Changes: Georgia (U.S. state)

Revision as of 19:26, 15 January 2016

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The current flag of Georgia was adopted on May 8, 2003. The flag bears three stripes consisting of red-white-red, and a blue canton containing a ring of 13 white stars encompassing the state's coat of arms in gold.

In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state's constitution and the pillars represent the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The words of the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation," are wrapped around the pillars, guarded by a male figure dressed in colonial attire dating back to the American Revolution. Within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the state's constitution. An additional motto, In God We Trust, is positioned underneath these elements acting as the state's "foundation". The ring of stars that encompass the state's coat of arms symbolize Georgia's status as one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

The design principle is based on the First National Flag of the Confederacy, which was nicknamed the "Stars and Bars".

Historical flags

The state flag used from 1956 to 2001 featured a prominent Confederate Battle Flag, which some residents found offensive due to its historical use by the Confederate States of America and its contemporary use as a symbol by various white supremacy groups.

Political pressure for a change in the official state flag increased during the 1990s, in particular during the run-up to the 1996 Olympic Games that were held in Atlanta. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller announced his intention to get the battle flag element removed, but the state legislature refused to pass any flag-modifying legislation.

Miller's 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. His new flag sought a compromise, by featuring small versions of some (but not all) of Georgia's former flags, including the controversial 1956 flag, under the words "Georgia's History." Those flags are a thirteen-star U.S. flag of the "Betsy Ross" design; the first Georgia flag (before 1879); the 1920–1956 Georgia flag; the previous state flag (1956–2001); and the current fifty-star U.S. flag.

In a 2001 survey on state and provincial flags in North America conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the newly adopted Georgia flag was ranked the worst by a wide margin; the group stated that the flag "violates all the principles of good flag design."

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 File:GA Flag Proposal BigRed618.png|GA Flag Proposal "BigRed618"
 Georgia State Flag proposal - motx72.png|Georgia flag proposal MOTX72
+Georgia flag proposal MOTX72_02.png|Georgia flag proposal MOTX72_02
-GA Flag Proposal Alternateuniversedesigns.png|GA Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"
 GA Flag Proposal Jack Expo.png|GA Flag Proposal "Jack Expo"
 GA Flag Proposal FlagFreak.png|GA Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"
+GA Flag Proposal Alternateuniversedesigns.png|GA Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"
 GA Flag Proposal Tibbetts.jpg|GA Flag Proposal "Tibbetts 1"
 GA Flag Proposal Tibbetts 2.png|GA Flag Proposal "Tibbetts 2"

Changes: Georgia (U.S. state)

Revision as of 19:26, 15 January 2016

Historical flags

Proposals for a New Flag of Georgia