Flag of Illinois

What the Illinois state flag looks like

The state flag of Illinois is a white rectangle with the state seal at its center. The seal shows a bald eagle perched on a rock, with its wings partly raised. In its beak the eagle holds a banner that reads State Sovereignty, National Union. On the eagle's body is a shield with stars and stripes, and the rock beneath it is marked with two dates, 1818 and 1868. Behind the bird, a sun rises over water, and the whole scene is drawn in natural colors, mostly brown, blue and gold.

Below the seal, in plain blue capital letters, is the word ILLINOIS. This is the only lettering on the flag itself. The overall look is unusual among state flags because the field is white instead of the usual blue.

Illinois flag meaning and symbolism

Every part of the seal refers to the state's history. The eagle is the national bird of the United States, and the shield on its breast echoes the American flag. The banner's motto, State Sovereignty, National Union, expresses the idea that Illinois is both a self-governing state and part of the federal Union. The date 1818 marks the year Illinois became the 21st state, and 1868 is the year the present seal was designed by Secretary of State Sharon Tyndale (it was officially adopted in 1869). The sun rising over water is often read as a sign of promise and a new beginning.

The white field is not given an official meaning, but white is generally associated with purity and peace. Because the design is a seal on white, the flag is often described as plain, and critics sometimes call it a "seal on a bedsheet," a common complaint about flags of that type.

History of the Illinois flag

Illinois had no official state flag for almost a century after statehood. The Daughters of the American Revolution campaigned for a state flag from 1912 and held a design contest in 1914. The winning design, by Lucy Derwent, put the eagle seal on a white background. The legislature made it official in 1915. The first version had no state name on it.

That changed in the late 1960s, when Chief Petty Officer Bruce McDaniel, who had served in the Vietnam War, petitioned to add the state name because many people did not recognize the flag. Governor Richard Ogilvie signed the addition into law on September 17, 1969, and the word ILLINOIS under the seal became official on July 1, 1970. The flag has stayed the same since then, although a commission has looked at possible redesigns.

The state's largest city, Chicago, has its own distinct flag with two blue stripes and four red stars, which is often mistaken for the state flag. For other states, visit our U.S. state flags list or the page for the flag of the United States.