The flag of the state of North Carolina, often referred to as the North Carolina flag, N.C. flag, or North Star, is the

state flag In vexillology, a state flag is either the flag of the government of a sovereign state, or the flag of an individual federated state (subnational administrative division). Government flag A state flag is a variant of a national flag (or occas ...

of the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

History

First flag (1861–1865)

North Carolina did not have an official

until the North Carolinian state constitutional convention of 1861. During this convention, delegates voted to join the Confederacy. They established a committee to come up with a flag. This flag was ratified by the convention on June 22, 1861. The flag consisted of a red field with a white star in the center. Inscribed above the star was the date May 20, 1775, the controversial date of the

Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is a text published in 1819 with the now disputed claim that it was the first declaration of independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. It was supposedly signed on May 20 ...

. Inscribed below the star in a semi-circular form was the date May 20, 1861, which was the date North Carolina declared it had seceded from the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. The flag also contained two bars of equal width, one in blue and one in white. The design is similar to one suggested by Raleigh artist William G. Browne. During the American Civil War,

secessionist Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics lea ...

leaders spoke of the Mecklenburg Declaration with reverence, attempting to connect it with the state's joining the Confederacy. Confederate leader

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

spoke to a

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

crowd in September 1864, saying "people of this section were the first to defy

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

authority and declare themselves free" encouraging them to continue backing the Confederacy's civil war effort.

Flag Statute of 1885

A former Confederate soldier and

adjutant general of North Carolina The Adjutant General of North Carolina is the head of the North Carolina National Guard. The position was created in 1806, when the Militia Acts of 1792 required the state to establish the position to better train the state militia. The office is a ...

(18771888), Johnston Jones, introduced the bill which led the state legislature to adopt a new flag in March 1885, to replace the flag that had been adopted on June 22, 1861. The red field of the old flag was replaced by a blue field. This was the first and only flag formally representing the State of North Carolina as part of the United States. The flag of the State of North Carolina was adopted by statute of the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

in 1885. It is defined in the general Statute 144-1 as follows:

Flag modification of 1991

On June 24, 1991, a bill was passed by the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

that changed the official proportions of the state flag. It changed from "… the total length of the flag shall be one-third more than its width" as written in the 1885 act to "… the total length of the flag shall be one-half more than its width."

Symbolism

It bears the dates of the

(May 20, 1775) and of the

Halifax Resolves The Halifax Resolves was a name later given to the resolution adopted by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on April 12, 1776. The adoption of the resolution was the first official action in the American Colonies calling for independence from ...

(April 12, 1776), documents that place North Carolina at the forefront of the American independence movement. Both dates also appear on the

Seal of North Carolina The Great Seal of North Carolina is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the Government of North Carolina. The Great Seal was modified to its present form in 1983. Design According to an act passed by the North Carolina General Assem ...

Salute to the flag

The General Assembly of North Carolina adopted an official salute to the flag in 2007. It reads:

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1885 establishments in North Carolina

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...