Wednesday 13 July 2016

Kansas Flag

By Marta Sheen


Kansas takes its name from the Kansa Indians. Kansa means “People of the South Wind.” Kansas entered the Union on January 29, 1861, marking the end of a long period of exploration and settlement, and following a brief but bloody and bitter struggle between early settlers over the extension of slavery. Ahead were days of growth and development that contributed to the strength and prosperity of our American nation.

Between 1541 and 1739 explorers from Spain and France came to the area in search of gold, knowledge and trade with the Indians. In 1803, Kansas became a part of the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Fifty-one years later it was organized as a territory which included the eastern half of Colorado.

The state flag adopted on March 23, 1927, usually represented the state on official occasions. It showed the state seal without the inscriptions on its outer rim; above was the crest of Kansas as used by its National Guard a naturalistic sunflower over a heraldic wreath of yellow and blue. Complaints were raised that this flag was so close in design to those of many other states that it could not readily be identified.

The Kansas flag consists of a blue field containing the state’s seal. Just above, sits a sunflower on a gold and blue bar while the state’s name, “Kansas” appears in bold letters beneath the seal. Inside the seal appears a great landscape that depicts a flowing river, steamboat, plowman, cabin, bison, American Indians, and wagons against a backdrop of rising mountains. Above the landscape sit thirty-four stars sheltered by the words, “Ad Astra per Aspera.”

In the flag history of Kansas, an unusual distinction was made between the so-called "state banner" and the "state flag." A state banner was first adopted on February 27, 1925, consisting of the name of the state written above the state seal and set on a background of blue. The seal was framed by a sunflower, adopted in 1903 as the state floral emblem. On June 30, 1953, the state banner was very much simplified; thereafter it was blue with a large sunflower blossom, including a brown centre and gold petals. Neither of these banners, however, was extensively used.

There is a barrage of cheap and inferior Kansas flags being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported flags are cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods of printing do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flags made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Kansas flag for the future.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment