|
|
|
Sold Out
Ships in 10 to 14 days
3'x5'
Flag of Arkansas |
|
 |
The flag of the
U.S. state of Arkansas is a red field charged with a large
blue-bordered white diamond. Twenty-nine five-pointed stars appear
on the flag: twenty-five small white stars within the blue border,
and four larger blue stars in the white diamond. The inscription
"ARKANSAS" appears in blue within the white diamond, with one star
above and three stars below. The star above and the two outer
stars below point upwards; the inner star below points downwards.
The design was created by Willie Kavanaugh Hocker of Wabbaseka
from a field of sixty-five entries in a 1912 contest.
Symbolism
The flag's elements have a complex symbolism. According to the
1987 state law defining the flag, the diamond represents Arkansas'
status as "the only diamond-bearing state in the Union". (Crater
of Diamonds State Park was the only diamond mine in North America
at the time, before more recent discoveries in Colorado and
Montana.) The number (25) of white stars around the border of the
diamond represents Arkansas's position as the 25th state to join
the union. The blue star above "ARKANSAS" represents the
Confederate States of America, which Arkansas joined in secession.
The three stars below "ARKANSAS" have three separate meanings:
- The three nations to which
Arkansas has belonged (Spain, France, and the U.S.)
- The Louisiana Purchase, which
brought Arkansas into the U.S., was signed in 1803.
- Arkansas was the third state
(after Louisiana and Missouri) formed from the Louisiana
Purchase.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Sterling
Silver Charm of Arkansas
The statute states that the two
outer, upward-pointing stars of the three are considered "twin
stars" representing the "twin states" of Arkansas and Michigan,
which it claims were admitted together on June 15, 1836. However,
that part of the statute contains two inaccuracies:
- The three stars were in a
single row in Hocker's original design; they weren't arranged in
a triangle until later. Though one source indicates that the
"twin states" symbolism was added by the 1924 Legislature[3],
another states Hocker's "twin stars" are actually two of the 25
stars in the diamond, in the far left and right points[2]; the
latter is more consistent with the original design, even though
Michigan is actually the 26th state.
- While both states' acts of
admission were signed by President Andrew Jackson on that day
and Arkansas became a state immediately, Michigan was offered
admission only on condition of ceding the Toledo Strip to Ohio
in exchange for the Upper Peninsula. Once that happened, it was
finally admitted January 26, 1837.
History
Around 1912, the Pine Bluff chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution (DAR) wished to present a state flag for the
commissioning of the battleship USS Arkansas. When it was
discovered that Arkansas did not have a state flag, the DAR
chapter decided to sponsor a contest to design a flag. Hocker, a
member of the Pine Bluff DAR chapter, won with a design that is
similar to the current flag. She designed the flag with three blue
stars in the middle of the white diamond and omitted "ARKANSAS".
At the request of the flag committee, chaired by Secretary of
State Earle Hodges, Hocker added "ARKANSAS" and rearranged the
stars to one on top and two on bottom. This flag was adopted by
the legislature on February 26, 1913.
In 1923, the legislature added a fourth star, representing the
Confederate States of America. This fourth star was originally
placed so that there were two stars above the state name and two
below; this was to include the Confederacy alongside Spain,
France, and the United States. Since this disturbed the other two
meanings of the original three stars, the legislature corrected
this in 1924 by placing the Confederate star above "ARKANSAS" and
the original three stars below it, as it is today.
Salute
The law defining the flag also
defines a text to be used in saluting the flag: "I salute the
Arkansas Flag with its diamond and stars. We pledge our loyalty to
thee." |