, to remind that it was through the American Revolution that liberty was won, the state flag was officially adopted in 1901, but had been used unofficially since the American Revolutionary War as the ensign of the Massachusetts State Navy. In 1971, the pine tree was replaced by the current design. In April 1776, the Massachusetts Navy adopted, as its flag, a white field charged with a pine tree. In 1971 the motto was removed, and the flag was designated the naval, Massachusetts is one of only two states with its own naval ensign — the other is Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820. Flags of the Governors of the U. S
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Flag of Michigan
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The flag of the state of Michigan depicts the states coat of arms on a dark blue field, as set forth by Michigan state law. As supporters, the elk and moose are derived from the Hudsons Bay Company coat of arms, the bald eagle represents the United States which formed the State of Michigan from the Northwest Territory. The design features three Latin mottos, from top-to-bottom they are, On red ribbon, E Pluribus Unum, means Out of many, one, a motto of the United States. On light blue shield, Tuebor, means I will defend, on white ribbon, Si Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice, means If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you. The present flag, adopted in 1911, is the state flag. The first flag featured a portrait of Michigans first governor, Stevens T. Mason, on one side and the coat of arms and a soldier. The first flag is completely lost, and no images of it exist, the second flag, adopted in 1865, displayed the state coat of arms on one side and the United States coat of arms on the other. In November 2016, a bill was introduced in the Michigan state legislature by Michigan State Senator Steven Bieda that would change the current state flag, If the bill is passed, the current state flag will be discontinued in January 2019 and replaced with a new design. Michigans pledge of allegiance to the flag was written by Harold G. Coburn and was officially adopted as Public Act 165 of 1972. Flags of the Governors of the U. S, States State of Michigan Symbols of the state of Michigan Great Seal of the State of Michigan The State of Michigan The Michigan State Flag
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Flag of Minnesota
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The flag of the state of Minnesota consists of a medium blue field charged with the state seal. The current flag was adopted in 1957 and the seal on the flag was modified in 1983. The 1893 flag, designed by the Amelia Hyde Center of Minneapolis, was white on one side, in the center was the state seal wreathed with white moccasin flowers, on a blue field. A red ribbon in the bore a motto, LÉtoile du Nord. The years 1819,1858, and 1893 appeared in gold around the state seal, the flag was adopted on April 4,1893. The blue sits underneath the people which represents how the power is greater than any one man. This made the flag less expensive to manufacture and also more durable in high winds. This opportunity was used to correct an error of the used on the seal, instead of a Pink and White Ladys Slipper. The law creating the 1957 state flag is located in Chapter 1 of the Official State Statutes, the chapter covers state symbols, sovereignty and other general issues. The location of the flag in the statutes is Section 1.141, the statute also requires the Secretary of State to keep a photograph of the official state flag and samples so they can be used by the public to make copies. In Minnesota, desecration of the flag is a misdemeanor offense under State Statute 609.40. In 2001, the Minnesota flag was chosen as one of the ten worst flag designs in a poll conducted by the North American Vexillogical Association
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Flag of Mississippi
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The flag of the state of Mississippi was first adopted by the U. S. state of Mississippi in April 1894, replacing the flag that had been adopted in 1861. The flag was subsequently repealed in 1906 but remained in de facto use, when a referendum failed for a new design in April 2001, the state legislature voted to readopt the historic design that same month. Since Georgia adopted a new flag in 2001, the Mississippi flag is the only U. S. state flag to include the Confederate battle flags saltire. The statute is part of the set of statutes that governs the curriculum of the states public schools. Section 37-13-7 provides, The pledge of allegiance to the Mississippi flag shall be taught in the schools of this state. Prior to 1861 Mississippi, like most U. S. states, had no state flag. Later that night residents of Jackson paraded through the streets under the banner, harry McCarthy, a singer and playwright who observed the parade, was inspired to write The Bonnie Blue Flag, which, after Dixie, was the most popular song in the Confederacy. The first official flag of Mississippi was known as the Magnolia Flag and it was the official flag of the state from 1861 until 1865. It remained in use as a flag until 1894, when the current state flag was first adopted. On January 26 the delegates to the Secession Convention approved the report of a committee that had been appointed to design a coat of arms. Due to time constraints and the pressure to raise “means for the defense of the state, ” the delegates neglected to adopt the flag officially in January but did so when they reassembled in March. The Magnolia Flag was not widely used or displayed during the Civil War, the Magnolia Flag remained the official state flag of Mississippi until 1865. Among those repealed was the ordinance adopting a coat of arms, in 1906 Mississippi adopted a revised legal code that repealed all general laws that were not reenacted by the legislature or brought forward in the new code. The 1906 legal code did not bring forward the law created an official state flag. Because of this oversight, likely inadvertent, the state of Mississippi did not have a state flag from 1906-2001. Nonetheless, the 1894 flag continued to be used as the de facto state flag until it was readopted by the state legislature on April 17,2001. There had been widespread protests by some African-American and other rights groups about adopting the flag with the Confederate emblem. The Mississippi Code of 1972, in Title 3, Chapter 3, describes the flag as follows, in 2000 the Supreme Court of Mississippi ruled that the state legislature in 1906 had repealed the adoption of the state flag in 1894
