North Carolina State Library

Raleigh

O PUBLICATIONS

OF THE

NORTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL COMMISSION

BULLBTIN No. 14

THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE FLAG

1914

THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE FLAG

BY

W . R. E D M O N D S

RALEIGH, N. C.

EowiBoe 4 BBOUOHTON PRINTING CO.,

1913

North Carolina State Library

Raleigh

The North Carolina Historical Commission

J . BBYAN GBIMES, Chairman.

W. J . PEELE. M. C. S. NOBLE.

I). H . HILL. THOMAS M . PITTMAN.

E. D. " W". CONNOR, Secretary, Raleigh.

Introductory Note

The North Carolina Historical Commission receives numer­ous

inquiries concerning the history of the State flag of North

Carolina and the significance of the dates which appear on it.

In response to these inquiries the Historical Commission has

issued this bulletin. It was prepared in 1911 by Mr. W. R. Ed­monds,

at that time a member of the staff of the Historical Com­mission,

now an attorney of High Point. The sketch was after­wards

published in The University of North Carolina Magazine,

new series, vol. 29, No. 3, from which it is here reprinted, with

copies of recent acts of the General Assembly relating to the

State flag, and copies of the " Mecklenburg Declaration of Inde­pendence,"

May 20, 1775, the Halifax Resolutions of April 12,

1776, and the Ordinance of Secession, May 20, 1861.

R. D. W. CONNOR,

Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission.

The State Flag of North Carolina

The flag is an emblem of great antiquity and has commanded

respect and reverence from practically all nations from earliest

times. History traces it to divine origin, the early peoples of

the earth attributing to it strange, mysterious, and superna­tural

powers. Indeed, our first recorded references to the

standard and the banner, of which our present flag is but a

modified form, are from sacred rather than from secular sources.

" We are told that it was around the banner that the prophets of

old rallied their armies and under which the hosts of Israel

were led to war, believing, as they did, that it carried with it

divine favor and protection.

Since that time all nations and all peoples have had their

flags and emblems, though the ancient superstition regarding

their divine merits and supernatural powers has disappeared

from among civilized peoples. The flag now, the world over,

possesses the same meaning and has a uniform significance

to all nations wherever found. It stands as the symbol of

strength and unity, representing the national spirit and pa­triotism

of the people over whom it floats. In both lord and

subject, the ruler and the ruled, it commands respect, inspires

patriotism, and instills loyalty both in peace and in war.

In this country we have a national flag which stands as the

emblem of our strength and unity as a nation, a living repre­sentation

of our national spirit and honor. In addition to our

national flag, each of the different States in the Union has a

" State flag" symbolic of its own individuality and domestic

ideals. Every State in the American Union has a flag of some

kind, each expressive of some particular trait, or commemora­tive

of some historical event, of the people over which it floats.

The flags of most of the States, however, consist of the coat of

arms of that State upon some suitably colored field. It is said

that the first State flag of North Carolina was built on this

model, but so far as we can learn from the records the first

legislation on this subject establishing and recognizing a " State

flag" was in the year 1861.

The constitutional convention of 1861, which declared for

secession from the Union, adopted what it termed a State flag.

This existed until 1885. On May 20, 1861, the Convention

adopted the resolution of secession which declared the State

out of the Union. On that same day Col. John D. Whitford,

a member of the Convention from Craven County, introduced

the following ordinance, which was passed and referred to a

select committee of seven:

" Be it ordained that the flag of this State shall be a blue field

with a white V thereon, and a star, incircling which shall be the

words ' Surgit astrum, May 20th, 1775.' "

Colonel Whitford was made chairman of the committee to

which this ordinance was referred. The committee secured

the aid and advice of William Jarl Brown, an artist of Raleigh.

Brown prepared and submitted a model to this committee. And

this model was adopted by the convention on the 22d day of

June, 1861. It will be observed that the Brown model, to be

hereafter explained, was vastly different from the one originally

proposed by Colonel Whitford. Here is the ordinance as it

appears on the Journals of the Convention:

" AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO A STATE FLAG.

