3rd Grade History Melrose Elementary Schools Arkansas Framework H.6.3.1

The History of the Arkansas State Flag

Facts:  For 75 years Arkansas had no flag.  Diamonds were discovered in Murfreesboro in  The Hodge Committee proposed putting the name “Arkansas” on the flag.  AFWC(American Federation of Women’ Clubs) proposed a flag first.  A fourth star was added but later removed which represented the confederacy.  The three colors red, white, and blue designate Arkansas as a member of the Union

Mrs. Willie Kavanagh Hocker won the flag design contest. The flag first appeared in 1914 at the Arkansas State Fair at Hot Springs.

The flag proposed by the AFWC

The Parts of a Flag

 The 25 stars around the flag designated Arkansas as the 25 th state of the Union.  The diamond shape was added to show that Arkansas is the only state in North America where diamonds can be found.

The flag’s background is red. It has a white diamond in the middle. The border around the border is blue with 25 stars. The name “ARKANSAS” appeals in the middle. There is one star above the name and two stars below the name. The first star is for the confederacy. The bottom two are for Arkansas and Michigan who entered the Union at the same time. Why 3 Stars? 1. Present the three countries Arkansas was a part of (Spain, France and the United States). 2. The date of the Louisiana Purchase which made Arkansas part of the US (1803). 3. Arkansas was the 3 rd state created from the Louisiana Purchase

Top = ConfederacyBottom = ArkansasBottom = Michigan Stars

The Battleship U. S. S. Arkansas

STATE FLAGS

/flags/ar_flag.htm history/a/settlers_2.htm story/flag.html References