Flag of Kansas
Encyclopedia
The flag
of the state of Kansas was adopted in 1927. The elements of the state flag include the state seal and a sunflower
. This original design was modified in 1961 to add the name of the state at the bottom of the flag.
silk rectangle arranged horizontally with the state seal aligned in the center. Above the seal is a sunflower
which sits above a bar of gold
and light blue. Below the seal is printed the name of the state "KANSAS".
and his figures representing pioneer life. The seal contains:
The thirty-four stars clustered at the top of the seal identify Kansas as the 34th state to be accepted into the Union of the United States
. Kansas state law provides that the flag is to be used on all occasions when the state is officially represented.
by Governor
Benjamin S. Paulen
in 1927 for the troops at Fort Riley and for the Kansas National Guard
.
From 1925 to 1927, Kansas used a state banner instead of a flag. The Kansas state banner, which consisted of a large sunflower and the word "Kansas" on a blue field, was intended to be hung from a horizontal bar, rather than a vertical flag pole. It was given a unique design to avoid "competition" with the United States flag
. However, after the banner was rejected for display in Washington, D.C.
, and generated complaints for its awkward method of hanging, the state legislature adopted a state flag that saw the addition of the word "Kansas" at the bottom in 1961 but has otherwise retained its original design.
According to the North American Vexillological Association
(NAVA), the state banner exists today as an official alternative to the state flag. The organization's website features the banner – a lone sunflower on a blue field – and attributes it to Adjutant General Joe Nickell. However, the Kansas State Historical Society describes the same design as a flag submitted by Albert T. Reid before the state banner was adopted, and makes no mention of its status as an alternative flag.
NAVA named the flag of Kansas the fourth worst flag out of all the flags of the provinces of Canada, the U.S. states and U.S. territories. It was named 69th best out of a field of 72.
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...
of the state of Kansas was adopted in 1927. The elements of the state flag include the state seal and a sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
. This original design was modified in 1961 to add the name of the state at the bottom of the flag.
Official description
The official flag of Kansas is represented by a dark-blueBlue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
silk rectangle arranged horizontally with the state seal aligned in the center. Above the seal is a sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
which sits above a bar of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and light blue. Below the seal is printed the name of the state "KANSAS".
Seal of Kansas
The state seal centered on the flag tells the history of KansasHistory of Kansas
The history of Kansas, argued historian Carl L. Becker a century ago, reflects American ideals. He wrote: "The Kansas spirit is the American spirit double distilled. It is a new grafted product of American individualism, American idealism, American intolerance. Kansas is America in...
and his figures representing pioneer life. The seal contains:
- Landscape with a rising sunSunThe Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
(the eastEastEast is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
) - River and steamboat (commerceCommerceWhile business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
) - Settler's cabin and a man plowing a field (agricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
) [foreground] - Wagon trainWagon trainA wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
heading west (American expansion) - IndiansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
hunting American BisonAmerican BisonThe American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
(the buffalo are fleeing from the Indians) - Cluster of 34 stars (top of the seal)
- State motto "Ad Astra per Aspera" - LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: "To the Stars through Difficulties" (above the stars)
The thirty-four stars clustered at the top of the seal identify Kansas as the 34th state to be accepted into the Union of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Kansas state law provides that the flag is to be used on all occasions when the state is officially represented.
History
The flag of Kansas was designed in 1925. Officially adopted by the Kansas State Legislature in 1927 and modified in 1961 (the word "Kansas" was added below the seal in gold block lettering). First flown at Fort RileyFort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
by Governor
Governor of Kansas
The Governor of the State of Kansas is the head of state for the State of Kansas, United States. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Kansas executive branch, of the government of Kansas. The Governor is the...
Benjamin S. Paulen
Benjamin S. Paulen
Benjamin "Ben" Sanford Paulen was the 23rd Governor of Kansas.Paulen was born in DeWitt County, Illinois to Jacob Walter and Lucy Bell Paulen...
in 1927 for the troops at Fort Riley and for the Kansas National Guard
Kansas National Guard
The Kansas National Guard, is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of Kansas. It comprises both the Kansas Army National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard. The Governor of Kansas is Commander-in-Chief of the Kansas National Guard when in state use...
.
From 1925 to 1927, Kansas used a state banner instead of a flag. The Kansas state banner, which consisted of a large sunflower and the word "Kansas" on a blue field, was intended to be hung from a horizontal bar, rather than a vertical flag pole. It was given a unique design to avoid "competition" with the United States flag
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
. However, after the banner was rejected for display in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and generated complaints for its awkward method of hanging, the state legislature adopted a state flag that saw the addition of the word "Kansas" at the bottom in 1961 but has otherwise retained its original design.
According to 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), the state banner exists today as an official alternative to the state flag. The organization's website features the banner – a lone sunflower on a blue field – and attributes it to Adjutant General Joe Nickell. However, the Kansas State Historical Society describes the same design as a flag submitted by Albert T. Reid before the state banner was adopted, and makes no mention of its status as an alternative flag.
NAVA named the flag of Kansas the fourth worst flag out of all the flags of the provinces of Canada, the U.S. states and U.S. territories. It was named 69th best out of a field of 72.
See also
- Flags of the Governors of the U.S. States
- State of Kansas
- Symbols of the state of Kansas
- Great Seal of the State of Kansas
- Symbols of the state of Kansas