" Be It ordained by this Convention, and it is hereby ordained

by the authority of the same, That the Flag of North Carolina shall

consist of a red field with a white star in center, and with the in­scription,

above the star, in a semi- circular form, of ' May 20th,

1775,' and below the star, in a semi- circular form, of ' May 20th,

1861.' That there shall he two bars of equal width, and the length

of the field shall be equal to the bar, the width of the field being

equal to both bars; the first bar shall be blue, and the second shall

be white; and the length of the flag shall be one- third more than

its width. ( Ratified the 22d day of June, 1861. ) " i

This State flag, adopted in 1861, is said to have been issued

to the first ten regiments of State troops during the summer

of that year and was borne by them throughout the war, being

the only flag, except the National and Confederate colors, used

by the North Carolina troops during the Civil War. This flag

existed until 1885, when the Legislature of that year adopted a

new model.

' Journal of the Convention of 1881, p. 153.

As just stated, the Legislature of 1885 adopted a new State

flag. The bill, which was introduced by General Johnstone

Jones on the 5th of February, 1885, passed its final reading

one month later after little or no debate. This act reads as

follows:

" AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A STATE FLAG.

" The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

" SECTION 1. 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.

" SEC. 2. That 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.

" SEC. 3. 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.'

" In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this 9th

day of March, A. D. 1885."

Perhaps, it may be of interest to make a passing reference

to the significance of the dates found on each flag. The first

date, " May 20th, 1775," refers to the Mecklenburg Declaration

of Independence, 1 the authenticity of which we shall not here

stop either to doubt or to defend. The second date appearing

on the State flag of 1861 is that of " May 20th, 1861." This date

commemorated the secession of the State from the Union; 2 but

as the cause of secession was defeated this date no longer repre­sented

anything after the Civil War. So when a new flag was

adopted in 1885, this date was removed, and another, " April

12th, 1776," took its place. This date commemorates the adop­tion

of the Halifax Eesolutions3— a document that places the

Old North State in the very front rank, both in point of time

and in spirit, among those that demanded unconditional free­dom

and absolute independence from foreign power. This doc-

' See p! 10.

• See p. 13.

• See p. 14.

ument stands out as one of the great landmarks in the annals

of North Carolina history.

Since 1885 there has been no change in our State flag. For

the most part, it has remained unknown and a stranger to the

good people of our State. However, as we become more intelli­gent,

and, therefore, more patriotic and public spirited, the

emblem of the Old North State will assume a station of greater

prominence among our people. One hopeful sign of this in­creased

interest was the Act passed by the Legislature of 1907,

requiring the State flag to be floated from all State institutions,

public buildings and courthouses. 1 In addition to this, many

public and private schools, fraternal orders and other organiza­tions

now float the State flag. This is right. The people of

the State should become acquainted with the emblem of that

government to which they owe allegiance and from which they

secure protection.

" See p. 10.

An Act to Promote Loyalty and Greater Respect for

the Sovereignty of the Statei

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

SECTION 1. That for the purpose of promoting greater loy­alty

and respect to the State, and inasmuch as a special act of

the Legislature has adopted an emblem of our government

known as the Worth Carolina State flag, that it is meet and

proper that it shall be given greater prominence.

SEC. 2. That the board of trustees or managers of the sev­eral

State institutions and public buildings shall provide a North

Carolina flag, of such dimensions and material as they may

deem best, and the same shall be displayed from a staff upon

the top of each and every such building at all times except dur­ing

inclement weather, and upon the death of any State officer

or any prominent citizen the flag shall be put at half- mast until

the burial of such person shall have taken place.

SEC. 3. That the Board of County Commissioners of the

several counties in this State shall likewise authorize the pro­curing

of a North Carolina flag, to be displayed either on a staff

upon the top, or draped behind the Judge's stand, in each and

every courthouse in the State, and that the State flag shall be

displayed at each and every term of Court held, and on such

other public occasions as the Commissioners may deem proper.

SEC. 4. That no State flag shall be allowed in or over any

building here mentioned that does not conform to section five

thousand three hundred and twenty- one of the Revisal of one

thousand nine hundred and five. 2

SEC. 5. That this act shall be in force from and after its

ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times, and ratified this

the 9th day of March, A. D. 1907.

' Chap. 838, Public Laws of 1907.

• See p. 10.

Chapter 114, Revisal of 1905

SECTION 5321. STATE FLAG. 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 said 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; 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. 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 below the star there

shall be a similar scroll containing in black letters the inscrip­tion:

" April 12th, 1776."

The " Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence"

May 20, 1775

1. Resolved, that whosoever directly or indirectly abetted or

in any way, form or manner countenanced the unchartered and

dangerous invasion of our rights as claimed by Great Britain

is an enemy to this country, to America and to the inherent and

and inalienable rights of man.

