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Flag of Tennessee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The flag of Tennessee consists of three stars in a circle on a field of red, with a strip of blue on the fly. The flag was designed by a soldier named LeRoy Reeves of the Third Regiment, Tennessee Infantry. The Tennessee State Legislature officially adopted the flag on April 17, 1905.
The three stars represent the three main geographical divisions of the state, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The blue circle around the stars represents the unity of the three "Grand Divisions" in one state. The blue bar was purely a design consideration. In the words of Reeves, "The final blue bar relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when hanging limp." Some have stated, however, that the blue bar represents the Tennessee River. An article in National Geographic magazine on the Tennessee flag published in October 1917 erroneously reported that the stars represent Tennessee's status as the third state to enter the United States after the original 13. But Reeves' original description contradicts this interpretation: "The three stars are of pure white, representing the three Grand Divisions of the state."
In March 2006, state representative Tom DuBois introduced a bill that would create a salute for the state flag. The proposed salute was originally written by the then-leader of the Tennessee Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Lucy Steele Harrison. Later that month, the bill was approved by the Tennessee Senate. State senator Diane Black told The Tennessean that the legislation was only meant to include the poem in the Tennessee Blue Book and inform young people, but not for it to be recited along with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. The proposed salute reads:
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- Three white stars on a field of blue
- God keep them strong and ever true
- It is with pride and love that we
- Salute the flag of Tennessee.
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The central circle-and-stars portion of the flag appears in the logos of some Tennessee-based companies and sports teams, for example, the First Tennessee Bank and the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.
- The The Tennessean article on the bill's introduction
- The The Tennessean article on the bill passing the Tennessee Senate
- Grave and memorial marker for flag designer LeRoy Reeves in Johnson City, Tennessee
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