Flags that have flown over Georgia / by Edwin L. Jackson

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In the 500 years since Columbus landed in theAmericas, many flags have flown over Georgia. Because of its location, climate, natural resources, and vast tracts ofarable lands, Spain, France, and England competed with rival claims over the territory of present-day Georgia. All of that changed in 1776, however, when the American colonies united to throw offthe yoke offoreign power, and a new nation proudly hoisted its own flag.
Old Glory fluttered and snapped in the winds over the United States for 85 years until more ominous winds began to blow, and the nation was divided. Many changes have occurred in our flags throughout the years, and the Stars and Stripes that we salute today bears no resemblance to Georgia's first flag-the Royal Banner ofFerdinand and Isabella of the late 15th century.
I am pleased to present Flags That Have Flown Over Georgia in order to promote a better understanding of Georgia's rich and varied history. I hope it will also help you achieve a better understanding of the role that flags have always played-and continue to play-in the history and culture ofour state and nation.
Cathy Cox Georgia Secretary of State Custodian ofthe State Flag

FlagsThat Have FlownOverGeorgia
T his booklet describes important flags associated with Georgia's history as a territorial claim, as a colony, and finally as a state. It is not meant to be a complete catalog of every flag that has flown in Georgia. Many flags existed in different versions, especially before 1879, when the General Assembly adopted Georgia's first official state flag. Also, because of their sheer number, it was necessary to exclude some types of flags that have flown in Georgia-such as city and county flags, business flags, military flags, and foreign flags (flown on ships using state ports and at consulates and trade offices in Atlanta).
Flags consist of symbolic designs and colors portrayed on cloth or other material. As a coat of arms is a visual representation of a person or family, a flag usually represents a nation, state, or other political region. Distinctive flags and banners also symbolize monarchs, presidents, branches of the military, and some agencies of government. Additionally, major national and international organizations (such as the United Nations) frequently adopt an official flag.
While flags are important as political symbols, they serve other purposes as well. Historically, flags were essential at sea to identify the nationality of a vessel, as well as to communicate between ships. On the battlefield, flags identified military units and were used to rally troops at crucial times.
Flag-like symbols were displayed on poles to signal the authority of some prehistoric Native American chiefs in the Southeast. However, this brief history begins with the first European explorers and focuses on governmental or political flags that have flown over Georgia.
F1agnomenclature There are a variety ofterms associated with vexillology (the study
offlags). The most common are standard, banner, colors, ensign, pennant, and jack. With the exception of ensign (a national sea flag), pennant (a flag with a tapered end), and jack (a small flag flown on

the jackstaff at the bow of a ship), these designations will be used interchangeably in this publication.
Additional terms used in the descriptions of specific flags are illustrated below:
CANTON or UNION
T
I---STAFF SALTIRE (ST. ANDREW'S CROSS)
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Royal Banner of Ferdinand and Isabella, 1474
Columbus and other early Spanish explorers to the New World brought with them the royal banner of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The flag incorporates the two monarchs' royal armsthe castle of Castile and the lion of Leon. Numerous Spanish flags were later produced utilizing these arms-<>ften placed on a shield and capped by a crown.
The fIrst European known to have set foot on the southeastern mainland of North America was Spaniard Juan Ponce de LeOn, who landed somewhere on Florida's eastern coast in 1513. His ship probably flew a flag with the royal hanner, as did the ships of explorers and sea captains who later sailed through the coastal waters of present-day Georgia.
In 1518, Spain created a new imperial banner that included the coats of arms of other kingdoms that had joined Spain. The result was an ornate checkerboard ofcontiguous coats ofarms. Each arm was portrayed at least twice on the flag, and some arms (such as Ferdinand and Isabella's) were shown four times. 0
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Spanish Cross of Burgundy Flag, c. 1520-1785
I n addition to the royal banner, Spain had many other flags, including this one fll'st adopted in the 15205. There were many versions of this flag, but in its most simple form it consisted oCa red saltire (diagonal cross) on a field of white. Actually, the design was supposed to represent two crossed branches, the extensions on either side representing bases orUmbs which have been cut off.
