In December, we shared the history about the City of Raleigh flag + some fun facts — and you all gave it some serious love. Now, we want to give you a quick look into our state flag, what’s on it + how it came to be.

History

○ NC did not have its own flag until 1861, when the constitutional convention was held, in which the state decided to secede from the Union. At this meeting, delegates put together their ideas and drafted a resolution that would create the flag’s design. The state’s first flag was centered around NC seceding from the Union, highlighting the dates May 20, 1775 — The date of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, and May 20, 1861 — The day that NC declared that they would leave the Union to join the Confederate States of America.

○ NC officials decided to update the flag once the Civil War ended and the Union and the Confederate States became one. In 1885, a new flag design was drafted, which is the current version of the flag. This update kept May 20, 1775 on the flag, but replaced the NC seceding date with April 12, 1776 — the first known day that the colonies collectively asked for their independence from the British rule, also known as the Halifax Resolves.

Symbols

The white star between the “N” and “C” represents the state being one of the original thirteen colonies.

Colors

The three colors, red, white + blue were used to match the US flag. Blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Red represents hardiness and valor. White represents purity and innocence.

Poll

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