Why is there a moose on the Michigan flag?

The moose and the elk are the two supporters of the shield on the Michigan coat of arms. They stand for the wildlife of the state.

What three animals are on the Michigan flag?

The elk, the moose and the bald eagle. The elk and moose hold the shield and the eagle sits above it.

What do the words on the Michigan flag mean?

E Pluribus Unum means "Out of many, one"; Tuebor means "I will defend"; and Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice means "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."

Is Michigan changing its flag?

No. The state flag is still the 1911 design. Redesign ideas have appeared in public discussion, but nothing has been adopted.

What is the motto of Michigan?

The state motto is Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice , which is on the flag. The tourism slogan Pure Michigan is not an official motto.

Michigan Flag: Meaning, Colors & History

The Michigan flag shows the state coat of arms on a dark blue field: a shield with a man raising his hand at sunrise, an elk and a moose on either side, and a bald eagle above. Three Latin mottos appear on it, and the design dates to 1911.

What the Michigan state flag looks like

The state flag of Michigan is a dark blue field with the Michigan coat of arms in the center. The flag is the usual three-by-two rectangle, and the arms are drawn in blue, white, gold and red.

The arms are made up of these parts:

The shield. A man stands on a peninsula beside a lake at sunrise. He raises one hand in greeting and carries a gun in the other. A ribbon over him reads Tuebor.
The supporters. An elk stands on the left and a moose on the right, each holding the shield.
The crest. A bald eagle perches above, holding an olive branch and arrows. A ribbon above it carries E Pluribus Unum.
The base. A ribbon at the bottom reads Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice.

The three animals are the elk, the moose and the bald eagle.

Michigan flag meaning and symbolism

The words on the flag are three Latin mottos:

E Pluribus Unum means "Out of many, one." It is the national motto of the United States and also appears on the U.S. Great Seal.
Tuebor means "I will defend." It refers to the man on the shield, who raises his hand to show peace but keeps a gun ready.
Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice means "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."

The rising sun and the lake stand for Michigan's position among the Great Lakes, and the peninsula stands for the state itself. The elk and moose represent the wildlife of the region, and the eagle represents the United States. The deep blue background is a common color for American state flags and is often linked to loyalty and the Union.

History of the Michigan flag

The coat of arms was designed in 1835 by Lewis Cass, a longtime territorial governor, before Michigan joined the Union in 1837. Early flags carried the arms on blue silk and were used mainly by state regiments, especially during the Civil War.

Several differing versions circulated for decades, since no single official pattern existed. The state legislature standardized the flag in 1911, setting a blue field with the coat of arms. That is the flag in use today. A proposal to change it to a simpler design has been floated from time to time, but Michigan has not changed its flag.

You can compare Michigan with its neighbors in the gallery of U.S. state flags, or see the national banner on the United States page.

Interesting facts about the Michigan flag

Like many state flags, it is a "seal on a blue field" design, which flag experts often criticize as hard to tell apart from a distance.
Of the three mottos, Tuebor is the only one that refers directly to the man on the shield.
The state fills the flag with Latin; none of the text is in English.