The saltire design, known as the Cross ofBurgundy, was a sym bolof Philip I, Duke of Burgundy and father of Charles I, who became Spain's king in 1516. Variants of the Burgundy cross flagincluding some versions with smooth-edged saltires-became widely used by the Spanish military on both land and sea. This is the principal flag that flew over Spain'scolonial empire in the New World un-
til 1786. Possibly, Lucas Vazquez deAy1l6n brought this flag to Georgia
in 1526 when he arrived with 600 Spanish colonists to found the ill fated settlement oCSan Miguel de Gualdape. Given the number of Spanish missions, garrisons, and settlements that would follow, this flag almost certainly was used in Georgia. CI
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England's 51. George's Cross Flag, c. 1277-1707
Other European nations refused to recognize Spain's claim to the New World. In 1496, just four years after Columbus's first voyage, England's king authorized John Cabot to explore the New World and claim land for England. Cabot led expeditions to North America in 1497 and 1498, although he and his crew were presumably lost at sea on the ill-fated second voyage. His intention had been to sail to the coast of North America and then southward to China and Japan, so it is remotely possible he sailed as far south as the coastal waters off Georgia's mainland.
Cabot's two voyages became the basis for England's claim to most of the eastern seaboard of North America-including Georgia. Had Cabot indeed sailed along Georgia's coast in 1498. his ship would have been flying England's flag, which at that time consisted of a red St. George's Cross on a white field. This also was the flag in use when England created the colony of Carolina (embracing almost all of present-day Georgia) in 1663. 0
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French National Flag, c. 1370-1600
I n 1523, France entered the race for New World territories. Its first explorer, Giovanni de Verrazano, sailed to the waters off Florida, then northward along the eastern coast. Whether he came ashore on Georgia's mainland is not known, but France used Verrazano's exploration to stake a claim to much of NorthAmericaincluding today's Georgia.
In 1562, France began its attempts to colonize NorlhAmerica, sending Jean Ribault and a band of French Huguenots to Florida. On the banks of the St. Johns River, Ribaulterected a stone marker announcing France's claim to Florida. Thereafter, they sailed northward along Georgia's coast to present-day PortRayal, South Carolina, where they built a fort. Asecond expedition of Huguenots ar rived two years later and built a fort at the mouth of the St. Johns River. Clearly, the French flag, which then consisted of three gold fleurs-de-lison a blue background, flew in Georgia's coastal water as a result of the Huguenotcolonization efforts. Q
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Great Britain's Union Flag, 1606-1801
A lthough the British flag underwent a number of changes in the 17th century, the St. George's Cross continued as the official national flag. For seagoing ships, however, the official banner was the Union flag (better known as the Union Jack), which combined England's St. George's Cross with Scotland's St. Andrew's Cross (a white saltire on blue as shown on p. 5). In 1707, the Union flag became Britain's national land flag. As of that date, all of present day Georgia was included within the area claimed by the second Carolina charter (l665), so the Union flag would have been the official flag of what would one day become Georgia.
In 1721, Britain authorized construction of Fort King George at the mouth oftheAltamaha River. Although the post was abandoned in 1727, the Union flag probably flew at the fort.
The current national flag of Grcat Britain did not come into existence until 1801, so throughout Georgia's existence as a colony, the official land flag would have been the 1707 flag. 0
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British Ensign, 1707-1801
A square version of the Union flag on a field of red served as the ensign (or national flag at sea) and as the unit colors of British army regiments-with a red, yellow, or blue field, depending on the branch of the military. In theAmerican colonies, the Union Jack on a red field also became a multipurpose flag commonly used on both land and sea.
Britain created the colony of Georgia in 1732, and James Oglethorpe and the first settlers arrived atYamacraw Bluffin February 1733. Clearly, they brought the ensign (and probably the Union flag), as evidenced by the J734 engraving of Savannah attributed to Peter Gordon. In the scene, a large flag is shown flying from the guardhouse, plus numerous British flags on the ships in the river.
