Flag and seal of Illinois facts for kids
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| Use | Civil and state flag  |
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| Proportion | 3:5 |
| Adopted | June 27, 1969 |
| Design | Seal of Illinois on a white field |
| Designed by | Sharon Tyndale |
| Great Seal of the State of Illinois | |
|---|---|
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| Armiger | State of Illinois |
| Adopted | 1868 |
| Motto | "State Sovereignty, National Union" |
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The Great Seal of Illinois is the official symbol of the state. It shows that a document is truly from the state government. The flag of Illinois has this same seal on a white background. The word "Illinois" is also on the flag.
The current seal was chosen in 1869. The flag with the seal was adopted in 1915. The word "Illinois" was added to the flag in 1970.
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What Does the Illinois Flag Look Like?
The Illinois flag shows the Great Seal of Illinois. This seal was first designed in 1819. It looks a lot like the Great Seal of the United States.
On the seal, an eagle holds a ribbon in its beak. This ribbon has the state motto: "State Sovereignty, National Union." The dates on the seal are 1818 and 1868. 1818 is when Illinois became a state. 1868 is when the seal was redesigned by Sharon Tyndale.
Even though "State Sovereignty" comes first in the motto, the word "Sovereignty" is shown upside-down on the ribbon.
History of the Illinois State Seal
The first Great Seal of Illinois was adopted in 1819. This happened when the first Illinois General Assembly met. The law said that the Illinois Secretary of State had to get and keep the seal. The first seal looked just like the Great Seal of the United States. It was used until 1839. Then, a new version was made, becoming the Second Great Seal.
Creating a New Seal in 1869
Sharon Tyndale, who was the Illinois Secretary of State, wanted a new state seal. In 1867, he asked State Senator Allen C. Fuller to help. Tyndale suggested changing the state motto from "State Sovereignty, National Union" to "National Union, State Sovereignty."
However, the state legislature passed a bill on March 7, 1867, that kept the original motto wording. Even so, they trusted Tyndale to design the new seal. Tyndale found a way to show his idea. He kept the words in the correct order on the ribbon. But he made the ribbon twist, so the word "Sovereignty" appears upside down. This makes it harder to read.
Tyndale's seal shows a bald eagle standing on a rock. The eagle holds a shield in its claws and the state motto in its beak. The shield has thirteen stars and thirteen stripes. These stand for the original thirteen states of the United States.
The date August 26, 1818, is on the bottom of the circle. This is when Illinois's first constitution was adopted in Kaskaskia, Illinois. The year 1818 is also on the seal, below 1868. The year 1868 is when the current seal was adopted. This main design has stayed the same through small changes. The Illinois Secretary of State still keeps the Great Seal of Illinois.
History of the Illinois State Flag
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How the Flag Was First Chosen in 1915
In 1912, Ella Park Lawrence started a project. She wanted Illinois to have its own state flag. She was part of the Daughters of the American Revolution group. She kept working to get the Illinois General Assembly to adopt a flag.
On April 1, 1914, Lawrence announced a contest. She sent a letter to every Daughters of the American Revolution group in Illinois. The contest was to design an Illinois state flag. The winner would get $25. Thirty-five designs were sent in for the contest.
A group of judges chose the winning design. Lewis Stevenson, who was the Illinois Secretary of State, led this group. They picked the design by Lucy Derwent. The flag became the official state banner on July 6, 1915. This happened after the Illinois State House and Senate approved it. Governor Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne did not sign the bill, but he also did not stop it.
Changes Made in 1969
In the 1960s, a man named Bruce McDaniel wanted to add the state's name to the flag. He was a Chief Petty Officer in the military. He noticed that many people he served with during the Vietnam War did not know what the Illinois flag was.
Governor Richard B. Ogilvie signed a law to add the name to the flag. This happened on September 17, 1969. Mrs. Sanford Hutchinson designed the new flag. It became the official flag on July 1, 1970.
Illinois Centennial Flag Design
In 1918, Illinois celebrated 100 years of being a state. For this event, Wallace Rice designed a special centennial flag. Rice also designed the Flag of Chicago.
This flag had three horizontal stripes. They were white, blue, and white. Along the left edge, there were 21 stars. Ten blue stars were in the top white stripe. Ten blue stars were in the bottom white stripe. These stars stood for the 10 northern and 10 southern states in 1818. The middle blue stripe had one large white star. This star represented the state of Illinois itself.
Government Seals of Illinois
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Seal of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
