Flag of Mississippi from 1894-present
The flag of Mississippi was adopted in 1894. It is the only United States state flag currently to incorporate the Battle Flag of the Confederacy.
Pledge to the Mississippi State Flag
The pledge to the state flag is:
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I salute the flag of Mississippi and the sovereign state for which it stands with pride in her history and achievements and with confidence in her future under the guidance of Almighty God.1 |
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1861 flag
When Mississippi seceded from the Union on January 9, 1861, near the beginning of the Civil War, the Bonnie Blue Flag (a single white star on a blue field) was raised over the capitol building in Jackson as a sign of independence. On January 26, Mississippi officially adopted a new flag which included the Bonnie Blue Flag in its canton and a magnolia tree in its center field. Known as the Magnolia Flag, it remained in use until 1894.
2001 flag referendum
Proposed flag of Mississippi
In 2000, the Supreme Court of Mississippi ruled2 that state legislation in 1906 had repealed the adoption of the state flag in 1894, so what was considered to be the official state flag was only so through custom and usage.3 Governor Ronnie Musgrove appointed an independent commission which developed a new proposed design,3, and on April 17, 2001, a state referendum to change the flag was put before Mississippi voters. The proposal would have replaced the Confederate battle flag with a blue canton with 20 stars. The outer ring of 13 stars would represent the original Thirteen Colonies, the ring of six stars would represent the six nations that have had sovereignty over Mississippi territory (Indian nations, France, Spain, Great Britain, the United States, and the Confederate States), and the inner and slightly larger star would represent Mississippi itself. The 20 stars would also represent Mississippi's status as the 20th member of the United States.4 The new flag was soundly defeated in a vote of 65% to 35% and the old flag was retained.5
See also
Notes
- ^ Miss. Code Ann., Section 37-13-7 (1972)
- ^ Mississippi Division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans v. Mississippi State Conference of NAACP Branches, 774 So.2d 388 (Miss. 2000)
- ^ a b Dedman IV, James M. (Fall 2001). "At Daggers Drawn: The Confederate Flag and the School Classroom - A Case Study of a Broken First Amendment Formula". Baylor Law Review 53: 877, 883.
- ^ "Mississippi will retain its 107-year-old flag", CNN (2001-04-17). Retrieved on 21 October 2007.
- ^ "Election Results" (PDF). State of Mississippi. 2001-04-27. http://www.sos.state.ms.us/elections/FlagVote/CountyScans/CertStateResults.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-10-21.
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