 | |
| Use | Civil and state flag    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | August 1, 1911 |
| Design | A state coat of arms on a blue field. |
| Flag of the governor of Michigan | |
 | |
| Use | Flag of the governor of Michigan |
| Adopted | August 1, 1911 |
| Design | Coat of arms of Michigan on a white field |
The flag of the state of Michigan is a coat of arms set on a dark blue field, as set forth by Michigan state law.[1] The governor has a variant of the flag with a white field instead of blue one.[1] The state has an official flag month from June 14 through July 14.[2]
YouTube Encyclopedic
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Michigan's Flag and its Story
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Michigan's Save The Flags - Vol. I, Episode 4
Transcription
The first flags in what is now the American state of Michigan were those of the European colonial empires of the French, Spanish, and British that explored, settled, and traded there. After the American Revolution was concluded in 1783, the land that is now Michigan remained in dispute between the United States, Britain, and Spain until the War of 1812. The Michigan territory was formed prior to this in 1805 and Michigan was admitted as the 26th state in 1837. That same year, a 26th star was added to the national flag. Michigan continued to see changes in the national flag until the present 50 star flag. The first state flag of Michigan was flown in 1837, the year of statehood, and included the state coat of arms, a soldier, and a lady on one side. The other side depicted a portrait of Stevens T. Mason, the first state governor. In the years following, a number of flags with the coat of arms were used. The current state flag of Michigan was adopted in 1911 and consists of the state’s coat of arms on a field of dark blue. The coat of arms includes a light blue shield at the center upon which the sun rises over a lake and a peninsula. A man raises his hand and holds a long gun, symbolizing peace and the ability to defend his rights. An elk and a moose support the shield and are derived from the Hudson Bay Company’s coat of arms. The bald eagle on the top of the shield is the national bird of the United States. There are three Latin mottos. The one on the red ribbon is the national motto of E Pluribus Unum, meaning Out of Many, One. The motto, I will defend appears on the light blue shield. The state motto on the white ribbon translates to “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” If you enjoyed this video, be sure to hit the like button and subscribe to our channel for future videos. You can also like our Facebook page for updates there. You can check out another video on the state flag of Florida right here. Thanks for watching.
Design
The state coat of arms depicts a blue shield, upon which the sun rises over a lake and peninsula, and a man with a raised hand, representing peace and holding a long gun, representing the fight for state and nation as a frontier state.[3]
As supporters, the elk and moose are derived from the Hudson's Bay Company coat of arms, and depict great animals of Michigan. The bald eagle represents the United States, which formed the state of Michigan from the Northwest Territory.[4]
The design features three Latin mottos. From top-to-bottom they are:
- On red ribbon: E Pluribus Unum ('Out of many, one'), a motto of the United States.
- On light blue shield: Tuebor (transl. I will defend)
- On white ribbon: Si Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice (transl. If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you), the official state motto.
It is one of nine U.S. state flags to feature an eagle, alongside those of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.
History
The present flag, adopted in 1911, is the third state flag. The first flag featured a portrait of Michigan's first governor, Stevens T. Mason, on one side and the state coat of arms on the other. The first flag is completely lost, and no images of it exist, as far as anyone knows. The second flag, adopted in 1865, displayed the state coat of arms on one side and the United States coat of arms on the other.[5]
The North American Vexillological Association, in its 2001 survey of U.S. state, U.S. territorial, and Canadian provincial flags rated the current Michigan flag 59th out of 72 flags evaluated. The survey respondents gave an average score of just 3.46 out of a possible 10 points.[6]
In November 2016, a bill was introduced in the Michigan state legislature by Senator Steven Bieda that would have provided for a flag commission to head up a public design contest to change the current state flag,[6] but it was ultimately unsuccessful.[7] Establishing a flag commission was proposed again in 2021, by Representative Andrea Schroeder. The measure was referred to committee, where no action was taken on it.[8] In 2023, representative Phil Skaggs proposed a bill to redesign the state flag, but no action has been taken on it since.
Pledge
Michigan's pledge of allegiance to the state flag was written by Harold G. Coburn and was officially adopted in 1972.[2]
I pledge allegiance to the flag of Michigan, and to the state for which it stands, two beautiful peninsulas united by a bridge of steel, where equal opportunity and justice to all is our ideal.
See also
References
- ^ a b Act 209 of 1911 Coat-of-Arms and State Flag in Michigan Compiled Laws
- ^ a b Murray, Dave (April 9, 2012). "Did you pledge allegiance to the Michigan flag today?". Flint Journal. MLive.com. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ "History of the Great Seal and Coat of Arms". Michigan Department of State.
- ^ "The Michigan State Flag". Netstate. August 29, 2017.
- ^ Serba, John (July 21, 2017). "The 5 most ridiculous things about Michigan's state flag". MLive.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Raven, Benjamin (November 13, 2016). "Bill proposes design contest for new Michigan flag". Mlive Detroit. Mlive Media Group. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Senate Bill 1160 (2016)". Michigan Legislature. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022.
- ^ "House Bill 4567 (2021)". Michigan Legislature. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
External links
This page was last edited on 9 March 2024, at 12:17