Pennsylvania

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The flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is embroidered. Originally authorized by the state in 1799, the current design was enacted by law in 1907. The blue field must, by legislative mandate, match the shade of blue in the US flag (Pantone 282c).

The state coat of arms is surrounded by draft horses on both sides, and a bald eagle, which represents Pennsylvania's loyalty to the United States, above. The state coat of arms includes a ship under full sail, a plow, and three sheaves of wheat indicating the significance of commerce, labor, perseverance and agriculture to the state. Surrounding the coat of arms is a stalk of Indian corn on the left and an olive branch on the right. These represent the state's recognition of its past and its hope for the future. The scroll below the coat of arms reads: "Virtue, Liberty and Independence," which is the state's motto.

Attempts to change the flag[]

Flag of Pennsylvania with Yellow Lettering (2007 Proposal) — 2007 proposal^[1]^[2]

In 2005, House Bill 149 was introduced to the state legislature to add "Pennsylvania" to the bottom of the flag in golden letters,^[3], and no action was taken. The bill was reintroduced in 2007 as House Bill 179^[1], where it was amended to add the words "Commonwealth Of" to the top of the flag, to arch the lettering around the Coat of Arms, and to clarify the embroidery be made of "yellow silk". On June 11th, 2007, The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted in favor of the bill, 164–31.^[4] The legislation was proposed by State Representative Tim Solobay.^[5] The Senate State Government Committee never considered the bill, which died at the end of the Pennsylvania General Assembly's two-year session.

Flag of Pennsylvania with Yellow Lettering on Red Festoon (2009 Proposal) — 2009 proposal^[6]^[7]^[8]

The bill was again reintroduced as House Bill 143 in 2009,^[2] and on the next session day, a second similar bill (designated House Bill 179, the same number as Solobay's previous bill) was introduced to add the word "Pennsylvania" in yellow silk "centered within a symmetrical red festoon, similar to that containing the State motto; and the festoon to be centered above the bald eagle on the coat of arms."^[6] Both of these bills were never raised in committee, and the latter would be reintroduced again to a similar end in both 2011^[7] and 2013.^[8]

Historical flags associated with Pennsylvania[]

Designs for a new Pennsylvania State Flag[]

Shown below are various designs for a new flag of Pennsylvania.

Flags featuring Keystones[]

Flags featuring William Penn's coat of arms[]

Flags featuring both Keystones and William Penn's coat of arms[]

Flags featuring the Pennsylvania coat of arms (currently featured on official flag)[]

Other flag proposals[]

Most common symbolism[]

Keystone[]

Pennsylvania received the nickname "The Keystone State" in reference to its importance in early American history. It was located in the center of the original thirteen states, between the North and the South. Many documents, like the United States Declaration of Independence, were signed in the state. The state was also an economical "keystone", concentrating both industry, like northern states, and agriculture, like southern states. The keystone currently appears in all kinds of official imagery, such as road signs, car license plates, the government website, logos of government departments, and the state quarter. It is central to many flag proposals as well. In some designs, it's substituted by keys.

William Penn's coat of arms[]

William Penn was the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, which became the current Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1783. During his government, the city of Philadelphia was planned and developed. Moreover, he was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom.

In his honor, Pennsylvania received the "Quaker State" nickname, in reference to Penn's belonging in the quaker movement.

Penn family's coat of arms can be blazoned as "argent, on a fess sable three plates",^[9] i.e., white with three white circles on a black horizontal stripe.

Colors[]

The unofficial state colors of Pennsylvania are blue and gold.^[10]

Several designs use blue, white, and gold stripes, based on the state's vehicle registration plates, which have had that design since 1999.

Many designs use the colors blue, gold, and green, based on the escutcheon from the State Seal and Coat of Arms. That escutcheon features "symbols of Pennsylvania’s strengths — a ship to show state commerce being carried worldwide, a plow to show Pennsylvania’s rich natural resources, and three sheaves of wheat to show fertile fields and Pennsylvania’s wealth of human thought and action."^[11]