Perhaps the common availability of British ensigns on naval vessels helps to explain why this flag was so widely used on both sea and land in theAmerican colonies. 0
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Flags of the American Independence Movement
AMERICAN LIBERTY
DON'T TREAD ON ME
A s the American Revolution approached, colonists began modifying the official British flag or creating new flags to symbolize their unhappiness with Britain's colonial policies. One common practice was to place phrases such as "Liberty and Union" on the red field of the British flag. Another often-seen protest flag depicted a rattlesnake-sometimes coiled and sometimes not-with the phrase ''Don't Tread on Me."
Early in the war, there is record of a white flag with four red borders and the words "American Liberty" in red used in Georgia's coastal waters.
Tradition bas long held that the Moultrie Flag, which flew over Fort Sullivan in Charleston Harbor, also flew in Georgia. This flag consisted of a white crescent on a blue field, although a later version
added t.he word "Liberty." a
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Grand Union Flag, 1775-1777
A lthough it is not exactly clear who created it and when, a new colonial flag was raised on January 1, 1776, at the camp of the Continental Army near Boston. Known as the Grand Union flag, Continental Union flag, or simply the Union flag, this banner featured the British Union Jack as a canton on a fieldof13red and white stripes representing the 13 colonies. The symbolism apparently carried a double message-loyalty to Great Britain but unity of the American colonies.
In November 1775, the Continental Congress voted funds for a fleet offour ships to protect the southern colonies. One of the ships is known to have flown the Grand Union flag. It is likely that during the early years of the Hevolution, American ships flying this nag docked at Savannah or sailed in the coastal waters ofT Georgia's mainland.O
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u.s. National Flag, 1777-1795
I n June 1777, the Continental Congress decided to break the symbolic tie to Britain then reflected in the United States flag. By then, the colonies had declared their independence as new states. The 13 red and white stripes on the Grand Union Flag were retained as a symbol of the 13 unified states. However, the British Union Jack was replaced with a canton consisting of a circle of 13 stars on a solid blue field-symbolic of"a new constellation" of 13 independent states. In actual practice. several versions of what would be known as the "Stars and Stripes" had cantons with stars arranged in other ways.
Tradition has long credited .Betsy Ross with designing and creating the first Stars and Stripes for George Washington, but the best available evidence suggests that credit should go to Francis Hopkinson, a delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey. Q
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U.S. Flag, 1795-1818
W hen Vermont joined the Union in 1791, followed by Kentucky the next year, the United States found itself with 15 states, but only 13 stars and 13 stripes on the national flag. Adebate followed in Congress over whether the 1777 flag should serve as a permanent national flag, or whether the number of stars and stripes should be changed to reflect the number of states in the Union.
In January 1794, lawmakers settled the question by adopting a new flag with 15 stripes and a blue union of 15 stars.
Since the legislation creating the new flag was silent as to the placement of the stars, different arrangements were used by various flag makers. The most famous is that consisting of five staggered rows of three stars, as shown on the famous Fort McHenry flag that inspired the writing of"1'he StarSpangled Banner" in 1814.0
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U.S. Flag Since 1960
D espite the admission of'fennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi as states, the official U.S. flag continued to show 15 stripes and 15 stars. In 1818, Congress enacted a new flag law that reduced the number of stripes to 13 and provided for 20 stars in the union of the flag. More importantly, the act provided that on the admission of each new state, one star would be added to the nag's union, effective on the July 4 after statehood. Thus, after Illinois was granted statehood in December 1818, a twenty-first star was added to the U.S. flagon July 4, 1819.
Since then, the number of stars has increased and their arrangement changed as new states have joined the Union. Most recently, the flag changed following the admission, respectively, ofAlaska and Hawaii as states in 1959 and 1960. Shown above is the U.S. flag that has flown over Georgia sinceJu1y 4, 1960.0
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Secession Flags, 1860-1861
*
A fter the election of Abraham Lincoln as president in November 1860, unofficial flags consisting of a single star on a solid background began appearing across the South. As each staron the U.S. flag signified a state, a single star indicated that the state had withdrawn (or planned to withdraw) from the Union, which would make it a sovereign power.
