The flag of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations dates from King Charles II colonial times and was officially adopted in 1897, with posterior minor changes.
The flag ratio is 29:33, the narrowest among all USA state flags. The flag is constituted by a white field, with thirteen golden stars, representing the original thirteen colonies and the fact Rhode Island was the thirteenth and last colony to sign the Declaration of Independence. The state motto, "HOPE", is written with golden letters in a blue ribbon, below a golden anchor, that also represents hope, in reference to Biblical phrase "hope we have as an anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:18-19). Usually the flag holds a golden fringe.
Shown below are various designs for a proposed new flag of Rhode Island.
RI Flag Proposal - Multiple Proponents
RI Flag Proposal "FederalRepublic"
RI Flag Proposal "AlienSquid"
RI Flag Proposal "Edward O'Connor"
RI Flag Proposal "Tibbetts"
RI Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"
RI Flag Proposal "VT45"
Proposal for Rhode Island - vexilo
RI Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"
RI Flag Proposal "Usacelt"
RI Flag Proposal by Kermitdefrog
Rhode Island State Flag Proposal No. 3 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 15 AuG 2014
RI Flag Proposal "BigRed618"
RI Flag Proposal "Ben Karnell-1"
RI Flag Proposal "Ben Karnell-2"
Rhode Island flag proposal 1 by Hans. Dec 2013. (details)
Rhode Island flag proposal 2 by Hans. Oct 2014. (details)
Rhode Island flag proposal 3 by Hans. Oct 2014. (details)
Rhode Island flag proposal 4 by Hans. Feb 2015. (details)
Rhode Island flag proposal 5 by Hans. Feb 2015. (details)
Rhode Island flag proposal 6 by Hans. Based on Philip Tibbetts' proposal. Sep 2015. (details)
Rhode Island flag proposal 7 by Hans. Based on Philip Tibbetts' proposal. Sep 2015. (details)
Rhode Island State Flag Simplistic Proposal. I kept the design close to the original flag but simplified it and stripped away all the stars but one to represent the state itself. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.
Rhode Island State Flag Proposal No. 16 Designed By Stephen Richard Barlow 06 MAY 2015 at 0728 HRS CST.
Rhode Island flag proposal by Achaley.
RI flag proposal by 5thEye
Rhode Island flag proposal by Rebranding America, modified by Hans. Feb 2016.
Azure trim to the gold - design by Rotten Ali
Rhode Island flag of 1772. Again, why is this not Rhode Island official state flag? (posted by Ken Morton)
The anchor has been used to symbolize Rhode Island since the 1630s. The anchor is a maritime sign of hope, which makes reference to the state motto and its maritime history. The 13 stars symbolize the 13 original US colonies, of which Rhode Island was the thirteenth to ratify the Constitution. The gold border borrows from prior flags of the state. Posted by Preston Knapp [1]
Proposal for a flag for Rhode island. The color orange is taken from the Governor's flag.