| Use | Civil and state flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | June 26, 1911 |
| Design | Coat of arms of Michigan on a blue field |
| Variant flag of Michigan | |
| Name | Flag of the Governor of Michigan |
| Adopted | August. 1, 1911 |
| Design | Coat of arms of Michigan on a white field |
The Flag of the State of Michigan depicts the state's coat-of-arms on a dark blue field, as set forth by Michigan state law.[1] (The Governor has a variant of the flag with a white instead of blue field.[1])
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The state coat of arms depicts a light blue shield, upon which the sun rises over a lake and peninsula, and a man with raised hand and holding a long gun representing peace and the ability to defend his rights. As supporters the elk and moose are derived from the Hudson's Bay Company coat of arms, the first defacto government of Michigan when it was called Canada, and depict great animals of Michigan. The bald eagle represents the United States which formed the State of Michigan from the Northwest Territory.[2]
The design features three Latin mottos. From top-to-bottom they are:
The present flag, adopted in 1911, is the third state flag. The first flag featured a portrait of Michigan's first governor, Stevens T. Mason, on one side and the state coat of arms and "a soldier and a lady" on the other side. The second flag, adopted in 1865, displayed the state coat of arms on one side and the United States coat of arms on the other.[2]
Michigan's pledge of allegiance to the state flag was written by Harold G. Coburn and was officially adopted as Public Act 165 of 1972.[3]
| “ | I pledge allegiance to the flag of Michigan, and to the state for which it stands, 2 beautiful peninsulas united by a bridge of steel, where equal opportunity and justice to all is our ideal. | ” |
The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), in its 2001 survey of US state, US Territory and Canadian provincial flags rated the current Michigan flag 59th out of 72 flags evaluated; it was given an average score of just 3.46 out of a possible 10 points.[4]
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