The best known of the single-star flags was the Bonnie Blue flag. The flag consisted of a solid blue flag, with a large white star in the center. Tradition holds that the Bonnie Blue flag was flown in Georgia during the early months of 1861,although no evidence has been found to support this claim. Bettcr documented is a flag of the same design, but with a red star on a solid white background. Several accounts mention such a flag being flown in Augusta and Milledgeville in January 1861. Q
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First National Flag of the Confederacy, 1861-1863 ("Stars and Bars")
S Don after formation of the Confederate States ofAmerica, delegates from the seceded states met as a provisional government in Montgomery, Alabama. Among the early actions was appointment of a committee to propose a new flag and seal for the Confederacy. The proposal adopted by the committee called for a flag consisting of a red field divided by a white band one-third the width of the field, thus producing three bars ofequal width. The flag had a square blue union the height of two bars, on which was placed a circle of white stars corresponding in number to the states of the Confederacy-then seven.
The First National Flag of the Confederacy soon came to be known as the "Stars and Bars." With seven stars at fIrst, the number jumped to eleven with the secession ofVrrginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Thnnessee, and finally to thirteen (in recognition of the symbolic admission of Kentucky and Missouri to the Confederacy). Tn some cases, the canton had a large star within the circle of stars. Also, at least two versions of the flag survive with Georgia's coat of arms in the center ofthe stars. 0
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Confederate Battle Flag, 1861-1865
T he similarity of the Stars and Bars to the Stars and Stripes was not an accident. As the war progressed, however, sentiment for keeping a reminder oftheAmerican flag diminished in the South. More importantly, during the first major battle of the Civil War at Bull Run near Manassas Junction, Virginia, it was hard to distinguish the two flags at a distance.
Consequently, Confederate generals P. G. T. Beauregard and Joseph Johnston urged that a new Confederate flag be designed for
battle. The result was the square flag sometimes known as the "Southern Cross." The Confederate Battle Flag consisted of a blue saltire reminiscent ofthe St. Andrew's Cross, on which were situated 13 stars,
with the saltire edged in white, all on a red background. Areview ofsurviving Confederate Battle Flags shows that the stars were arranged in many ways, but the design above (with the central tip of each star pointing up) was the most common. 0
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Second National Flag of the Confederacy, 1863-1865
T hroughout the spring of 1863, the Confederate Congress debated the design for a new national flag for the Confederacy. On May 1, the last day of the session, both houses agreed to a flag consisting of a white field, with a length twice as long as its width, and a square Confederate Battle Flag two-thirds the width ofthe field to be used as a canton (or union) in the upper left.
Despite the official dimensions provided in the Flag Act of 1863, many copies were made shorter to achieve a more traditional appearance and to prevent the white flag from being mistaken for a flag of truce.
The Second National Flag was widely known as the "Stainless Banner." Because the first issue of this flag draped the coffin of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, it was also known as the "Jackson Flag." 0
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Third National Flag of the Confederacy, 1865
Concern over the Second National Flag led to the introduction of a bill in December 1864 to change the national flag yet again. Although the Civil War was in its final stages, President Jefferson Davis signed legislation on March 4, 1865, creating the Third National Flag of the Confederacy.
The new banner had a width two-thirds of its length. The flag's canton (i.e., the Confederate Battle Flag) changed from a square to a rectangle of a width three-fIfths the width of the flag, and ofa length so that the field beyond it measured twice the width of the field below the canton. The flag continued to use a white field, except that the outer half of the field to the right of the Battle Flag canton con sisted oCa vertical red band. Authorized in the final months of the war, relatively few copies of the Third National Flag were made, and even fewer survived. 0
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Georgia State Flag Before 1879 (Unofficial)
H istory does not record who made the first Georgia state flag, when it was made, what it looked like, or who authorized its creation. Probahly, the banner originated in one of the numerous militia units that existed in antebellum Georgia.
