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Flag of Pennsylvania

November 14, 2023

See also: Coat of arms of Pennsylvania

The flag of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is displayed.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
UseCivil and state flag
Proportion27:37 (both 2:3 and 3:5 in use)
AdoptedJune 13, 1907; 116 years ago (June 13, 1907)
DesignA state coat of arms on a blue field

Design edit

The flag of Pennsylvania is a blue field (by law, the same blue as the flag of the United States) charged with the state coat of arms.

History edit

 
The flag as it appears in an 1819 painting titled "Independence Day Celebration in Centre Square, Philadelphia"
 
Image from page 7 of "The government of the people of the state of Pennsylvania" (1902)[1]

On April 9, 1799, the Pennsylvania General Assembly authorized the use of the state coat of arms on flags for the state militia.[2] These flags took various forms, most commonly featuring the coat of arms either replacing the field of stars in the union of the US flag, or being placed alone on a field of blue. The depiction of the coat of arms would also vary from flag to flag, as the colors in the escutcheon of the arms were changed in 1809, and the color of the horses was not standardized until 1875.[3]

The legislature eventually chose to create a standardized flag for general use, featuring a now-standardized coat of arms alone on a plain field of blue mandated to be the "same color as the blue field in the flag of the United States".[4] This new flag was enacted by law on June 13, 1907.[5]

Criticism and attempts to change the flag edit

The Pennsylvania flag has been criticized for the complexity of its design, and its inability to stand out from other similar state flags across the US. Several attempts have been made by the Pennsylvania legislature and the public to address these criticisms by changing or altering the flag.

2001 NAVA Survey edit

In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed 100 of its members and 337 members of the general public on the designs of the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags. The survey ranked Pennsylvania's flag 57th out of the 72, with a score of 3.69 on a scale of 0 to 10.[6] Its low ranking was attributed to both the complexity of the coat of arms on its design, and its inability to stand out among a sea of similar “seal on a bedsheet” designs common to more than half of U.S. state flags.[7]

Attempts to add "Pennsylvania" to the flag (2004-2014) edit

Between 2004 and 2014, several attempts were made to add the word "Pennsylvania" to the state flag. According to former State Representative Tim Solobay (who introduced the first set of bills), this was intended to make Pennsylvania's flag more unique and identifiable.[8]

While the bill failed to leave committee in the first two sessions it was introduced,[9][10] a 2006 survey offered by Solobay's office[11] to help refine the defined design may have swayed legislators to act on the bill, which was amended on May 7, 2007.[12] On June 11, 2007, The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted in favor of the bill, 164–31.[8] The Senate State Government Committee never considered the bill, which died at the end of the Pennsylvania General Assembly's two-year session.

The bill was reintroduced by Solobay in 2009,[13] and on the next session day, a second similar bill was introduced by former State Representative Gary Haluska with a competing definition of the design.[14] Neither bill was raised in committee that session. Haluska's proposal was reintroduced alone in both the 2011-12[15] and 2013-14 sessions,[16] and died in committee both times.

  • Proposals to change the flag between 2004-2014
  •  

    2004-2007 Proposal,[9][10]  adding "the word 'Pennsylvania' to be embroidered upon the flag in yellow silk."

  •  

    2007-2010 Proposal,[12][13]  adding the words "Commonwealth Of" to the top and "Pennsylvania" to the bottom of the flag in yellow silk, and arching the lettering around the coat of arms

  •  

    2009-2014 Proposal,[14][15][16]  adding the word "Pennsylvania" in yellow silk "centered within a symmetrical red festoon, similar to that containing the State motto; and the festoon to be centered above the bald eagle on the coat of arms."

