Flag of Vermont
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| Use | State flag.  |
| Proportion | 1:1.66 |
| Adopted | June 1, 1923 |
| Design | The Vermont State Coat of Arms on a field of azure. |
The Flag of Vermont consists of the state's Coat of arms and motto. The Vermont General Assembly adopted the current flag on 1 June 1923.
Multiple versions of the flag have been included throughout history. Originally, the flag was the same as the Flag of the Green Mountain Boys. It was then changed to look similar to the flag of the United States, consisting of red and white stripes, and a blue top left corner. It was changed to be dissimilar to avoid confusion.[1] Proposals have been brought up to revert the flag back to the Green Mountain Boys flag, but none have succeeded.
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[edit] Symbolism
The flag consists of the state's Coat of arms and motto on a field of azure. While the pine needle supporters of the coat of arms are represented throughout New England, the pine tree in the middle of the Coat of arms represents the Vermont forests.[2] The cows and wheat represent the dairy and agriculture industries.[3] The [[deer] head on top represents Vermont's wildlife.[2] The Green Mountains are in the background as well. The motto, "Freedom and Unity", is also used. The motto balances two different ideals, the freedom of the individual citizen, and the welfare of the common good.
[edit] History
| Historic Vermont Flags |
|---|
 Vermont Republic 1760s to April 30, 1804 |
 May 1, 1804 to October 19, 1837 |
 October 20, 1837 to May 31, 1923 |
From the establishment of the Vermont Republic in 1777 through admission to statehood in 1791, and on to 1804, Vermont used the flag of the Green Mountain Boys. When Vermont joined the United States of America on March 4, 1791, it did not adopt an official state flag, but both the Green Mountain Boys battle flag, and the later Governor’s flag (above) were used informally.
On 1 May 1804, the number of U.S. states rose to seventeen, and it was expected that the U.S. flag would change to 17 stars and 17 stripes. In recognition, Vermont adopted what was expected to be the new U.S. flag with the addition of the name "VERMONT" embroidered along the top. The U.S. flag did not actually change, resulting in the Vermont flag having more stars and stripes than the national flag.[1]
On 20 October 1837, Vermont changed its flag to a design based on the current 13-stripe U.S. flag, but with the multiple stars of the blue canton replaced with a single large star surrounding Vermont’s coat of arms. The flags based on these specifications varied in the number of points on the star (five and eight, with eight slightly more common), and the exact details of the center of the star (with either the Great Seal or the Coat-of-Arms being used).[1]
Because of confusion with the U.S. flag, the design of the Vermont Governor’s Flag was adopted as the official state flag on 1 June 1923.[1]
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[edit] External links
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