Tennessee State Flags
Influence of the Battle Flag of the Confederacy can be seen in the flag of Tennessee. During the Civil War (1861–65) a motion was submitted to the legislature calling for use of the Stars and Bars as the state flag, with the substitution of the Tennessee seal for the circle of stars in the Confederate national flag, but the motion appears not to have been acted upon. Tennessee was made a state on June 1, 1796. It seceded from the Union on June 24,1861 and re-admitted on July 24, 1866.
What is the Tennessee State Flag Design?
The Tennessee state flag consists of an emblem on a field of red, with a strip of blue on the fly. The field is crimson with a blue background for the stars. The emblem in the middle consists of three stars on a blue circle. Tennessee state law dictates on how the center emblem is drawn on the flag. The final blue strip relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when it is limp.
The arrangement of the three stars shall be such that the centers of no two stars shall be in a line parallel to either the side or the end of the flag, but intermediate between the same; and the highest star shall be the one nearest the upper confined corner of the flag.
Who designed the Tennessee State Flag?
The flag was designed by Colonel LeRoy Reeves of the Tennessee National Guard, a Johnson City attorney who was serving in the Tennessee National Guard in 1905 when he created the new flag design.
When was the Tennessee State Flag Adopted?
The first confirmed official flag was adopted in 1897. It had diagonal stripes of red-blue-white with the yellow inscription “The Volunteer State” (the state nickname) and the number 16, indicating the order of admission of Tennessee to statehood.
The current design, created by Captain LeRoy Reeves of the Tennessee Infantry was officially adopted by the Tennessee State Legislature on April 17, 1905.
What does the Tennessee State Flag Mean?
Tennessee is divided into three regions by the Tennessee River - West Tennessee, Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee - the "Grand Divisions". Those familiar with Tennessee's geography and politics have no trouble identifying the meaning of the three stars. Culturally and geologically, East, Middle, and West Tennessee are as different as any three states could be. Yet non-Tennesseans are often confused about the symbolism of the tri-star flag. The state flag of Tennessee has three stars representing the "grand divisions" of the state: East, Middle, and West. The stars are "bound together in indissoluble unity by an unending white band" (officially adopted in 1905):
"The three stars are of pure white, representing the three grand division of the state. They are bound together by the endless circle of the blue field, the symbol being three bound together in one - an indissouluble trinity. Thelarge field is crimson. The final blue bar relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when hanging limp. The white edgings contrast more strongly the other colors."
Three stripes and three stars; these were said by Reeves to refer to “the three grand divisions of the State” (perhaps meaning the lowland regions in the west, the central plateaus, and the Appalachian areas), but they have also been said to represent either the three presidents who lived in Tennessee (Andrew Jackson, James Polk, and Andrew Johnson) or Tennessee’s joining the Union as the third state after the original 13. The colours correspond to those in the Stars and Stripes and the Stars and Bars.
The Tennessee State Flag Salute?
There are two official salutes to the Tennessee flag, both adopted in 2006. The first salute was written by Lucy Steele Harrison:
"Three white stars on a field of blue
God keep them strong and ever true
It is with pride and love that we
Salute the Flag of Tennessee."
The second salute to the Tennessee flag was written by Miss John Bostick:
"Flag of Tennessee, I salute thee
To thee I pledge my allegiance with
My affection, my service and my life."
Displaying the Tennessee State Flag?
The three stars are all oriented with a point toward the center, but when it's right, the star at the top near the hoist has a point upright - and when it's wrong, the star nearest the fly has a point aimed straight up.
By law, the highest star is to be displayed to the upper confined corner of the flag.