The Keystone Flag edit

 
The "Keystone Flag"

In 2017 the "Keystone Flag" was designed by Tara Stark, a Pennsylvania resident.[17] The flag incorporates the keystone, a symbol already used in official capacities by the Pennsylvania National Guard and departments within the Government of Pennsylvania into a tricolor design using the colors on the coat of arms of Pennsylvania.[18][19] The flag gained popularity in online vexillological circles, winning multiple online contests, and began receiving wider attention following high-profile changes to the Flag of Mississippi and the Flag of Utah. The design was formally released into the public domain in August 2022.[20] Stark launched a Kickstarter campaign in November 2022 to print flags and create other merchandise featuring the design, raising more than $4,500, and the design began being sold by multiple manufacturers. As of March 2023, it is beginning to see more popular use, notably including on a lapel pin worn by one state legislator.[21]

2023 Effort edit

On June 16, 2023, Pennsylvania State Representative Joe Webster released a memorandum proposing a commission to "study the history of the state flag, solicit design submissions for a new state flag, and recommend changes to the state flag."[22] To this end, House Resolution 163 was introduced on June 27, 2023.[23]

Flags associated with Pennsylvania edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Thorpe, Francis Newton (1902). The government of the people of the state of Pennsylvania. The Library of Congress. Philadelphia, Eldridge & brother.
  2. ^ Smith, Whitney. "flag of Pennsylvania". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Jul. 2011, https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Pennsylvania . Accessed 24 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Pennsylvania (U.S.)". www.fotw.info. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  4. ^ "Act of Jun. 13, 1907, P.L. 560, No. 373 Cl. 38 - FLAG OF PENNSYLVANIA DESIGNATED". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  5. ^ . 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  6. ^ "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey - NAVA.org" (PDF). nava.org.
  7. ^ Kaye, Edward B. (2001). "Good Flag, Bad Flag, and the Great NAVA Flag Survey of 2001" (PDF). Raven: A Journal of Vexillology. 8: 11–38. doi:10.5840/raven200182 – via Philosophy Documentation Center.
  8. ^ a b "House passes Solobay bill adding 'Pennsylvania' to state flag". Office of State Rep. Tim Solobay. Archived from the original on 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  9. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Regular Session 2003-2004 House Bill 2808". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  10. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Regular Session 2005-2006 House Bill 149". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  11. ^ "Pennsylvania (U.S.) 'Proposal for change to the flag'". www.fotw.info. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  12. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Regular Session 2007-2008 House Bill 179". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  13. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Regular Session 2009-2010 House Bill 143". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  14. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Regular Session 2009-2010 House Bill 179". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  15. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Regular Session 2011-2012 House Bill 722". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  16. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Regular Session 2013-2014 House Bill 578". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  17. ^ Sentinel, Maddie Seiler The. "PHOTOS: Humane Society of Harrisburg Area's 25th annual Penguin Plunge". The Sentinel. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  18. ^ "Guide: State Symbols". PA.Gov. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  19. ^ "Pa. Guard adds new shoulder sleeve insignia". DVIDS. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  20. ^ Stark, Tara (2017-03-10), English: A proposed redesign for the flag of Pennsylvania, also known as the "Keystone Flag." The design maintains all of the symbolism of the flag authorized by the state in 1798 and legislated in 1907, but rather than utilizing a complicated Coat of Arms, is designed simply to work best as a flag. A detailed construction sheet is available at File:Keystone Flag Construction Sheet.svg., retrieved 2023-05-14
  21. ^ "@StephenJ_Caruso on Twitter: "Spotted: State Rep. Izzy Smith Wade-El (D., Lancaster) is rocking a @KeystoneFlag lapel pin."". Twitter. 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  22. ^ "House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  23. ^ "Bill Information - House Resolution 163; Regular Session 2023-2024". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  24. ^ Allen, Francis Olcott (1894). "The Provincial or Colonial Flag of Pennsylvania". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 18 (2): 249–252. ISSN 0031-4587. JSTOR 20083598.
  25. ^ "Pennsylvania Colonial/Revolutionary War Flags (U.S.)". www.fotw.info. Retrieved 2022-09-19.