2. Resolved, that we the citizens of Mecklenburg County do

hereby dissolve the political bands which have connected us to

the mother country and hereby absolve ourselves from all al­legiance

to the British Crown and abjure all political connec­tion,

contract, or association with that nation who have wan­tonly

trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed

the blood of American patriots at Lexington.

3. Resolved, that we do hereby declare ourselves a free and

independent people, are and of right ought to be a sovereign and

self- governing association under the control of no power other

than that of our God and the General Government of the Con­gress,

to the maintenance of which independence we solemnly

pledge to each other our mutual cooperation, our lives, our

fortunes and our most sacred honor.

4. Resolved, that as we now acknowledge the existence and

control of no law or legal officer, civil or military, within this

county, we do hereby ordain and adopt as a rule of life all,

each and every of our former laws— wherein nevertheless the

Crown of Great Britain never can be considered as holding

rights, privileges, immunities, or authority therein.

5. Resolved, that it is further decreed that all, each and every

Military Officer in this county is hereby reinstated in his former

command and authority, he acting conformably to these regu­lations.

And that every member present of this delegation shall

henceforth be a civil officer, viz, a justice of the peace in the

character of a " committee man" to issue process, hear and de­termine

all matters of controvery according to said adopted

laws and to preserve peace, union and harmony in said county,

and to use every exertion to spread the love of country and fire

of freedom throughout America, until a more general and organ­ized

government be established in this Province.

Ordinance of Secession

May 20, 1861

An ordinance dissolving the union between the State of North

Carolina and the other States united with her under the com­pact

of Government, Entitled " the Constitution of the United

States."

" We, the people of the State of North Carolina in Convention

assembled, do declare and ordain, and it is hereby declared and

ordained, that the ordinance adopted by the State of North Car­olina

in the Convention of 1789, whereby the Constitution of

the United States was ratified and adopted; and also all acts

and parts of acts of the General Assembly, ratifying and adopt­ing

amendments to the said Constitution, are hereby repealed,

rescinded and abrogated.

" We do further declare and ordain, that the Union now

subsisting between the State of North Carolina and the other

States, under the title of " The United States of America," is

hereby dissolved, and that the State of North Carolina is in full

possession and exercise of all those rights of sovereignty which

belong and appertain to a free and independent State.

Halifax Independence Resolutions

April 12, 1776

It appears to your committee1 that, pursuant to the plan con­certed

by the British Ministry for subjugating America, the

King and Parliament of Great Britain have usurped a power

over the persons and properties of the people unlimited and

uncontrolled; and disregarding their humble petitions for peace,

liberty and safety, have made divers legislative acts, denounc­ing

war, famine, and every species of calamity, against the

Continent in general. That the British fleets and armies have

been, and still are daily employed in destroying the people, and

committing the most horrid devastations on the country. That

Governors in different Colonies have declared protection to

slaves, who should imbrue their hands in the blood of their

masters. That the ships belonging to America are declared

prizes of war, and many of them have been violently seized

and confiscated. In consequence of all which multitudes of the

people have been destroyed, or from easy circumstances re­duced

to the most lamentable distress.

And, whereas, the moderation hitherto manifested by the

United Colonies and their sincere desire to be reconciled to the

mother country on constitutional principles, have procured no

mitigation of the aforesaid wrongs and usurpations, and no

hopes remain of obtaining redress by those means alone which

have been hitherto tried, your committee are of opinion that

the House should enter into the following resolve, to wit:

Resolved, that the delegates for this Colony in the Conti­nental

Congress be impowered to concur with the delegates of the

other Colonies in declaring Independency, and forming foreign

alliances, reserving to this Colony the sole and exclusive right

» At the session appointed, viz: of the Provincial Congress, April 8,1776, the following committee was

Cornelius Harnett. Alien Jones, Thomas Burke, Abner Nash, John Kinchen, Thomas

Person and Thomas Jones, " to take into consideration the usurpations and violences at­tempted

and committed by the King and Parliament of Britain against America, and the

further measures to be taken for frustrating the same, and for the better defense of this

Province." Their report, known as the " Halifax Resolutions," was submitted to Con­gress

April 12, 1776, and unanimously adopted. It was the first step taken by any of the

Colonies in favor of a Declaration of Independence.

of forming a constitution and laws for this Colony, and of ap­pointing

delegates from time to time ( under the direction of a

general representation thereof), to meet the delegates of the

other Colonies for such purposes as shall be hereafter pointed

out.