In 1861, a new provision was added to Georgia's code requiring the governor to supply regimental flags to Georgia militia units assigned to fight outside the state. These flags were to depict the "arms of the State" and the name of the regiment, but the code gave no indication as to the color to be used on the arms or the flag's background. In heraldry, "arms" refers to a coat of arms, which is the prominent design-usually shown on a shield-located at the center of an armorial bearing or seal. Arms usually appear on seals, but they are not synonymous with seals.
Based on the best available evidence, the above flag is a reconstruction of the pre-1879 Georgia stare flag as it would have appeared using the coat ofarms from the 1799 state seal. 0
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Georgia State Flag, 1879-1902
I n 1879, state senator Heman H. Perry introduced legislation giving Georgia its fIrst official state flag. Colonel Perry was a Confederate veteran, a fact that probably influenced his proposal to take the Stars and Bars, remove the stars, extend the blue canton to the bottom of the flag, and narrow its width slightly. The legislation provided no height VS. length dimensions, but it did stipulate the width ofthe blue band was to be one-third the length of the entire flag. Also, the red of the flag was specified to be scarlet.
Why had Georgia finally adopted an official state flag? On the previous day, the 1879 General Assembly had passed a law recodifying state law regulating volunteer troops. Included in the revision was a provision that: "Every battalion ofvoJunteers shall carry the flag ofthe State, when one is adopted by Act of the General Assembly, as its battalion colors."
Governor Colquitt approved Georgia's fIrst official state flag on October 17, 1879.0
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Georgia State Flag, c. 19021906
I n 1902, as part of another major reorganization of state military laws, the General Assembly changed Georgia's state flag again. New language was added stipulating: "On the blue field shall be stamped, painted or embroidered the coat of arms of the State; and every regiment and unassigned battalion shall, when on parade, carry this flag." The above flag is a reconstruction of Georgia's flag with the addition ofthe state coat of arms.
Ifflag makers had followed the letter ofthe law, Georgia's state flag from 1902 to 1956 would have appeared as pictured above. 0
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Georgia State Flag, c. 1906-1920
B etween 1902 and 1906, some unknown person or flag manufacturer added a gold-outlined white shield to the coat of arms, placed the date "1799" below the arms, and added a red ribbon with "Georgia" below the shield. Although the General Assembly had not authorized any changes to the state flag, apparently no one contested the new version. In fact, a Georgia history book for children published in 1906 includes a full-page color renderingofthis design, indicating this to be the state flag of Georgia. 0
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Georgia State Flag, c. 1920-1956
By the late 19105 or early 19208. a new, unofficial version of Georgia's state flag--one incorporating the entire state sealbegan appearing. There is no record of who ordered the change or when it took place.
The new flag may have resulted [rom a 19141aw changing the date on Georgia's state seal from 1799 (the date the seal was adopted) to 1776 (the year of independence). Because some flag makers had been including "1799" beneath the coat ofarms, it became necessary to change the date on new flags. At that point, possibly the Secretary orState or a flag manufacturer may have decided that the entire state seal created a more uniform flag.
The first state publication to show Georgia's flag with a seal was the Georgia Qf{tciJJl Register for 1927, which contained the artist's color rendering shown above. In reality, until the mid1950s (when a new seal was drawn), various versions ofthe Georgia seal were used
a on state flags.
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Georgia State Flag, 1956-2001
I n early 1955, Atlanta attorney John Sammons Bell (who later served as a judge on the Georgia Court ofAppeals) suggested a new state flag for Georgia that would incorporate the Confederate Battle Flag. At the 1956 session of the GeneralAssembly, state senators Jefferson Lee Davis and Willis Harden introduced Senate Bill 98 to change the state flag. Signed into law on February 13, 1956, the bill became effective the following July 1.
Acopy of the new state flag displayed at the 1956 signingceremony shows slight differences from the state flag shown above. In the 1956 version, the stars are larger, and only the center point of the central star points straight up. Also, the first copies of the 1956 flag used a different version of the state seal. In the summer of 1954, a new redrawn state seal began to appear on state government documents. By the end of the decade, flag makers were using the new seal on Georgia's official state flags. 0
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Olympic Flag Since 1914
T he Olympic flag made its first public appearances in Paris during the 1914 Olympic Congress, though it was not Oown at the Olympic Games until 1920. The rings represent the union of the continents and of athJetes from around the world.