External links edit

  • Display of the state flag

November 14, 2023
flag, pennsylvania, also, coat, arms, pennsylvania, flag, pennsylvania, consists, blue, field, which, state, coat, arms, displayed, commonwealth, pennsylvaniausecivil, state, flagproportion27, both, adoptedjune, 1907, years, june, 1907, designa, state, coat, a. See also Coat of arms of Pennsylvania The flag of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is displayed Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaUseCivil and state flagProportion27 37 both 2 3 and 3 5 in use AdoptedJune 13 1907 116 years ago June 13 1907 DesignA state coat of arms on a blue field Contents 1 Design 2 History 3 Criticism and attempts to change the flag 3 1 2001 NAVA Survey 3 2 Attempts to add Pennsylvania to the flag 2004 2014 3 3 The Keystone Flag 3 4 2023 Effort 4 Flags associated with Pennsylvania 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksDesign editThe flag of Pennsylvania is a blue field by law the same blue as the flag of the United States charged with the state coat of arms History edit nbsp The flag as it appears in an 1819 painting titled Independence Day Celebration in Centre Square Philadelphia nbsp Image from page 7 of The government of the people of the state of Pennsylvania 1902 1 On April 9 1799 the Pennsylvania General Assembly authorized the use of the state coat of arms on flags for the state militia 2 These flags took various forms most commonly featuring the coat of arms either replacing the field of stars in the union of the US flag or being placed alone on a field of blue The depiction of the coat of arms would also vary from flag to flag as the colors in the escutcheon of the arms were changed in 1809 and the color of the horses was not standardized until 1875 3 The legislature eventually chose to create a standardized flag for general use featuring a now standardized coat of arms alone on a plain field of blue mandated to be the same color as the blue field in the flag of the United States 4 This new flag was enacted by law on June 13 1907 5 Criticism and attempts to change the flag editThe Pennsylvania flag has been criticized for the complexity of its design and its inability to stand out from other similar state flags across the US Several attempts have been made by the Pennsylvania legislature and the public to address these criticisms by changing or altering the flag 2001 NAVA Survey edit In 2001 the North American Vexillological Association surveyed 100 of its members and 337 members of the general public on the designs of the 72 U S state U S territorial and Canadian provincial flags The survey ranked Pennsylvania s flag 57th out of the 72 with a score of 3 69 on a scale of 0 to 10 6 Its low ranking was attributed to both the complexity of the coat of arms on its design and its inability to stand out among a sea of similar seal on a bedsheet designs common to more than half of U S state flags 7 Attempts to add Pennsylvania to the flag 2004 2014 edit Between 2004 and 2014 several attempts were made to add the word Pennsylvania to the state flag According to former State Representative Tim Solobay who introduced the first set of bills this was intended to make Pennsylvania s flag more unique and identifiable 8 While the bill failed to leave committee in the first two sessions it was introduced 9 10 a 2006 survey offered by Solobay s office 11 to help refine the defined design may have swayed legislators to act on the bill which was amended on May 7 2007 12 On June 11 2007 The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted in favor of the bill 164 31 8 The Senate State Government Committee never considered the bill which died at the end of the Pennsylvania General Assembly s two year session The bill was reintroduced by Solobay in 2009 13 and on the next session day a second similar bill was introduced by former State Representative Gary Haluska with a competing definition of the design 14 Neither bill was raised in committee that session Haluska s proposal was reintroduced alone in both the 2011 12 15 and 2013 14 sessions 16 and died in committee both times Proposals to change the flag between 2004 2014 nbsp 2004 2007 Proposal 9 10 nbsp adding the word Pennsylvania to be embroidered upon the flag in yellow silk nbsp 2007 2010 Proposal 12 13 nbsp adding the words Commonwealth Of to the top and Pennsylvania to the bottom of the flag in yellow silk and arching the lettering around the coat of arms nbsp 2009 2014 Proposal 14 15 16 nbsp adding the word Pennsylvania in yellow silk centered within a symmetrical red festoon similar to that containing the State motto and the festoon to be centered above the bald eagle on the coat of arms The Keystone Flag edit nbsp The Keystone Flag In 2017 the Keystone Flag was designed by Tara Stark a Pennsylvania resident 17 The flag incorporates the keystone a symbol already used in official capacities by the Pennsylvania National Guard and departments within the Government of