The Connecticut state flag was adopted in 1897, with a white rococo coat of arms featuring three vines and bordered with acorns and white oak leaves. The oak leaves and acorns symbolize strength, endurance, and age, while the three grapevines represent the three original colonies that formed Connecticut. The state motto, Qui Transtulit Sustinet, means “He who transplants sustains” and is believed to refer to Psalms 70:3.
The Connecticut state flag was officially adopted in 1897, with a vote of the Connecticut General Assembly. The adopted flag is believed to have already been used informally as the state flag of Connecticut for several years. Anna Warner Bailey’s chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is credited with drawing the attention of Connecticut Governor O. William Coffin to the need for an official state flag. Governor Coffin made his proposal for such a flag to the Connecticut General Assembly on May 29, 1895, and the assembly is said to have immediately appointed a committee to design the flag. The official design of the Connecticut state flag features a white rococo coat of arms decorated with three vines and bordered with acorns and white oak leaves, below which a white pennant bears the Connecticut state motto, Qui Transtulit Sustinet (He who transplanted (us) continues to support us).
The five sets of oak leaves and acorns that typically decorate the state shield border of the Connecticut flag are believed to symbolize strength, endurance, and age. The leaves and acorns are believed to represent the Charter Oak, a large and venerable oak where colonists are said to have hidden their charter against attempts by King James II of England to revoke it in 1687.
The three grapevines depicted on the Connecticut state flag are believed to refer to the three original colonies that united to form the larger colony known as Connecticut in approximately 1665. These three colonies were New Haven, Hartford, and Saybrook. The symbol of the three screws is believed to be derived from the official seal of the Saybrook Colony. This seal is believed to have once been the personal seal of Colonel George Fenwick, second governor of the colony from 1639 to 1644. The vines are said to represent luck, friendship, happiness and peace.
Connecticut’s Latin motto, which appears on a white banner at the base of the Connecticut state flag, is believed to derive from the Latin Vulgate version of the Christian Bible. The motto “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” translates to “He who transplants sustains” and is believed to refer to Psalms 70:3, “You brought a vine out of Egypt: you drove out the pagans and planted it.” The motto is also believed to originally come from Colonel Fenwick’s personal seal and is said to express the belief that God ordained the founding of the state of Connecticut and continues to preside over its prosperity.
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