In 1990, the International Olympic Committee announced that Atlanta would host the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. However, the transferofthe Olympic flag would not come until the conclusion ofthe 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. At the close oreach Olympic Games, the mayor of the host city passes the Olympic flag to the president orIGC, who in turn presents the flag to the mayor of the next host city.
In September 1992, the nag was carried through the state of
Georgia before its journey to Atlanta City Hall, its official home prior to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. 0
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Georgia Slale Fla& 2001-2003
O nJanuary 31, 2001, Governor Roy Barnes signed into law H.B. 16, which immediately provided for a new state flag. For more than 15 years, GeQrgia had faced continuing controversy over the 1956 state flag that featured the Confederate battle flag so prominently. Some Georgia cities and businesses refused to fly the official Georgia flag, opting instead to display the pre-1956 version or no state flag at all. Legislation to return to the pre-1956 state flag was lirst introduced in 1969, and eventually became an issue at every session of the General Assembly. However, until 2000, supporters of the 1956 state flag were able to kill any efforts to change the flag.
1n early 2000, Atlanta architect Cecil Alexander devised a design that would allow the Confederate battle flag to be shown on the state flag-but greatly reduced and as part ofa series of historical nags that had nown over Georgia. The most prominent feature on the new nag was the state seal in gold surrounded by 13 white stars. Below the seal was a gold ribbon containing sma)] images of the t'irstStars and Stripes, pre-1879 state nag, pre 1956 state llag, 1956 state flag, and current U.S. national flag. Above the flags was the phrase, "Georgia's History," and beneath the ribbon was "In God We Trust." 0
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Current Georgia State Flag
O n May 8, 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue signed H.B. 380 creating a new state flag for Georgia. The act became effective immediately, giving Georgia its third state flag in a period of 27 months. The new flag was based on a proposed design by Rep_ Bobby Franklin that placed the Georgia state scal within the circle of 13 stars on the First National Flag of the Confederacy and included the words "In God We Trust" in large letters on the horizontal white bar of the flag. In the Senate, Sen. George Hooks offered an amendment that substituted the state coat of anns for the seal, moved the national motto to the canton, changed the flag's dimensions, and made several other changes resulting in the current flag.
Georgia's stale flag is based on the First National Rag of the Confederacy ("Stars and Bars") and consists of a field of three horizontal bars of equal width. h"o red separated by a white bar in the center. In the upper left comer isa square blue canton the widthof twobars.ln the center of the canton is a circle of 13 white stars, symbolizing Georgia and the other 12 original states that formed the United States of America. Within the circle of stars is Georgia's coat of arms immediately above the words "In God We Trust"-both in gold. 0
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Provisions of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated Relative to Georgia's State Flag
Sec. 50-3-1. Description of state flag; militia to carry flag. The flag of the State of Georgia shall consist of a square canton on a
field of three horizontal bands of equal width. The top and bottom bands shall be scarlet and the center band white. The bottom band shall extend the entire length ofthe flag, while the center and top bands shall extend from the canton to the fly end of the flag. The canton of the flag shall consist of a square of blue the width of two of the bands, in the upper left of the hoist of the flag. In the center ofthe canton shall be placed a representation in gold of the coat ofarms ofGeorgia as shown in the center ofthe obverse ofthe Great Seal of the State of Georgia adopted in 1799 and amended in 1914. Centered immediately beneath the coat ofarms shall be the words 'IN GOD WE TRUST in capital letters. The coat of arms and wording 'IN GOD WE TRUST shall be encircled by 13 white five-pointed stars, representing Georgia and the 12 other original states that formed the United States of America. Official specifications of the flag, including color identification system, type sizes and fonts, and overall dimensions, shall be established by the Secretary of State, who pursuant to Code Section 50-3-4 serves as custodian of the state flag. Every force of the organized militia shall carry this flag while on parade or review.
Sec. 50-3-2. Pledge of allegiance to state flag. The following is adopted as the pledge of allegiance to the state flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag and to the principles for which
it stands: Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation."
