Pennsylvania State Flag
Do you know what Pennsylvania's state flag looks like?
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Pennsylvania is known as the Keystone State because so many key historic events took place there. The blue background of the flag is the same color of blue as is on the American flag. It stands for loyalty and justice. Every element of the flag has a meaning. Watch this video to learn about all of the symbols and pictures on Pennsylvania's flag.
[MUSIC PLAYING] In 1681, the King of England gave land in the New World to an Englishman named William Penn. Since the area was rich in forest, it was named Pennsylvania, which is Latin for Penn's woods.
Pennsylvania is a wonderful agricultural state. Actually, 30% of the state is considered agricultural land. And that's represented on the state seal, and the state seal is featured on the flag. There are corn stalks. There are sheaves of wheat. There are plows. And then above all this is a ship, and that's meant to represent the importance of Philadelphia as a port city.
The flag's blue background represents loyalty and justice. It's the same color blue found on the American flag, which originated in Pennsylvania.
Well, June 14th is Flag Day in the United States, and that's because, in 1777, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, and that's when they accepted the first-ever American flag.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were also written in Pennsylvania. Despite these contributions to our federal system, Pennsylvanians did not want any government to have unlimited powers over their state. So emblazoned across their state flag for all to see is the motto "Virtue, liberty, and independence."
And here's another influence Pennsylvania had on colonial America. When William Penn drafted the state's first constitution, he included religious freedom for all. That provision became the model for one of our nation's most important rights. With Flag Facts, I'm Scott.
Pennsylvania's flag has a coat of arms with a shield, a sailing ship, a plough, and three sheaves of wheat. The ship represents Pennsylvania's commerce, and the plough represents its agriculture and natural resources. The wheat represents fertile fields and Pennsylvania's wealth of human thought and action. On the left side of the flag is Indian corn, which stands for prosperity, and on the right, is an olive branch which symbolizes peace.
The shield has an American bald eagle at top and two horses on either side. The bald eagle represents the United States and the loyalty of Pennsylvania to the Union. It stands for strength and sovereignty. The horses symbolize Pennsylvania's agriculture and rich natural resources.
The state motto is shown below:
Virtue, Liberty, and Independence.
Take out your activity page and fill in the chart with the symbols and pictures, as well as their meanings.
Then draw and color Pennsylvania's flag on your activity page.
