History

The flag

Flag

A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

 was designed by Jesse Cox, an art teacher in Frankfort, Kentucky

Frankfort, Kentucky

Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...

. The flag was adopted by the Kentucky General Assembly

Kentucky General Assembly

The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...

 on March 26, 1918, and finalized in its present

Design

The flag consists of the Commonwealth's seal

Seal of Kentucky

The Seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was adopted in December of 1792. Since that time, it has undergone several revisions. The current seal depicts two men, one in buckskin, and the other in more formal dress. The men are facing each other and clasping hands...

 on a navy blue field, surrounded by the words "Commonwealth of Kentucky" above and sprigs of goldenrod

Goldenrod

Solidago, commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas in North America. There are also a few species native to Mexico, South...

, the state flower, below.
The seal depicts two friends embracing. Popular belief claims that the buckskin-clad man on the left is Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...

, who was largely responsible for the exploration of Kentucky, and the man in the suit on the right is Henry Clay

Henry Clay

Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...

, Kentucky's most famous statesman. However, the official explanation is that the men represent all frontiersmen and statesmen, rather than any specific persons. The state motto: "United We Stand, Divided We Fall

United we stand, divided we fall

"United we stand, divided we fall" is a phrase that has been used in mottos, from nations and states to songs. The basic concept is that unless the people are united, it is easy to destroy them.-Early use:...

" circles them. The motto comes from the lyrics of "The Liberty Song", a patriotic song from the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

.

In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association

North American Vexillological Association

The North American Vexillological Association is a membership organization devoted to "vexillology as the scientific study of flags." Flag researchers, designers, collectors, activists, merchants, and other enthusiasts from the United States and Canada meet annually at NAVA meetings in order to...

 (NAVA) surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state, and U.S. territorial flags. Kentucky's flag finished 66th out of the 72 other flags.

Pledge

In 2000, the General Assembly adopted the following pledge of allegiance to the flag of Kentucky:

See also

• Commonwealth of Kentucky
• Symbols of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
• Seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

External links

• Kentucky's State Flag (Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives)