Wednesday 13 July 2016

By Albert Gregory


No other state has a more varied or colorful past than Louisiana. The state has been governed under 10 different flags beginning in 1541 with Hernando de Soto's claim of the region for Spain. La Salle later claimed it for Bourbon France and over the years Louisiana was at one time or another subject to the Union Jack of Great Britain, the Tricolor of Napoleon, the Lone Star flag of the Republic of West Florida and the fifteen stars and stripes of the United States. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Louisiana became an independent republic for six weeks before joining the Confederacy.

Throughout history, flags have been used to mark all sorts of territories, including cities, towns, and castles. Louisiana is no stranger to being claimed by many different people over time who also brought with them various flags.

During the years 1861 and 1865, Louisiana used the Confederate National Flags as it was a member of the Confederate States. The present Louisiana Flag was adopted in 1912 by the Louisiana State Legislature as the official flag.

The Louisiana Flag has a solid blue background, with a simple form of the state seal depicted in the center. On the seal, there is an eastern brown pelican mother on a nest with 3 baby pelicans nestled close to it. The state motto that says " Union, Justice and Confidence", is written on a white ribbon, just beneath the seal.

The mother brown pelican is seen tearing at her breast with her beak. It is believed that when food was scarce a mother Pelican would tear off her own flesh to feed her babies rather than have them starve. The scene represents self-sacrifice.

There is a barrage of cheap and inferior Louisiana flags being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported flags are cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods of printing do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flags made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Louisiana flag for the future.




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