State Flag | NCpedia (2024)

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by Josh Howard
Research Branch, NC Office of Archives & History, 2010.
https://www.dncr.nc.gov/about-us/history/division-historical-resources/nc-highway-historical-marker-program

See also: North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions main page, Honor and Remember Flag

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Related entry: Salute, flag

State Flag | NCpedia (2)

Some statutes relating to the flag are in the N.C. General Statutes, Chapter 144.

§ 144-1. State flag.

The flag of North Carolina shall consist of a blue union, containing in the center thereof a white star with the letter "N" in gilt on the left and the letter "C" in gilt on the right of said star, the circle containing the same to be one third the width of said union. The fly of the flag shall consist of two equally proportioned bars, the upper bar to be red, the lower bar to be white; the length of the bars horizontally shall be equal to the perpendicular length of the union, and the total length of the flag shall be one half more than its width. Above the star in the center of the union there shall be a gilt scroll in semicircular form, containing in black letters this inscription: "May 20th 1775" and below the star there shall be a similar scroll containing in black letters the inscription: "April 12th 1776". (1885, c. 291; Rev., s. 5321; C.S., s. 7535; 1991, c. 361, s. 1.)

State flag history

In Colonial North Carolina, the flag most often seen would have been that of the colony’s mother country, England, and later Great Britain. Prior to the Act of Union in 1707, the flag would have been that known as St. George’s Cross. After 1707, the symbol became the Union flag, incorporating the Scottish St. Andrew’s Cross with a blue field with St. George’s Cross. Lord William Tryon carried two such flags with him during the Alamance campaign of 1771 during the War of Regulation.

Numerous locally made flags were likely utilized within the state’s borders during the Revolution, but virtually nothing is known of them. North Carolina did not officially have a state flag until the constitutional convention of 1861. John D. Whitford, a Craven County delegate, advocated a resolution to create a state flag consisting of a “blue field with a white V thereon, and a star, encircling which shall be the words ‘Surgit astrum, May 20, 1775.”

Convention delegates established a flag committee, but went with a different design than that proposed by Whitford. The committee adopted a flag that would “consist of a red field with a white star in centre, and with the inscription, above the star, in a semi-circular form, of ‘May 20, 1775,’ and below the star, in a semi-circular form, of ‘May 20, 1861.’” There were also to be “two bars of equal width, and the length of the field shall be equal to the bar, the width of the field being equal to both bars; the first bar shall be blue, and the second shall be white, and the length of the flag shall be one-third more than its width.” The new design appears to have derived from one suggested by Raleigh artist William G. Browne. The 1775 date came from the traditional date of the controversial, and since debunked, Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The second date commemorated the day that North Carolina seceded from the Union. The flag ordinance was ratified on June 22, 1861.

The flag flew over North Carolina until 1885 when a new model banner was proposed by the state legislature. The new design consisted of a blue union containing a white star in the center with a gilt N on the left and gilt C on the right, with scrolls above and below documenting, once again, the date of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, and changed the second date to April 12, 1776 in honor of the Halifax Resolves.

Despite the controversy over the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, the flag has remained little changed since 1885. Only minor modifications to the length and the elimination of two commas have occurred.

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Additional resources:

Edmonds, W. R. 1913. The North Carolina state flag. Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards & Broughton Print. Co. Online at: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/north-carolina-state-flag/2308931

Image credit:

Wikimedia contributors. "Flag of North Carolina.svg" July 14, 2022.Wikimedia Commons. Accessed Mar. 12, 2024. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_North_Carolina.svg.

Subjects:

Audio

State Symbols

Authors:

Howard, Joshua

From:

Research Branch, NC Office of Archives and History.

22 November 2010 | Howard, Joshua

State Flag | NCpedia (2024)

FAQs

Do all 50 states have a flag? ›

Each state's flag is representative of its history and distinct symbols. Here are the 50 official state flags from Alabama to Wyoming, as well as Washington D.C., and their significances.

