Massachusetts General Laws
Chapter 2: Section 1. Coat of arms of commonwealth. The coat of arms of the commonwealth shall consist of a blue shield with an Indian thereon, dressed in a shirt, leggings, and moccasins, holding in his right hand a bow, and in his left hand an arrow, point downward, all of gold; and, in the upper right-hand corner of the field a silver star of five points. The crest shall be, on a wreath of gold and blue, a right arm, bent at the elbow, clothed and ruffled, and grasping a broad-sword, all of gold. The motto "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" shall appear in gold on a blue ribbon.
Chapter 2: Section 3. Commonwealth and naval and maritime flags; design. The flag of the commonwealth shall consist of a white rectangular field, bearing on either side a representation of the arms of the commonwealth, except that the star shall be white. The naval and maritime flag of the commonwealth shall consist of a white rectangular field bearing on either side a representation of a green pine tree.
Chapter 2: Section 4. Flag of governor; design. The flag of the governor shall conform to the design of the flag of the commonwealth, except that the field of the flag of the governor shall be triangular in shape.
Joe McMillan, 14 February 2000
Massachusetts had an official naval flag during the Revolutionary War. It was white with a green pine tree and the motto "An Appeal to Heaven" and was adopted in April, 1776. Since "flags" at that time were all naval ensigns (the cloth things on poles carried by soldiers on land were "standards", not "flags"), Massachusetts was the first to adopt a state flag.
In the 1890's, Massachusetts joined the bandwagon and officially adopted what it now considered a conventional state flag for use on land. White field, on the obverse a gold Indian on a blue shield and on the reverse was the green pine tree on a blue shield (plus star, ribbon, motto, etc,...) This combined the coat of arms as used on the state seal and Civil War Regimental flags with the green tree used on naval flags.
The 1776 naval flag law was never repealed and, according to the 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (oldest constitution still in effect in the world) those old laws (enacted prior to the Commonwealth's constitution) remained in effect until superseded. The Massachusetts General Court (state legislature) finally superseded the naval flag law in 1971 when it revised the state flag to show the Indian and shield arms on both sides, and established a white flag with a green pine tree as the Massachusetts Naval Flag. The religious motto "An Appeal to Heaven" was deleted thanks to Whitney Smith.
Nick Artimovich, 15 January 1997 |
Massachusetts (MA) State Flag