Why many American states and cities are changing their flags
Farewell fussy seals, hello simple pine trees and beehives
THE LOBSTER is ubiquitous in Maine. Its image is on everything from licence plates to home decor. Now another emblem is growing in popularity: a green pine tree with a blue North Star, designed by Bethany Field and Chris Korzen, founders of Maine Flag Company and Original Maine. Their hand-stitched flags are inspired by the original 1901 official flag of Maine and also nod to the state’s maritime burgee. It can be found on sweatshirts, car bumpers, Adirondack-chair cushions and front porches. Its grassroots popularity has given momentum to a legislative proposal to switch from the current official state flag, which features the state seal, to a version of the simpler 1901 banner.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Bad banners”
United States July 1st 2023
- America aims for nuclear-power renaissance
- Massachusetts is not the gun-control beacon it once was
- What the rise of student consulting clubs means
- In North Carolina a jilted husband can sue his wife’s lover
- The Supreme Court declines to upend American election law
- Why many American states and cities are changing their flags
- AI is making Washington smarter
From the July 1st 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from United States
The White House has been fluid on gender for a decade
Trump’s order “restoring biological truth” will not be the last word
A controversial idea to hand even more power to the president
Impoundment is about to come a step closer
Tom Homan, unleashed
America’s new border czar spent decades waiting for a president like Donald Trump
An unfinished election may shape a swing state’s future
A Supreme Court race ended very close. Then the lawyers arrived.
Donald Trump cries “invasion” to justify an immigration crackdown
His executive orders range from benign to belligerent