ShareThisState Symbols: The Signs of Tradition
States and the residents who live in them simply love their individuality. Historically, as each new territory or commonwealth joined the new country called America, it produced its own flag and adopted an official seal. The practice followed the ancient tradition of European heraldry that landed along with our immigrants.
Delaware, the first state of the Union, rang in with the first motto, "Liberty and Independence," in 1847. In 1895, Delaware declared the peach blossom its state flower. By 1999, Delaware was still naming things, choosing "apple" as its official state pie.
A curious thing happened at the beginning of the 20th Century. States began adopting other symbols to mark their territory. One by one, states passed legislation that proclaimed official flowers, trees, birds, and mascots.
State Symbols by Any Other Name
Naming conventions followed trends. The same year Delaware announced its state flower, Vermont weighed in with red clover, already the official flower of Denmark. State flowers gained greater popularity from 1904-1920. State trees found favor during the 1950s. Hawaii, last to join the Union in 1959, wasted little time. It named the kukui its state tree that very year.
Today, there's an incredible variety of official state symbols. You'll find state amphibians, beverages, birds, butterflies, colors, dances, dinosaurs, fish, flags, flowers, foods, fossils, fruits, grasses, insects, mammals, mascots, minerals, mottos, nicknames, reptiles, slogans, soils, songs, sports, and tartans.
South Carolina was one of the first states to proclaim an official dance step. Passing General Assembly Act No. 329 in 1984, Carolinians declared "The Shag" their wiggle of choice.
