Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia
Country	United States
Flag of Georgia
Adopted	8 May 2003
2001–2003 flag
Adopted	31 January 2001
Score in 2001 NAVA survey	2.36/10 (72nd of 72)
Wikipedia article
Flags of the World article

For the country of Georgia, see Georgia (country).

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."

Unofficial pre-1879 flag

Georgia state flag 1879–1902

Georgia state flag 1902–1906

Georgia state flag 1906–1920

Georgia state flag 1920–1956

Georgia state flag 1956–2001

Georgia state flag 2001–2003

Proposals for a New Flag of Georgia

GA Proposed Flag "Marmocet"

GA Proposed Flag "lizard-socks"

GA Flag Proposal "PaladinOfTheSun"

GA Flag Proposal "BigRed618"

GA Flag Proposal "Jack Expo"

GA Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"

GA Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"

GA Flag Proposal "Tibbetts 1"

GA Flag Proposal "Tibbetts 2"

Georgia flag proposal by Tibbetts, modified by Hans. Sep 2015. (details)

GA Flag Proposal "Lord Grattan"

GA Flag Proposal "Sammy"

GA Flag Proposal "Graphicology"

GA Flag Proposal "VT45"

GA Flag Proposal "Peach Flag/Cherokee Star - by Usacelt"

GA Flag Proposal by Kermitdefrog

GA Flag Proposal "Sesterce"

Georgia State Flag Proposal No. 7 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 25 AuG 2014

Georgia State Flag Proposal No. 9 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 25 AuG 2014

Georgia State Flag Proposal No.12 Designed by: Stephen Richard Barlow 25 AuG 2014

Georgia State Flag Proposal No. 41 original red white & Blue design by AlternateUniverseDesigns Remix Color Edit By: Stephen Richard Barlow 02 NOV 2014 at 0744hrs cst

Georgia State Flag Proposal No. 20c Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 24 NOV 2014 at 1253 HRS CST

Georgia State Flag Symplistic Proposal. I removed the seal, restoring the flag back to its original stars and stripes. The star in the middle represents the state itself. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.

Georgia flag proposal 1 by Hans. Dec 2013. (details & more versions)

Georgia flag proposal 2 by Hans. Jan 2014. (details & more versions)

Georgia flag proposal 3 by Hans. Jan 2015. (details & more versions)

Georgia flag proposal 8 by Hans. Jan 2016. (details & more versions)

Georgia flag proposal 9 by Hans. Jan 2016. (details & more versions)

Georgia flag proposal 11 by Hans. Sep 2016. (details & more versions)

Georgia State Flag Proposal No. 44 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 17 MAR 2015 at 0431 HRS CST.

Georgia State Flag Proposal NATHANIEL TANG on 8 JUNE 2015 at 00:14 UTC. The centre rondel is from the current flag sans words, while the rest of the flag derives from the Coat of Arms of George II, for whom the state was named, as Elector of Hanover

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 8 JUNE 2015 at 00:41 UTC. The left half of the flag represents the "betsy ross" stars and stripes with a simplified version of the state emblem in the centre of the stars, while the right half of the flag derives from the Coat of Arms of George II, for whom the state was named, as Elector of Hanover

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 8 JUNE 2015 at 00:59 UTC. The left half of the flag represents the "betsy ross" stars and stripes with a simplified version of the state emblem in the centre of the stars, while the right half of the flag is the Union Flag during the reign of George II, for whom the state was named.

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 00:51 UTC . Cross of St. George, with the 13 stripes of the United States

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 00:51 UTC . Cross of St. George, a simplified state emblem in the top-left canton with the 13 stripes of the United States in the bottom-right canton

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 01:00 UTC . Cross of St. George, with the 13 stripes of the United States and a simplified state emblem in the canton.

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 01:00 UTC . Cross of St. George, with the 13 stripes of the United States and a simplified state emblem in the centre of the flag.

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 01:04 UTC . Cross of St. George, with a simplified state emblem in the centre

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 01:07 UTC . Cross of St. George, with the thirteen stars of the Betsy Ross Flag and the Confederate Flag in the canton

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 01:08 UTC . Cross of St. George, with the first Confederate National Flag in the canton.

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 11 JUNE 2015 at 01:09 UTC . Cross of St. George, with the final Confederate National Flag in the canton.

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 12 JUNE 2015 at 01:26 UTC . Cross of St. George in the hoist, with the fesses of the first Confederate National Flag in the fly.

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 12 JUNE 2015 at 01:26 UTC . The fesses of the first Confederate National Flag as the field, defaced with the shield of St. George.

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 12 JUNE 2015 at 12:02 UTC . The Cross of St. George, defaced with the first confederate flag with a gold bordered lozange

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 12 JUNE 2015 at 12:02 UTC . The Cross of St. George, defaced with the confederate battle flag with a gold bordered lozange

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 12 JUNE 2015 at 20:07 UTC . Current Georgia Flag sans seal emblem with cross of St. George defacing the canton

Georgia State Flag Proposal by NATHANIEL TANG on 12 JUNE 2015 at 20:40 UTC . The fesses of the first Confederate Flag, defaced with the cross of St. George with a gold and bordered lozange with the 13 stars

GA Flag Proposal "Akh"

GA Flag Proposal "Utz the Crab Chip"

GA Flag Proposal "Zerroka"

Georgia flag proposal "BeamOfSunlight"

GA flag proposal "5thEye"

Georgia flag proposal "Coliop-Kolchovo"

Georgia flag proposal by Achaley.

Peach stripes above and below, Canton has stars in G shape. Design by Rotten Ali.

Georgia flag proposed by Ken Morton. Enough already with Confederate flags.

Georgia flag proposal by "Laqueesha". Author's note: "I combined the 1920 flag with the 2003 and got this. 13 stars represents the original 13 US states and how Georgia was one of them. Instead of 'IN GOD WE TRUST' I replaced it with the traditional US motto, 'E PLURIBUS UNUM'."

tuscany inspired, by Francone

Flag proposal by Francone, based on Hans #8

idea from austrian tuscany, by Francone

This flag harkens back to the flags of Georgia in use between 1879 and 1956, but replaces the state Seal with thirteen stars which, of course, signify Georgia's status as one of the original thirteen states. [Posted by Ken Morton, October 26, 2018]

Georgia - Roundel Posted by Ken Morton.

GA Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 1"

GA Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 2"

Red cross on white is the English St. George’s cross, representing the colonial origins and etymology of the state of Georgia. The blue field is from the canton of various flags in Georgia history, on which all had stars. The four stars themselves represent four major periods in Georgia’s history: the colonial era, the pre-Civil War era, the Civil War era, and finally modern Georgia. Georgia is also the fourth state to ratify the Constitution. The gold in the stars comes from Georgia’s state seal, and the number of stars represent the four elements in the seal: Constitution, Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. The four colors are all the official colors of the state. Posted by Preston Knapp [1]

This is a modified, and much improved, version of a design I first posted on October 26, 2018. (Postedby Ken Morton)

Proposal for a flag for Georgia. By Qaz Dec 2019 (details)

Part of a series of fifty state flag designs, all in blue and white. (Posted by Ken Morton)

By RobLee9

(details)