Vexillology: US States

Over the past week or so I have been highlighting my top favorite flags from different regions in the world. I've been discussing (with a few small exceptions like the Bikini Atoll) sovereign states and not constituent territories. Today, however, I want to write about something a bit closer to home... literally!

While the vast majority of US states fly incredibly boring flags (nearly all of them consist of a plain blue field with the state's crest in the middle), a few of them stand out as absolutely brilliant vexillology. While I love my own state flag of Texas, it's a bit too similar to the flag of Chile to include here. My rules are generally that a flag should be iconic, unique, and not too complex (no crazy coast of arms or overly-complicated design).

Interesting, four of the states I've chosen are the four newest states in the union, and one is one of the original 13 colonies.

Alaska

Alaska's flag was adopted in 1927 while it was still a US territory. The flag is a field of night sky blue and features golden stars depicting the Big Dipper constellation and Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is in reference to the state's far north geographical location. The Big Dipper, or Ursa Major, pays tribute to the bear, which is an animal native to the wilds of Alaska.

It's a simple flag, but the stars are immediately recognizable (the Big Dipper has to be one of the easiest constellations to find in the night sky) and the flag is instantly identifiable as that of Alaska. The colors are nice and it's beautiful in its simplicity and symbolism.

Arizona

Arizona's flag shows a setting sun, representing its western location within the United States. Thirteen rays emanate from the central copper star representing the original US colonies. The field of blue is "liberty blue", the exact shade as on the US flag's field of stars, and copper and gold were chosen in reference to the banners carried by Spanish explorer Coronado and his men on their 1540 expedition to search for the mythical Seven Cities of Cibola.

This flag is bright and it really pops!

Hawaii

The flag of Hawaii has a really interesting history. First of all, it's the only US flag that includes the flag of a foreign nation within it. At first glance, Hawaii's state flag looks very much like that of a British territory or commonwealth realm. However, Hawaii was never a British colony? So why the Union Jack in the corner?

A British red ensign was presented to King Kamehameha I as a symbol of friendship by Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy in 1793. The Kingdom of Hawaii (known at the time as the Sandwich Islands) and the United Kingdom developed a close friendship, and the Hawaiian king would often fly the Union Jack as a symbol of respect and friendship. During the War of 1812, the United States government was unhappy with such a partisan display of loyalty in the Pacific, so Hawaii made the decision to add American-inspired stripes to their flag as a show of neutrality. The stripes use the colors of the Hawaiian king's standard, and represent the eight islands of the Hawaiian chain.

Unfortunately, this neutrality did not please the wealthy American plantation owners who were leasing land in Hawaii. Eventually, the American tycoons staged a coup, forced the abdication of Hawaii's last queen. and handed Hawaii over to the US government as a territory. The territory, and the successor state, use the same flag as the once independent Kingdom of Hawaii.

New Mexico

New Mexico's flag is one of my favorites, and it was voted by the North American Vexillogical Association as the best flag among all US states and territories and Canadian provinces.

New Mexico's flag takes the colors of the flag of Spanish Hapsburg (House of Burgundy) and features the Zia sun symbol, a sacred Native American symbol which represents the four directions, the four times of day, the four stages of life, and the four seasons.

I'm really fond of New Mexico in general, and I love the state's flag. Simple, iconic, eye-catching.

Maryland

Maryland's rather heraldic flag dates back to before the United States, during its foundation as a crown colony. The flag features the alternating family shields of the Calvert and Crosslands family, which was the coat of arms of Baron George Calvert, the Lord Baltimore. Interestingly, it's not the only US flag to consist of a personal coat of arms! The flag of Washington D.C. displays George Washington's coat of arms.

Maryland's flag is by far the most European-looking flag of all the states, which is appropriate due to Maryland's age and colonial history. It's also one of the most famous and recognizable flags, and even appears on the seal of Johns Hopkins University.

Well...

I'm still in quarantine.

I've been writing this series partially to occupy myself during this time and partially to keep myself accountable and to stay in the habit of blogging regularly.

Since the quarantine doesn't look like it's quite ready to finish (though things in Thailand are getting much, much better), I might have to look for something else to write about. I've already written about the flags of sovereign countries and US states. What else can I feature? Hmmm...

Come back tomorrow to find out!