Why does the NC flag have two dates? ›

Symbolism. US flag above North Carolina flag. It bears the dates of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (May 20, 1775) and of the Halifax Resolves (April 12, 1776), documents that place North Carolina at the forefront of the American independence movement. Both dates also appear on the Seal of North Carolina.

What was North Carolina's original flag? ›

The original ordinance stated that "...the flag of this State shall be a blue field with a white V thereon, and a star, encirling which shall be the words, "Sirgit astrum, May 20, 1775." The design intended by this original description for the flag was never to be.

What state recently changed its flag? ›

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Love it, hate it or yawn at it, Minnesota is set to get a new state flag this spring that echoes its motto of being the North Star State, replacing an old flag that brought up painful memories of conquest and displacement for Native Americans.

Which US state has no flag? ›

The Ohio Burgee is the official flag of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a triangular swallowtail flag, the only non-rectangular U.S. state flag. Flag of Ohio. The US State of Mississippi Now Has No Flag.

What state has no state flag? ›

In 2000, the Supreme Court of Mississippi confirmed that the state legislature had in 1906 repealed the 1894 adoption of the state flag; the flag used since then and considered official had actually only been customary or traditional.

Which flag came first, NC or Texas? ›

Feel free to share your thoughts on this. As far as I can tell, the two flags were adopted quite independently - the basic design of the first mentioned on 22 June 22 1861 (altered to its present design in 1885), and the second (as the National Flag of the Republic of Texas) on 10 December 1836.

Why is April 12th on the NC flag? ›

On one of the ribbons in the current flag is emblazoned “May 20th, 1775.” The other ribbon has the inscription “April 12th, 1776,” referring to the Halifax Resolves, wherein the Provincial Congress authorized North Carolina delegates to approve the Declaration of Independence of the United States.

What state flag has two colors? ›

Alabama, Alaska, and New Mexico use only two colors on their flags.

What is North Carolina's state motto? ›

The Latin phrase Esse Quam Videri, “to be rather than to seem,” was chosen as the North Carolina state motto by jurist and historian Walter Clark. After Clark drafted the bill in 1893, Senator Jacob Battle of Nash County introduced the bill to create an official state motto to the General Assembly.

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The pine tree is the state tree of NC as it is very important to our economy and adds great beauty to our landscapes.

What is a fun fact about the NC flag? ›

The red field of the old flag was replaced by a blue field. This was the first and only flag formally representing the state of North Carolina and is not considered to be a Confederate Flag, but rather the first state flag.

Which state has 6 different flags? ›

Origins of the Six Flags Display

During the Centennial year, the six flags became a part Texas's visual identity, being permanently installed in the State of Texas Building (now the Hall of State) at Fair Park in Dallas and in the floor of the Capitol Rotunda in Austin.

What state had 6 flags? ›

Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961, was named for the “Six Flags of Texas” – a display of flags representing the six countries whose flag has flown over the state.

What is the most unusual state flag? ›

Ohio has the only U.S. pennant that's not rectangular, but a swallowtail, or burgee, design. The “O” references the state's first letter as well as its nickname, the Buckeye State. As you might imagine, folding the flag was tricky.

Does each state in the US have their own flag? ›

They Unify Identities. Another reason why each state in the US has its own flag is each one displays colors and images that are important to the citizens of that state. It's a way of uniting everyone and telling other people what you value. For example, the California flag shows the extinct California grizzly bear.

Is there a 49 state flag? ›

This flag was later given to the Alaskan State Mueseum for preservation. The 49-Star flag was official for only one year, until July 4, 1960, when Hawaii achieved its Statehood and the 50-Star flag was born. President Eisenhower was the only President to serve under this flag.

Why does Texas have its own flag? ›

The Republic of Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836. As an independent republic, Texas flew a new flag, the fourth of the "six flags of Texas," the "National Standard of Texas." This was the first flag to symbolize an independent Texas and individuality and unity among its people.

Why every state has a flag? ›

In the United States of America, all the states honor the red, white, and blue American flag because they're part of the USA family, but their own flag sets each one apart from the other 49. It also shows that each state is sovereign — it governs itself and may have different rules and laws than other states.

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