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State Flag
Adopted in 1912.
Flags of many nations were raised over the Louisiana Territory before Louisiana became a state, notably flags of the French, the Spanish, the United States and the Confederacy. This official flag of Louisiana is that flag now in general use, consisting of a solid blue field with the coat-of-arms of the state, the pelican feeding its young, in white in the center, with a ribbon beneath, also in white, containing in blue the motto of the state, "Union, Justice and Confidence". It was adopted by an Act of the Legislature in 1912.
Flag of Castile and Leon (1492-1541)
1519, the Spanish explorer Alonso Alverez de Pineda led an expedition along the northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico. He discovered the mouth of a great river-in all likelihood the mighty Mississippi.
White Fleur de Lis (1672-1762)
The first explorer to travel down the Mississippi River to its mouth was Frenchman Sieur de LaSalle. In 1682, he took possession of "the country known as Louisiana," naming it in honor of his king, Louis XIV. For a century and a half, "Louisiana" referred to a vast area that makes up several of our present-day states.
Spanish flag (1763-1803)
In a secret treaty in 1762, France ceded its territory west of the Mississippi to Spain. Colonist in Louisiana didn't learn of the transfer for almost two years!
British flag (1763-1779)
In 1763, great Britain acquired parts of Louisiana east of the Mississippi from France and Spain in the Peace of Paris that ended the French and Indian War.
French tricolor (Nov 30, 1803 - Dec 20, 1803)
The cost of maintaining distant colonies and worries about restless Americans who wanted to control the land led Spain to return the Louisiana territory west of the Mississippi to France in another secret treaty in 1800.
U.S. Flag (15 stars and 15 stripes) (1803-1861)
On April 30, 1803, the United States purchased the vast Louisiana territory from Napoleon for $15 million. That purchase more than doubled the size of the United States.
Flag of West Florida (Bonnie Blue) (Sep 1810 - Dec 1810)
In 1810 colonists took control of the area east of the Mississippi River. It was part of Spain's West Florida Territory. That same year this republic joined the United States as part of the Louisiana Territory. The area is still referred to as the Florida Parishes (Louisiana is divided into parishes instead of counties.) The flag is known as the "Bonnie Blue."
National Flag of Louisiana (1861)
On April 30, 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state to join the Union. William Charles Cole Claiborne was elected its first governor
Confederate States of America (first national, with 7 stars)
The longest siege in American military history took place in 1863, when Confederate troops at Port Hudson held out for 48 days. Their surrender, five days after the fall of Vicksburg, marked the end of Confederate control of the Mississippi River.
The Current State Flag (1912 - )
In 1912, the Louisiana State Legislature officially adopted the present state flag. It depicts the state bird, the Eastern Brown Pelican and the state motto: Union, Justice and Confidence.
The official pledge of allegiance for the state was adopted in 1981 and reads as follows:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the state of Louisiana
and to the motto for which it stands:
A state, under god, united in purpose and ideals,
confident that justice shall prevail for all of those abiding here."
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