mardi 12 avril 2016

Iowa State Flag History Today

By John Paterson


Iowa was admitted to the union as the 29th state on Dec. 28, 1846. As a Midwestern state, Iowa forms a bridge between the forests of the east and the grasslands of the high prairie plains to the west. Its gently rolling landscape rises slowly as it extends westward from the Mississippi River, which forms its entire eastern border.

For the next 300 years, thousands of white settlers would agree with these early visitors: Iowa was indeed lush and green; moreover, its soil was highly productive. In fact, much of the history of the Hawkeye State is inseparably intertwined with its agricultural productivity. Iowa stands today as one of the leading agricultural states in the nation, a fact foreshadowed by the observation of the early French explorers.

The first Iowa Territory legislature met in Burlington before a territorial capital city was finally selected in Johnson County. In Iowa City, the government seat was established in a grand structure known today as Old Capitol. Built in the early 1840s, Old Capitol served as the last capital of Iowa Territory and the first capitol of the state. Under the 1857 Iowa constitution, the seat of state government was moved to Des Moines, a more central location.

Iowa did not have a state banner till 1846. At the point when the US took an interest in the World War I, in 1917, Iowa still did not have a banner. The Iowa National Guardsmen saw that other state units conveyed exceptional flags that gave them singular characters. They too felt the need of a proper banner to speak of themselves. The Governor William L. Harding considered this proposition.

Iowa's flag was designed by the state's Daughters of the American Revolution in response to Iowa national Guardsmen stationed at the Mexican border during WWI that requested an emblem of Iowa to represent their unit.

The Iowa Flag is composed of three vertical stripes of blue, white and red, arranged from left to right. The central white stripe bears the image of a bald eagle, with a blue ribbon dangling from its beak. The ribbon reads "Our Liberties We Prize, And Our Rights We Will Maintain", the state motto of Iowa. The state name is etched in bold red letters, below the motto. The symbolism of Iowa Flag lies in the flag's very pattern. The colors and the image truly depict the ideals of the state.




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