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Flag of Missouri
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The permanency, vigilance, and justice of the state. The three colors also highlight the French influence on the state in its early years, the flag was made the official flag of the state on March 22,1913, when then governor Elliot Woolfolk Major signed a bill making it official. The Missourian state flag was designed and stitched in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, by Marie Elizabeth Watkins Oliver and she wrote each states secretary of state for information about how their states flags had been designed and officially adopted. Her original design incorporated Missouris coat of arms and was rendered as a painted paper flag by her friend Mary Kochitzky. The flag was brought to the Missouri State Capitol in 1908 and bills to adopt the flag as the flag of Missouri were introduced by Senator Arthur L. Oliver, her nephew. Both bills failed to pass in the House, a competing flag design, by Dr. G. H. Holcomb and referred to as the Holcomb flag, was opposed due to its resemblance to the Flag of the United States, olivers original paper flag was destroyed when the Missouri State Capitol burned in 1911. MacFarland, Oliver sewed a second out of silk. Her design was adopted on March 22,1913 when governor Elliot Woolfolk Major signed the Oliver Flag Bill, the flag design remains unchanged to this day. The silk flag was kept by Marie Oliver until 1961 when her son Allen gave it to the State of Missouri, the flag was displayed until it began to deteriorate and was put into storage. In 1988, Secretary of State Roy D, blunt issued a challenge to elementary students to raise money to restore the flag. The campaign was successful and the flag has been displayed in the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center in Jefferson City ever since. The Oliver-Leming House, also known as the Home of the Missouri State Flag, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, the flag is a tricolor consisting of three horizontal stripes of red, white and blue. These represent valor, purity, vigilance, and justice, the colors also reflect the states historic status as part of the French Louisiana. In the center stripe is the Seal of Missouri, circled by a blue band containing 24 stars. The flag is described in Section 010.020 of Missouris Revised Statutes, in 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags. The Missouri flag ranked in the bottom 25, 48th out of the 72, the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, which dominates the flag has many special meanings of its own. Robert Wells, who was a lawyer, state legislator and a judge, the seal shows, by its helmet and buckled belt, that although Missouri is a strong state, it wants to be free to handle its own problems
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Flag of Montana
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The flag of the state of Montana consists of the image of the Montanan state seal centered on a blue field. Within the seal, a plow, shovel, and pick rest in a field in front of the Great Falls of the Missouri River, the ribbon contains the state motto, Oro y plata. The current flag was adopted in 1905, and the word Montana above the seal was added in 1981, in 1985, the flag was again modified to specify the font used in Montana, Helvetica Bold. Before it was adopted as a flag, it was used by Montana troops deploying for the Spanish/American War. Georgias flag was named the worst, but has since been changed, NAVA stated that about half of U. S. states used blue fields making them difficult to distinguish and the survey ranked flags with words and complex seals the lowest. State of Montana Symbols of the state of Montana Great Seal of the State of Montana Symbols of Montana
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Flag of Nebraska
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The flag of the state of Nebraska is a blue rectangular cloth charged with the Nebraskan state seal. The current design was adopted in 1925, although a design in 1921 from an architect based in the U. S. state of New York was rejected by the Nebraska state government. The official designation of the design as the flag occurred in 1963. The Nebraskan flag was rated in a survey by the North American Vexillological Association as the second-worst of 72 U. S. the worst-ranked flag, the flag of Georgia at the time, was temporary and has since been changed. In 2002, the Nebraska Legislatures Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee discussed a bill that would have created a commission that would suggest new flag designs to the Legislature. In 2017, State Senator Burke Harr proposed a task force charged with redesigning the flag, Harr wished for the redesign to come through by the States 150th anniversary. The State Senate committee declined to take action, list of Nebraska state symbols Seal of Nebraska Nebraska Secretary of State, History of the Nebraska State Flag
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