Why does the Rhode Island flag say HOPE?

Hope is the state's one-word motto, shown on the ribbon below the anchor. The anchor is a traditional symbol of hope and also of the sea.

Why are there 13 stars on the Rhode Island flag?

The 13 stars represent the thirteen original colonies, of which Rhode Island was one.

Is the Rhode Island flag a square?

Almost. Its proportions are about 1.14 to 1, so it is nearly square, unlike most state flags.

What is Rhode Island's one word motto?

The motto is Hope. It appears on the ribbon on the flag and on the state seal.

Which state has the oldest flag?

Rhode Island's symbols go back to Revolutionary War banners, but several states have older formal flags. Its present design was adopted in 1897.

Rhode Island Flag: Anchor, Hope & 13 Stars Meaning

The Rhode Island flag shows a gold anchor on a white field, circled by 13 gold stars, with a blue ribbon reading HOPE beneath. Adopted in 1897, it is one of the shortest and squarest of all U.S. state flags.

What the Rhode Island state flag looks like

The state flag of Rhode Island has a white field. In the center is a large gold anchor. Around the anchor is a ring of 13 gold stars. Beneath the anchor a blue ribbon carries the single word HOPE in gold capital letters.

The flag is almost square. Its ratio is about 1.14:1, much closer to a square than the usual 2:3. The only colors are white, gold and blue, which makes the design bold and easy to recognize.

Rhode Island flag meaning and symbolism

The anchor is the state's main symbol and has been used on Rhode Island's seal since the 17th century. It is commonly read as a sign of hope, and the word HOPE on the ribbon is the state's one-word motto. It also reflects the importance of the sea and of shipping to a coastal state with a long shoreline on Narragansett Bay.

The 13 stars represent the original thirteen colonies. Rhode Island was one of them, and it was the last of the thirteen to ratify the Constitution, in 1790. White is often associated with purity or peace, while the gold of the anchor and stars stands out on the plain field.

The blue ribbon is the only blue on the flag, and the gold is used for the anchor, the stars and the lettering, so the design reads clearly even on a small flag.

History of the Rhode Island flag

The roots of the flag are in the American Revolution. Rhode Island troops carried flags with an anchor and the word Hope within a ring of stars, and this became the basis for the later state flag. The state formally adopted a flag in the 19th century, and the present design was fixed by law in 1897.

The symbols on it trace back to the 1700s. People sometimes ask about two-sided state flags; Oregon is the one with different designs on each side.

See how it compares with neighbors such as Connecticut and Massachusetts on the U.S. state flags page, or read about the flag of the United States.