Was there one ? What was on it ? Why was it changed in 1861 to Virtue
slaying a British tyrant ? Or if there had not been one before, why
was THAT adopted as the state flag ?
Dear wolvies,
Virginia indeed did not have an official state flag before 1861.
Though that sounds rather surprising, it was not uncommon at all for
American states before the Civil War to not have an official flag. For
example, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi adopted their first
official flags not before the early months of the war. And Maryland
did not have an official state flag before 1904, to mention only one
additional example.
Virigia's official state flag was adopted on 30 April 1861, after the
Virginia Convention had voted in favor of the Ordinance of Secession
from the United States on 17 April. It was created from two elements:
- The blue background was taken from the famous "Bonnie Blue Flag", a
blue flag with a white star in its center. This unofficial flag was
the earliest vexillological symbol of Southern independence and it had
been the de facto symbol of State sovereignty since its adoption by
the short-lived Republic of West Florida in the early 19th century.
- However, the white star was replaced with the official seal of
Virginia. That seal had been created as early as 1776. Originally, the
defeated generic tyrant and the seal's motto "Sic Semper Tyrannis" =
"Thus always to tyrants" mainly referred to George III; but in the
eyes of Virginians in 1861, it was also adequate for their current
situation. Though it would be far too complicated to explain
anti-Northern sentiment in the South on the eve of the Civil War (I
recommend James M. McPherson's great book "Battle Cry of Freedome" for
detailed background information), it is not nonexaggerated to say that
many Southerners felt "Northern tyranny" approaching to destroy their
way of life. Especially Abraham Lincoln was commonly referred to as
"tyrant" by interceders of secession. So the state seal stood not only
for a past fight for freedom, but also for a such fight that was yet
to come. It is interesting that many Southerners spoke of Southern
Secession as of the "Second American Revolution"; the historical
circumstances appeared similar to them. Therefore, choosing the state
seal for the official state flag was logical and striking.
Sources:
Flags Of The World: Virginia
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-va.html
The Patriotist: What Does it Mean to be a Virginian?
http://www.patriotist.com/wcarch/wc20000925.htm
Battle Flags of the Confederacy: 28th Virginia Infantry
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/flags/28_vai.html
Netstate: Virginia State Symbols - The Great Seal of Virginia
http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/seals/va_seal.htm
James M. Mc Pherson: F r die Freiheit sterben (German translated
version of "Battle Cry of Freedom"). Bechterm nz Verlag, 2003. ISBN
3-8289-0398-3
Search terms used:
virginia "no official state flag" 1861
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=virginia+%22no+official+state+flag%22+1861&meta=
"no official state flag"
://www.google.de/search?q=%22no+official+state+flag%22&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N
virginia seal 1776
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=virginia+seal+1776&meta=
virginia "state flag" seal 1861 "bonnie blue"
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=virginia+%22state+flag%22+seal+1861+%22bonnie+blue%22&meta=
Hope this answers your question!
Best regards,
Scriptor
Thank you ! I see now - the symbol was older than the flag, originally
aimed at Britain but now taken to mean the Union. What I couldn't work
out was why Virginia would be annoyed at Britain in 1861, and I see
that they were not. Cheers :)
#If you have any other info about this subject , Please add it free.#
