Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)

The current flag of Georgia was adopted on May 8, 2003. The flag has three red and white stripes, with the state coat of arms (taken from the state seal) on a blue field in the upper left corner. In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state's Constitution and the pillars represent the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The words of the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice, Moderation," are wrapped around the pillars, guarded by a male figure dressed in Colonial attire like a soldier of the American Revolution, with a drawn sword representing the defense of the Constitution. An additional motto, In God We Trust, appears under these elements, though it is not part of the state seal nor coat of arms. The flag has thirteen stars, representing Georgia and the 12 other original states that formed the United States of America. [cite web|url=http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2671&hl=y |title="State Flags of Georgia", "New Georgia Encyclopedia" |accessdate=2008-05-15 |last=Jackson |first=Edwin L. |coauthors= |date= |format= |publisher= ]

Pledge to the Georgia Flag

Historical flags

The state flag used from 1956 to 2001 (see below) featured a prominent Confederate Battle Flag, which some residents found offensive due to memories of its historical use by the Confederate States of America and its current use as a symbol of various white supremacy groups, though many of these groups also use the flag of the United States of America as well. African-Americans in particular found it offensive, as the emblem was originally adopted not during the American Civil War period but in 1956 during the height of the fight for desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement. Even in 1956, support for the flag was not unanimous, with the United Daughters of the Confederacy opposing the flag with a prophetic statement that the change "would cause strife."

Twenty-first century adherents of the 1956 flag claimed that the flag was designed to commemorate the upcoming Civil War Centennial five years away. [ cite web|url=http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2001_02/senate/research/STATEFLA.pdf |title=The State Flag of Georgia: The 1956 Change In Its Historical Context |accessdate=2007-10-07 |last=Azarian |first=Alexander |coauthors=Eden Fesshazion |date=2000-08 |format=PDF |publisher=Senate Research Office ] Critics, including Georgia Congressman John Lewis, assert it was only adopted as a symbol of racist protest, especially against the decision of "Brown v. Board of Education". [http://www.house.gov/johnlewis/oe_flag_lott.html Editorial by Congressman John Lewis] December 16, 2002. Accessed online November 21, 2006.] A federal appeals court noted in 1997 that the 1956 resolution changing the flag was part of a larger legislative package that year from the Georgia General Assembly which included bills rejecting "Brown v. Board" and following up on then-Governor Marvin Griffin's announcement that "The rest of the nation is looking to Georgia for the lead in segregation." [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&case=/data2/circs/11th/968149opa.html Coleman v. Miller] 1997 decision denying injunction against Governor of Georgia and the Sons of Confederate Veterans for flying the 1956 Georgia state flag. Accessed online November 21, 2006.]

Political pressure for a change in the official state flag increased during the 1990s, in particular during the run-up to the 1996 Olympic Games that were held in Atlanta. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) focused on the Georgia flag as a major issue and some business leaders in Georgia felt that the perceptions of the flag were causing economic harm to the state. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller announced his intention to get the battle flag element removed, but the state legislature refused to pass any flag-modifying legislation. The matter was dropped after the 1993 legislative session. Many Atlanta residents and some Georgia politicians refused to fly the 1956 flag and flew the pre-1956 flag instead. Governor Miller later apologized for his attempt at changing the flag.

Miller's successor as Governor, Roy Barnes(who was defeated in the following election), responded to the increasing calls for a new state flag, and in 2001 quickly hurried a replacement through the Georgia General Assembly under howls of protest. His new flag sought a compromise, by featuring small versions of some (but not all) of Georgia's former flags, including the controversial 1956 flag, under the words "Georgia's History." Those flags are the original thirteen-star Betsy Ross U.S. flag; the first Georgia flag (before 1879); the 1920–1956 Georgia flag; the previous state flag (1956–2001); and the current fifty-star U.S. flag.

The 2001 flag, intended to be less offensive, never gained popularity amongst Georgians. It was perceived as having been "designed by a committee," and was aesthetically complicated, crowded with many small elements. In a 2001 survey on state and provincial flags in North America conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the redesigned Georgia flag was ranked the worst by a wide margin; the group stated that the flag "violates all the principles of good flag design." [http://www.nava.org/Flag%20Design/State&Provincial%20Survey%202001/surveyresults.htm New Mexico Tops State/Provincial Flags Survey, Georgia Loses by Wide Margin] Press release from the North American Vexillological Association. Accessed online December 16, 2006.]

Current flag

In 2002, Sonny Perdue was elected Governor of Georgia, partially on a platform of allowing Georgians to choose their own flag in a state referendum. Perdue disappointed many supporters of the 1956 flag by not pursuing a referendum on the version they favored and instead allowed the Georgia legislature to draft a new flag in 2003.

The General Assembly's proposed flag combined elements of Georgia's previous flags, creating a composition that was inspired by the Confederate First National flag, the Stars and Bars, rather than the Confederate Battle Flag. Perdue signed the legislation into law on May 8, 2003. [ cite web|url=http://sos.georgia.gov/museum/html/georgia_state_flag_current.htm |title=Flags That Have Flown Over Georgia: The History of the Georgia State Flag - Georgia State Flag, Current |accessdate=2007-10-07 |date=2003 |publisher=Secretary of State of the State of Georgia ]

The 2003 flag legislation also authorized a public referendum on which of the two most recent flags (the 2001 and 2003 versions) would be officially adopted as the flag of the state. The referendum took place during the state's March 2, 2004 presidential primary election. Some heritage groups and protesters known as "flaggers," angry with Governor Perdue because the 1956 flag had not been included in the choices, called for a boycott of the vote. If the 2003 flag was rejected, the pre-2001 design would have been put to a vote. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=New state flag endorsed by Georgia governor, lawmakers | date=2003-04-04 | publisher=Associated Press | url =http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-04-04-georgia-flag_x.htm | work =USA Today | pages = | accessdate = 2007-10-07 | language = ] The 2003 design won 73.1% of the vote in the referendum. [ cite web|url=http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2004_0302/0000230.htm |title=Official Results of the March 2, 2004 Presidential Preference Primary and Statewide Special Referendum |accessdate=2007-10-07 |date=2004-07-07 |publisher=State of Georgia ]

While the new state flag uses elements of the 1879, 1902, 1906, and 1920 state flags, those flags were similar to the first official flag of the Confederate States of America (see Flags of the Confederate States of America). Though the 1956–2001 flag contained the more widely recognized battle flag, the current flag resembles the first official Confederate flag ("The Stars and Bars"), except the state coat of arms replaces the seven stars in the blue background.

References

External links

* [http://www.sos.state.ga.us/museum/html/georgia_flag_history.html Georgia State Flag History]
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2671&sug=y the New Georgia Encyclopedia]