| The flag of North
Carolina is defined by law as follows
“ That the flag of North Carolina
shall consist of a blue union, containing in the center thereof a
white star with the letter N in gilt on the left and the letter C
in gilt on the right of said star, the circle containing the same
to be one-third the width of the union. The fly of the flag shall
consist of two equally proportioned bars; the upper bar to be red,
the lower bar to be white; that the length of the bars
horizontally shall be equal to the perpendicular length of the
union, and the total length of the flag shall be one-third more
than its width. That above the star in the center of the union
there shall be a gilt scroll in semi-circular form, containing in
black letters this inscription "May 20th, 1775," and that below
the star there shall be a similar scroll containing in black
letters the inscription: "April 12th, 1776." ”
The state legislature adopted this flag in March, 1885, to replace
the original state flag that had been adopted on June 22, 1861,
immediately following the state's secession from the Union on May
20, 1861. The red field of the old flag was replaced by blue in
memory of the Bonnie Blue Flag which was used as a symbol of
secession during the war.
It bears the dates of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
(May 20, 1775) and of the Halifax Resolves (April 12, 1776),
documents that place North Carolina at the forefront of the
American independence movement. Both dates also appear on the
Great Seal of North Carolina. |