Sec. 50-3-3. Display of state flag. The state flag shall be displayed on appropriate occasions in the public
and private schools of this state and in all patriotic meetings, and the citizens of the state are requested to take the pledge of allegiance set out in Code Section 50-3-2.
Sec. 50-3-4. Designation of Secretary of State as custodian of state flag; procurement and furnishing of flags to schools.
The Secretary of State is designated as the custodian of the state flag. From funds made available for such purpose, the Secretary of State shall procure suitable state flags; and he shall be authorized to furnish, without cost, to the various public schools of this state, to the superior and state courts, and to other departments and agencies of the state, counties, or municipal authorities, such flags for their use in displaying same. From such
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Sec. 50-3-4.1. School superintendents and administrative officials authorized to display copies of national motto and American and Georgia flags in certain places; means of acquisition.
(a) Local school superintendents of the public schools in this state and the appropriate administrative officials of the various institutions and agencies of this state, provided that sufficient funds or the items themselves are available as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section, are authorized to place a durable poster or framed copy representing the following which may be displayed in each public elementary and secondary school library and classroom in this state and in each public building or facility in this state which is maintained or operated by state funds:
(1) Our national motto, "In God We Trust"; (2) A true and correct representation ofthe American flag, which shall be centered under the national motto; and (3) A true and correct representation of the Georgia state flag. (b) The copies or posters authorized by this Code section shall either be donated or shall be purchased solely with funds made available through voluntary contributions to the local school boards in the case of displays in public schools or to the Georgia Building Authority in the case ofdisplays in state buildings and facilities.
Sec. 50-3-5. Preservation of Confederate flags. The flags of the Georgia troops who served in the army of the Confed-
erate States, and which have been returned to the state by the United States government, shall be preserved for all time in the capitol as priceless mementos of the cause they represented and of the heroism and patriotism of the men who bore them.
Sec. 50-3-6. Display of Spanish-American War flags.
The flags of the Georgia regiments which engaged in the SpanishAmerican War shall be displayed in the corridors of the capitol in a manner similar to those of the Confederate regiments.
Sec. 50-3-7. Duty of Governor to accept flags. When any flag referred to in Code Section 50-3-5 or 50-3-6 is offered
to the state, it shall be the duty of the Governor to accept it in behalf of the state and to make such provisions for its preservation as may be necessary to protect and preserve it from the ravages of time, dust, and moths.
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Confederate States ofAmerica, or any flag or emblem used by the Confederate States of America at any time within the years 1860 to 1865, both inclusive, for the purpose of advertising, selling, or promoting the sale of any article of merchandise whatever in this state.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this Code section, any person, firm, or corporation which contracts with the state to publish an official publication shall be authorized to use the state emblem on the cover of the publication. Utilization by the contracting person, firm, or corporation of the cover of the publication, with the state emblem thereon, for advertising purposes shall not constitute a violation of subsection (a) of this Code section.
Sec. 50-3-9. Abuse of federal, state, or Confederate flag unlawful. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to mutilate,
deface, defile, or abuse contemptuously the flag of the United States, the flag, coat of arms, or emblem of the State of Georgia, or the flag or emblem of the Confederate States of America by any act whatever.
Sec. 50-3-10. Use of flag for decorative or patriotic purposes. Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent the use of the flag
of the United States or any flag, standard, color, shield, ensign, or other insignia of the State of Georgia or of the Confederate States of America for decorative or patriotic purposes, either inside or outside of any residence, store, place of business, public building, or school building.
Sec. 50-3-11. Penalty. Any person, firm, or corporation who violates any provision of Code
Section 50-3-8 or 50-3-9 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Sec. 50-3-7. Duty of Governor to accept flags. When any flag referred to in Code Section 50-3-5 or 50-3-6 is offered
to the state, it shall be the duty of the Governor to accept it in behalf of the state and to make such provisions for its preservation as may be necessary to protect and preserve it from the ravages of time, dust, and moths.
Flags That Have Flown Over Georgia 1995, 2005 Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
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