Tennessee

Tennessee
Country	United States
Flag of Tennessee
Designer	LeRoy Reeves
Adopted	17 April 1905
Score in 2001 NAVA survey	6.98/10 (14th of 72)
Standard of the Governor of Tennessee
Adopted	1939
Wikipedia article
Flags of the World article

The flag of the state of Tennessee consists of a field of red, with a strip of blue on the fly, and three stars on a blue circle in the center. The flag was designed by Colonel LeRoy Reeves of the Tennessee National Guard. The Tennessee State Legislature officially adopted the flag on April 17, 1905.

The three stars represent the three Grand Divisions of the state: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The blue circle around the stars represents the unity of the "Grand Divisions" of the state. The blue bar at the edge of the flag was purely a design consideration. When asked about the blue bar, Reeves stated that "The final blue bar relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when hanging limp." The National Geographic magazine erroneously reported in October 1917 that the stars represent Tennessee's status as the third state to enter the United States after the original thirteen.

Historical flags

Proposed state flag (1861)

Former state flag (1897–1905)

Proposals for a Flag of Tennessee

TN Flag Proposal "Tibbetts"

Tennessee State Flag Proposal No. 4c Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 27 NOV 2014 at 0710 HRS CST

Tennessee State Flag Simplistic Proposal. This is almost identical to the actual state flag. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.

TN Flag Proposal "DooplisForce"

TN Flag Proposal "The Dark Soviet"

Tennessee flag proposal by Hans. Sep 2016. (details)

Larger circle. Wider fly lines. Redesign by Rotten Ali.

Proportions similar to design by Rotten Ali. The stars represent the three geographically and legally distinct "Grand Divisions" of Tennessee (East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee). The blue circle around the stars represents the unity of those grand divisions. The orange color has become an unofficial color of the state and has replaced the blatantly Confederate origins of the red in the current flag while still maintaining the overall strong iconography of it. Posted by Preston Knapp [1]

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

Part of series of designs for state flags, all in blue and white. (Posted by Ken Morton)

Adding an Orange Border

Personal redesign of the flag, the stars keep their original meaning, and the blue and white bar have been moved for better contrast.