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Alabama's flag was presented for consideration to the state sometime in late 1894, and was then officially adopted in February, 1895. I have heard different stories as to the flag's origin, but tend to believe that a group of Montgomery, Alabama women were responsible for the design. The flag was intended to be an abstract of the Confederate battle flag, with the "crimson" saltire representing the blood spilled by Alabama's soldiers in battle. When I was in Boy Scouts, we were told that the saltire represented all past and future Alabamian's who have or will make the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of freedom, liberty etc.. I believe the flag's resemblance to the Cross of St. Patrick, or the code letter V is purely coincidental.
I think the years of 1894 to 1895 are key where southern US history is concerned. Among other things, Confederate veterans were beginning to transition into their "golden years", and if I read old newspaper excerpts correctly, there was a sense of urgency abounding whereby Southerners became somewhat preoccupied with honoring the last of their living veterans while they could. Life expectancy was not nearly as long in those days. Today in the US, we are going through a similar ritual where our World War II vets are concerned. Anyway, under those 1894-95 pretenses, Alabama's flag makes perfect sense.
Keeping all of the above in mind, I think Alabama's flag started becoming part of greater Alabama lore some 30 years later, and it had to do with a sporting event. Right after Christmas, 1925, the University of Alabama football team boarded a train for Pasadena, California. They had been invited to play the University of Washington in the 1926 Rose Bowl. No southern team had ever been invited to the Rose Bowl as southern football teams were thought to be grossly inferior. Alabama pride and Southern pride for that matter swelled as Alabama's tiny 23 man squad headed west. Washington had a team that would rival any modern football squad while Alabama's team appeared malnourished and poorly equipped. I am told that Alabama didn't even have enough cleated football shoes for everyone and that players had to swap out shoes during the game. Suffice it to say that Alabama's team was a heavy underdog. At the end of the day, Alabama had come from far behind to win the game 20 to 19, and the South's football tradition was set into motion. What does that have to do with the flag?
Well, it's estimated that upwards of 250,000 Alabamians lined the 55 miles of railroad track from the Mississippi state line all the way to Tuscaloosa to greet the team as they returned from California. That would have constituted a huge chunk of the state's population in those days. My grandmother, having grown up on what is today US Highway 82 was among the crowd and told me that she had never seen so many Alabama flags in her life. My great-grandmother quickly sewed one together for my great uncle to carry to the tracks and wave. It seems that from then on, Alabama's flag had a significant place in the hearts of Alabamians. The University of Alabama's nickname is the "Crimson Tide". Although the nickname would come a bit later than 1926, there's no doubt that the teams colors and nickname were inspired by the flag.
Speaking of the color "crimson", I want to say that I have never seen an Alabama flag with a crimson saltire. Come to think of it, I have never seen the Crimson Tide actually wearing crimson either. In fact, "crimson" is a much brighter color than conventional wisdom would indicate. The University of Alabama's sports teams wear a color much closer to "burgundy" or "cardinal". Crimson is not only brighter, but also has a violet tint to it. RGB 220-20-60 is about the closest thing to actual crimson that the RGB system will produce. Where the University's tradition is concerned, "crimson" is a sort of metaphor. I would suggest the same is true for Alabama's flag.
I have never seen a "crimson" saltire Alabama flag nor a "burgundy" saltire Alabama flag. I have seen some very old Alabama flag samples and of course, modern samples, and they have all been (more or less) Old Glory red. I reckon the cardinal variety could be out there somewhere, but I haven't seen one.
Should it be square? It can be. Today, the proportions are variable with the vast majority of flags being rectangular. There have been square versions in the past (see FOTW section on square Alabama flags).
I have a copy of the September 1934 edition of National Geographic. It gives a very rigid specification of Alabama's flag, saying that it should be 51 by 51 inches with the arms of the saltier being 81/2 inches. I have no clue where that piece of information came from.
Clay Moss, 4 November 2005 |
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Alabama (AL) State Flag