Pennsylvania State Flags

Pennsylvania was the 2nd of the original 13 colonies to be admitted as a state in the Union on December 12, 1787. Pennsylvania became the first large state, and the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 12, 1787, five days after Delaware became the first. The Constitution was drafted and signed at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, and the same building where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

At the beginning of the 20th century Pennsylvania's economy centered on steel production, logging, coal mining, textile production and other forms of industrial manufacturing. A surge in immigration to the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries provided a steady flow of cheap labor for these industries which often employed children and people who could not speak English.

Why is Pennsylvania Called a Commonwealth and not a State?

Commonwealth vs state. The distinction is in name alone. The commonwealths are just like any other state in their politics and laws, and there is no difference in their relationship to the nation as a whole. The distinction doesn’t mean they’re any different or enjoy any advantages over the other 46 states. It simply means they’ve adopted the British term for providing for the “common good” or the “common wealth” of its citizens.

Other than Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, all U.S. states that use the term “commonwealth” in their legal name and documents (e.g., their state constitutions) are states equal in legal form and function to the other states in the Union. The two terms - state and commonwealth - are interchangeable in the U.S.

What is the design of the Pennsylvania State Flag?

Pennsylvania's State Flag is more of a square than a rectangle. The flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is embroidered. The Pennsylvania coat of arms features a shield crested by an American bald eagle, flanked by horses, and adorned with symbols of Pennsylvania's strengths—a ship carrying state commerce to all parts of the world; a clay-red plough, a symbol of Pennsylvania's rich natural resources; and three golden sheaves of wheat, representing fertile fields and Pennsylvania's wealth of human thought and action. An olive branch and cornstalk cross limbs beneath—symbols of peace and prosperity. The state motto, "Virtue, Liberty and Independence", appears festooned below. Atop the coat of arms is a bald eagle, representing Pennsylvania's loyalty to the United States.

The Pennsylvania state flag has been standardized and clarified, but the core features of its design have gone unchanged since the decades following the American Revolution.

What does the Pennsylvania State Flag Symbolize?

Agriculture and commerce are represented in the coat of arms by the ship and the wheat sheaves (apparently copied from the municipal seal of Philadelphia), the plow (which appeared in the earlier coat of arms of Chester county), the wreath of corn and olive, and the horses in harness.

The plow is a symbol of Pennsylvania's natural resources, while the ship represents the global trade that carries those resources to the rest of the world. The wheat represents the state's wealth, while the corn and the olive branch represent peace and prosperity. The combination of those images creates a PA state flag that represents the state's hope for a safe and prosperous future.

When was the Pennsylvania State Flag Adopted?

The first Pennsylvania State flag, which bore "The arms Pennsylvania worked thereon", was adopted by the Executive Council in 1778. It was used to identify the State's wharf in Philadelphia.

The use of the Pennsylvania state arms on a flag was first authorized by the General Assembly's act of April 9, 1799, which provided for issuing colors to units of the Pennsylvania militia. Each regiment of infantry possessed a pair of colors. The regimental color was blue with the coat of arms on the center. Originally, the regimental designation was placed within a ring of stars in upper hoist; later it was painted or embroidered on a scroll above the coat of arms. The standard for cavalry regiments was of the same design as the infantry regimental color, but smaller.

An act of the General Assembly of June 13, 1907, standardized the flag and required that the blue field match the blue of Old Glory.

The Great Seal of Pennsylvania?

The Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the state seal for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Unlike most state seals, it has an obverse and a reverse. The obverse of the seal has a central image of a shield containing a ship under full sail, a plow, and three sheaves of wheat. These symbols represent the importance of commerce, labor, perseverance, and agriculture to the state's economy, as well as several of its geographic components (Philadelphia represented by the ship, for example). On either side of the shield are a stalk of Indian corn and an olive branch, representing the state's recognition of its past and hopes for the future. Atop the shield an eagle proudly symbolizes the state's sovereignty. The outer ring of the seal bears the words "Seal of the State of Pennsylvania," despite the state's official designation as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The reverse side, or counterseal, pictures Lady Liberty dominating Tyranny in the form of a lion, along with the warning across the top, "Both Can't Survive."

The obverse of the seal is what is shown on the state flag.