Pennsylvania into a tricolor design using the colors on the coat of arms of Pennsylvania 18 19 The flag gained popularity in online vexillological circles winning multiple online contests and began receiving wider attention following high profile changes to the Flag of Mississippi and the Flag of Utah The design was formally released into the public domain in August 2022 20 Stark launched a Kickstarter campaign in November 2022 to print flags and create other merchandise featuring the design raising more than 4 500 and the design began being sold by multiple manufacturers As of March 2023 it is beginning to see more popular use notably including on a lapel pin worn by one state legislator 21 2023 Effort edit On June 16 2023 Pennsylvania State Representative Joe Webster released a memorandum proposing a commission to study the history of the state flag solicit design submissions for a new state flag and recommend changes to the state flag 22 To this end House Resolution 163 was introduced on June 27 2023 23 Flags associated with Pennsylvania edit nbsp Standard of the governor of Pennsylvania see also Flags of governors of the U S states nbsp 1747 Flag of Pennsylvania Associators 24 now the modern 111th Infantry Regiment and 28th Infantry Division designed by Ben Franklin Colors if any unknown nbsp Flag of First Troop Philadelphia Light Horse 25 a Pennsylvania cavalry unit created just before the Revolutionary War nbsp The Brandywine flag nbsp Flag of the Whiskey RebellionSee also editFlags of the U S states and territories List of Pennsylvania state symbolsReferences edit Thorpe Francis Newton 1902 The government of the people of the state of Pennsylvania The Library of Congress Philadelphia Eldridge amp brother Smith Whitney flag of Pennsylvania Encyclopedia Britannica 27 Jul 2011 https www britannica com topic flag of Pennsylvania Accessed 24 February 2023 Pennsylvania U S www fotw info Retrieved 2023 02 24 Act of Jun 13 1907 P L 560 No 373 Cl 38 FLAG OF PENNSYLVANIA DESIGNATED www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 Status of the Pennsylvania Flag 2007 09 12 Archived from the original on 2007 10 12 Retrieved 2007 10 26 2001 State Provincial Flag Survey NAVA org PDF nava org Kaye Edward B 2001 Good Flag Bad Flag and the Great NAVA Flag Survey of 2001 PDF Raven A Journal of Vexillology 8 11 38 doi 10 5840 raven200182 via Philosophy Documentation Center a b House passes Solobay bill adding Pennsylvania to state flag Office of State Rep Tim Solobay Archived from the original on 2007 08 10 Retrieved 2007 10 26 a b Pennsylvania Regular Session 2003 2004 House Bill 2808 www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 a b Pennsylvania Regular Session 2005 2006 House Bill 149 www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 Pennsylvania U S Proposal for change to the flag www fotw info Retrieved 2022 09 21 a b Pennsylvania Regular Session 2007 2008 House Bill 179 www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 a b Pennsylvania Regular Session 2009 2010 House Bill 143 www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 a b Pennsylvania Regular Session 2009 2010 House Bill 179 www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 a b Pennsylvania Regular Session 2011 2012 House Bill 722 www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 a b Pennsylvania Regular Session 2013 2014 House Bill 578 www legis state pa us Retrieved 2022 09 18 Sentinel Maddie Seiler The PHOTOS Humane Society of Harrisburg Area s 25th annual Penguin Plunge The Sentinel Retrieved 2023 03 07 Guide State Symbols PA Gov Retrieved 2023 02 21 Pa Guard adds new shoulder sleeve insignia DVIDS Retrieved 2023 02 21 Stark Tara 2017 03 10 English A proposed redesign for the flag of Pennsylvania also known as the Keystone Flag The design maintains all of the symbolism of the flag authorized by the state in 1798 and legislated in 1907 but rather than utilizing a complicated Coat of Arms is designed simply to work best as a flag A detailed construction sheet is available at File Keystone Flag Construction Sheet svg retrieved 2023 05 14 StephenJ Caruso on Twitter Spotted State Rep Izzy Smith Wade El D Lancaster is rocking a KeystoneFlag lapel pin Twitter 2023 02 21 Retrieved 2023 03 07 House Co Sponsorship Memoranda The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly Retrieved 2023 06 16 Bill Information House Resolution 163 Regular Session 2023 2024 The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly Retrieved 2023 06 27 Allen Francis Olcott 1894 The Provincial or Colonial Flag of Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 18 2 249 252 ISSN 0031 4587 JSTOR 20083598 Pennsylvania Colonial Revolutionary War Flags U S www fotw info Retrieved 2022 09 19 External links editDisplay of the state flag Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Flag of Pennsylvania amp oldid 1175393916, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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