Flag of New York
The flag of New York is a blue field carrying the state's coat of arms: a shield showing the sun rising behind three mountains over a river with two ships, held by the figures of Liberty and Justice, with an eagle on a globe above and the motto "Excelsior" below. The arms date from 1778, and the blue flag from 1901. In 2020 a second motto line, "E pluribus unum," was added to the scroll.
What the flag shows
The flag law says simply that the flag is blue, charged with the state arms. The arms themselves are described in detail.
- The shield. A golden sun rising in a clear blue sky behind three mountains, the middle one highest, above a ship and a sloop under sail meeting on a river with a grassy shore.
- The crest. An American eagle on a wreath of blue and gold, standing on a globe that shows the North Atlantic and its coasts.
- Liberty. On the viewer’s left, holding a staff topped by a gold Phrygian cap, the ancient sign of a freed slave. A royal crown lies cast down at her foot, marking the rejection of the British monarchy.
- Justice. On the right, blindfolded, holding an upright sword and a set of scales, for impartial and fair judgment.
- The scroll. Below the shield, with the motto Excelsior, “Ever upward,” and since 2020 a second line, E pluribus unum, “Out of many, one.”
A Revolutionary flag
The arms appeared on the blue regimental flag of the 3rd New York Regiment even before the Legislature adopted them on March 16, 1778. The State Library calls today’s flag a modern version of that Revolutionary War flag, whose original is held by the Albany Institute of History and Art.
White, buff and blue
New York’s flags have changed color more than once. Militia regulations of 1858 made a white flag bearing the arms the state flag, with blue flags bearing the arms used as regimental colors. In 1882, after a commission’s work, the Legislature fixed the standard form of the arms that is still used.
A law of April 8, 1896, made the arms on a buff field the official flag. Major Asa Gardiner argued that it should match the buff facings George Washington had ordered for the New York and New Jersey Continental troops, but the buff flag proved unpopular. A law of April 2, 1901, changed the field back to the familiar blue of New York’s military flags, giving the current flag.
A new motto line
In 2020 the state budget for fiscal year 2021 added E pluribus unum beneath Excelsior on the scroll of the arms, so the phrase now appears on the flag. The rest of the design is unchanged. New York has no official pledge or salute to its flag.
Questions about the New York state flag
- What is on the New York flag?
- The state coat of arms on a blue field. The shield shows the sun rising behind three mountains over a river with a ship and a sloop. Liberty stands on one side and Justice on the other, an eagle on a globe sits on top, and a scroll below carries the mottos "Excelsior" and "E pluribus unum."
- Who are the women on the New York flag?
- Liberty, holding a staff topped with a gold liberty cap, with a cast-down royal crown at her foot, and Justice, blindfolded, holding a sword and scales.
- What does Excelsior mean?
- '"Ever upward." It is the state motto.'
- When was the New York flag adopted?
- The current blue flag dates from a law of April 2, 1901. The arms on it were adopted in 1778.
- Was the New York flag ever a different color?
- Yes. From 1896 to 1901 the official flag put the arms on a buff field, the color of the facings on New York's Continental Army uniforms. It proved unpopular, and the Legislature returned to blue.
Sources
- State Law § 70, Description of the arms of the state and the state flag New York State Senate
- New York State Emblems New York Department of State
- New York (U.S.) Flags of the World
- New York State Emblems New York State Library