The flag of the State of Mississippi was adopted by Mississippi in 1894, replacing the flag that had been adopted in 1861. It is the sole remaining U
On April 17, 2001, a non-binding state referendum to change the flag was put before Mississippi voters. The proposal would have replaced the Confederate battle flag with a blue canton with 20 stars. The outer ring of 13 stars would represent the original Thirteen Colonies, the ring of six stars would represent the six nations that have had sovereignty over Mississippi territory, and the inner and slightly larger star would represent Mississippi itself. The 20 stars would also represent Mississippi's status as the 20th member of the United States. The new flag was soundly defeated in a vote of 64% to 36% and the old flag was retained.
Prior to 1861, like most states, Mississippi had no state flag. When Mississippi declared its secession from the Union on January 9, 1861 near the start of the American Civil War, spectators in the balcony handed a Bonnie Blue Flag down to the Session Convention delegates on the floor, and one was raised over the capitol building in Jackson as a sign of independence.
The first official flag of Mississippi was known as the Magnolia Flag. It was the official flag of the state from 1861 until 1865 and it remained in use as an unofficial flag until 1894, when the current flag was adopted. On January 26 the delegates to the Secession Convention of the newly formed Sovereign Republic of Mississippi approved the report of a special committee that had been appointed to design a coat of arms and “a suitable flag.” The flag recommended by the committee was: “A Flag of white ground, a Magnolia tree in the centre, a blue field in the upper left hand corner with a white star in the centre, the Flag to be finished with a red border and a red fringe at the extremity of the Flag.” Due to time constraints and the pressure to raise “means for the defense of the state” the delegates actually neglected to officially adopt the flag in January, but did so when they reassembled in March.
The Magnolia Flag was not widely used or displayed during the Civil War, as the various Confederate flags were displayed more frequently. The Magnolia Flag remained the official state flag of Mississippi until 1865, when following the conclusion of the Civil War, a constitutional convention assembled in Jackson on August 22 began to revoke and repeal many of the actions taken by the Secession Convention of 1861. Among those repealed was the ordinance adopting a coat of arms and a state flag, leaving Mississippi without an official flag.
2001 proposal (not adopted)
Alternative flag of MS, designer unknown
MS Flag Proposal "Pimsleurable"
MS Flag Proposal "Pimsleurable 2"
MS Flag Proposal "ironchefshark"
MS Flag Proposal "Tibbetts"
MS Flag Proposal "Jack Expo"
MS Flag Proposasl "everythingpossible"
MS Flag Proposal "SouthBear"
MS Flag Proposal "Mark Michalovic"
MS Flag Proposal "BigRed618"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
MS Flag Proposal "Laqueesha"
Mississippi State Flag Symplistic Proposal. I removed the confederate flag from the canton and replaced it with a star representing the state. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.
Mississippi State Flag Proposal No. 7 (Nordic Cross Style Swallow Tail) Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 10 FEB 2015 at 0323 HRS CST. Credit For Nordic Cross Swallow Tail Concept to: AlternateFlags
MS Flag Proposal "AusPanda90"
MS Flag Proposal "Bmoxey 1"
MS Flag Proposal "Bmoxey 2"
MS Flag Proposal "Jabask"
MS Flag Proposal "Lukep323"
MS Flag Proposal "MacManji"
MS Flag Proposal "Jensen"
MS Flag Proposal "The Dark Soviet"
MS Flag Proposal "Zmijugaloma"
Mississippi flag proposal by Achaley.
MS flag proposal by 5thEye
MS Flag Proposal "Simmons"
Blue and white triangle, representing the coming together of the great rivers. 19 stars, surrounding one large white star, showing Mississippi as the 20th state. The triangle is also the negative space iMississippi's place in an unseen "M," with colors showing Mississippi's historical place in both the Confederacy and the United States, without the use of the traditional "rebel" flag. By Will Allen King.
Mississippi flag proposal 1 by
Hans.
Jun 2015. (
details)
Mississippi flag proposal 2 by
Hans.
Jun 2015. (
details)
Mississippi flag proposal 3 by
Hans.
Oct 2016. (
details)
Mississippi flag proposal 4 by
Hans.
Oct 2016. (
details)
Mississippi flag proposal by James Dignan, February 2016. Shows a magnolia between wavy blue lines representing the river.
MS flag proposal #1 By
Dean Thomas. Based on the 1928-1994 South Africa flag, the CSA Battle Flag is replaced with three flags: The Bonnie Blue flag which was Mississippi's 'National' flag after the state seceded in January 1861, A 20-star U.S. flag symbolizing that the state was the 20th to join the Union, and a 7-star CSA Stars-and-Bars, symbolizing Mississippi as one of the original 7 Confederate states.
Mississippi flag proposal by Tim Ritz. Textless version.
"MissyBlueFly" Tiny section of the battle flag re-used to make a red triangle and white chevron. Magnolia star on Bonnie Blue. Design by Rotten Ali.
MS Flag proposal #2 by
Dean Thomas. The CSA Battle Flag is replaced by a vertical light blue stripe on the hoist side (representing the Mississippi River, which forms the western boundary of the state, and is what the state itself is named after). In the center of the White Stripe is a depiction of a magnolia tree.
Not my primary design, but one I have pride in due to the 20 blossom magnolia tree likeness and Bonnie Blue canton sat over border work. Design by Rotten Ali
Mississippi Flag Proposal #3 by
Dean Thomas. The CSA battle flag is replaced by a centralized depiction of a stylized magnolia flower within a white-bordered blue disc. Note: I Borrowed BMoxey2's magnolia flower design for this flag.
Dean Thomas' flag proposal #3 flag depicted flying from a flagpole.
Mississippi Flag Proposal #4 by
Dean Thomas. Variation on #3 by utilizing Magnolia flower design by
JabaskConceptual flag for Mississippi by Steven Abbot
Conceptual flag for Mississippi by Francisco Thoubard.
MS flag proposal by Ray Anselmo.
a variation on rotten ali design, maybe a better tree
This flag was proposed for Alabama, and can be seen on that state's page. It is a design by JJ Smith of "Graphicology", modified by Stephen Richard Barlow in 2015. I re-post it here and propose it as a better fit for Mississippi. This is a beautiful flag, rich in symbolism. It would represent a clean break with the past; leaving behind political controversy and historical baggage in favor of a clean sheet design. [Posted by Ken Morton]
Mississippi state flag designed by Ken Morton. This flag too would leave history and controversy behind with a mostly abstract design. The star represents Mississippi itself, while the red, white and blue roundel and stripes frame the star firmly within the symbolic traditions of American democracy.
My own version of a "Magnolia Flag." [Posted by Ken Morton]
Another 'Magnolia Flag', this one based upon the current Mississippi flag [Posted by Ken Morton]
Another proposal for a clean sheet design and another attempt at a break with history and politics. This flag is based upon an excellent design by Chris Sistrunk which I have modified by adding my own Magnolia flower and circle of twenty stars. [Posted by Ken Morton]
Perhaps a rather obvious solution to the 'problem' of the current Mississippi flag. And yet, there is much to be said for simplicity in design. Posted by Ken Morton [June 28, 2019].
My version of the design by Steven Abbot. The left side of the flag depicts the Mississippi River to the east. The right side of the flag depicts the green land of the state; a magnolia icon represents the state flower of the “Magnolia State.” Posted by Preston Knapp
[1]MS Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 1"
MS Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 2"
Proposal for a flag for Mississippi. By
Qaz Dec 2019 (
details)
Proposal for a flag for Mississippi. By
Qaz Dec 2019 (
details)
Proposal for a flag for Mississippi. By
Qaz Dec 2019 (
details)
Part of series of designs for state flags, all in blue and white. (Posted by Ken Morton)
"Magnolia Cross" (Magnolia flag variation) 2020