The flag

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 New Jersey includes the emblem from the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey

Seal of New Jersey

The Great Seal of the State of New Jersey includes:*A shield with three plows emblazoned, representative of New Jersey's agricultural tradition.*A forward-facing knight's helmet.*A horse's head as the crest of the helmet....

 on a buff-colored background. According to the minutes of the New Jersey General Assembly for March 11, 1896, the date in which the Assembly officially approved the flag as the state emblem, the buff color is due indirectly to George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

, who had ordered on October 2, 1779, that the uniform coats of the New Jersey Continental Line

New Jersey Line

The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "New Jersey Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New Jersey at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the...

 be dark (Jersey

Jersey

Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...

) blue, with buff facings. Buff-colored facings had until then been reserved only for his own uniform and those of other Continental generals and their aides. Then, on February 28, 1780, the Continental War Officers in Philadelphia directed that the uniform coat facings of all regiments were to be the same as the background color of the regiments' state flag.

In 2001, 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...

 surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags. The survey ranked the flag of New Jersey barely out of the worst 25 flags, placing it as the 26-worst flag out of all 72, giving it a rank of 46 out of the 72.

Colors

In a 1965 law, the specific color shades of Jersey blue and buff were defined by the state. Using the Cable color system developed by The Color Association of the United States

The Color Association of the United States

The Color Association of the United States , known until 1955 as the Textile Color Card Association of the United States , is an independent color trend forecasting and color consulting service to the business community, known for its textile color swatch book, the Standard Color Reference of...

, Jersey blue was defined as Cable No. 70087; buff was defined as Cable No. 65015.

See also

• State of New Jersey
  • Symbols of the state of New Jersey
    • Great Seal of the State of New Jersey

External links

• Minutes of the New Jersey General Assembly for March 11, 1896