Arkansas State Flags

The Arkansas state flag is today flown over thousands of governmental and private locations throughout the state. The Arkansas Code lists a handful of specifications concerning the flag, including occasions upon which it may be flown at half-staff and requiring that it be flown at every public school in the state, displayed on the same pole as the national flag.

How did Arkansas get its Name?

The Native Americans, Spanish, French and Americans all helped name places in the state. The word “Arkansas” came from the Quapaw Indians, by way of early French explorers. The Algonkian-speaking Indians of the Ohio Valley called them the Arkansas, or “south wind”.

Arkansas was named for the French plural of a Native American tribe, while Kansas is the English spelling of a similar one. Since the letter "s" at the end of French words is usually silent, we pronounce Bill Clinton's home state "Arkansaw."

Why did Arkansas Become a State?

Part of the land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, Arkansas became a separate territory in 1819 and achieved statehood in 1836. Prior to 1836, Arkansas was known as "Arkansas Territory (initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw)." A slave state, Arkansas became the ninth state to secede from the union and join the Confederate States of America. Arkansas's secession ultimately failed in 1865 due to the military defeat of the Confederacy.

During the American Civil War, Arkansas was a Confederate state, though it had initially voted to remain in the Union. Following the capture of Fort Sumter in April 1861, Abraham Lincoln called for troops from every Union state to put down the rebellion, and Arkansas and several other states seceded.

When was Arkansas State Flag Adopted?

During the Civil War, Arkansas soldiers fought under a variety of banners and flags, but none enjoyed the state’s official cachet. A military requirement, however, led to the creation of a civil flag for the state. When it was discovered that Arkansas did not have a state flag, the DAR chapter decided to sponsor a contest to design a flag.

Hocker, a member of the Pine Bluff DAR chapter, won with a design that is similar to the current flag. She designed the flag with three blue stars in the middle of the white diamond and omitted "ARKANSAS". At the request of the flag committee, chaired by Secretary of State Earle Hodges, Hocker added "ARKANSAS" and rearranged the stars to one on top and two on bottom. This flag was adopted by the legislature on February 26, 1913. In 1923, the legislature added a fourth star, representing the Confederate States of America. Since this disturbed the other two meanings of the original three stars, the legislature corrected this in 1924 by placing the Confederate star above "ARKANSAS" and the original three stars below it, as it is today. The 1924 design was confirmed as law in 1987 by Act 116, signed by Bill Clinton.

What is the Design of the Arkansas State Flag?

The state flag of Arkansas is red, white, and blue to signify that Arkansas is one of the United States. The design depicted a large white diamond bordered by twenty-five stars on a blue band. A straight line of three blue stars was centered in the diamond. The flag committee thought the state's name should be on the flag. The flag displays a white diamond on a red field. The white diamond is bordered by a band of blue containing twenty-five stars. The state name is centered in the diamond. Three stars are placed below the state name and one is centered above the state name.

In 1924, the Arkansas Legislature addressed the design of the state flag again. The original three stars were moved below the state name and the additional star was centered above the state name. This is the way the official state flag is today.

Who Designed the Arkansas State Flag?

The Arkansas secretary of state set up a committee to select an appropriate state flag. There were 65 entries that varied between use of the state flower, the apple blossom, 13 rays alternating red, white and blue to represent the original colonies, and the state seal. Among the 65 submissions to the committee, a flag designed by Willie Hocker, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, was approved - Miss Willie K. Hocker was a resident of Wabbaseka, Arkansas.

The legislature voted in 1913 to accept the flag, a copy of which was presented to the battleship USS Arkansas. Her design had a white diamond with a border of 25 white stars on a blue field, and 3 stars colored blue centered in a straight line in the diamond. The flag was modified in 1923 by the addition of a fourth star to stand for the Confederate States of America, and the final form was approved on April 10, 1924. The basic design and colours suggest the Battle Flag of the Confederacy.

What is the Symbolism of the Arkansas State Flag?

The large diamond represents the only diamond producing state in the USA - Arkansas. 25 white stars show Arkansas as the 25th state to join the Union. Three blue stars below the word ARKANSAS are symbols for the three nations which ruled Arkansas before it became a state (Spain, France, and the United States), and also signify that Arkansas was the third state created out of the Louisiana Purchase. The fourth lone star above the word ARKANSAS represents the Confederacy.

Why is Arkansas Called the "Natural State"?

Arkansas, officially "The Natural State", is a state of mountains, valleys, dense woodland and fertile plains. Its clear lakes and streams and abundant wildlife help to make tourism one of the state's most important industries. The nickname was officially adopted as the Arkansas official nickname by the Eightieth General Assembly of 1995. Elevations in the state range from 54 feet above sea level in the far southeast corner to 2,753 feet above at Mount Magazine, the state's highest point.