Magnolia Reigns Supreme on New Mississippi Flag

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November 8, 2020

Mississippi has a new state flag, featuring the magnolia, the state flower and tree.

Mississippi new flag

A strong majority of voters in the state voted to approve the design as the state's new flag, replacing a Confederacy-themed flag adopted in 1894. Surrounding the magnolia, which sits in the center of the flag, are 20 stars, signifying Mississippi's entry into the United States as the 20th state, in 1817. The other star on the flag represents Native Americans who lived in what is now Mississippi before European settlers arrived.

The state had been the only one in the U.S. still flying a flag that featured the "Stars and Bars" of the Confederate States of America. As late as 2001, voters in a statewide referendum voted to keep that flag as their official state emblem. The state legislature in June 2020 voted to withdraw that flag from public view, and the new design, one of 3,000 submissions, was chosen by a gubernatorial commission. The new flag also features the phrase "In God We Trust."

Mississippi Magnolia flag Mississippi 1894 flag

Before 1861, Mississippi did not have a state flag. In 1861, the year that the state joined the Confederacy, Mississippi flew the Magnolia Flag. When the Civil War ended, in 1865, the state rejected that flag but did not replace it until 1894.

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