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The Massachusetts state flag used to have a green pine tree on one side, but now it has a blue and gold coat of arms on both sides. The coat of arms includes a Native American, a white star, and a motto about seeking peace through freedom.
Today, the Massachusetts state flag is identical on both sides and depicts the blue and gold coat of arms of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts embedded in a white field. History, however, finds that the state flag had two different sides, with one side bearing a coat of arms and the other depicting a green pine tree, which was a symbol of the importance of wood to the settlers of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts state flag displayed this pine tree from March 6, 1915 until November 1, 1971, when the flag’s new appearance officially went into effect. Although the new flag went into effect in November, it had actually been approved earlier that year on June 3, 1971.
The flag’s coat of arms has a color scheme of blue, gold, and white and includes an image of a gold-colored Native American within a blue-colored shield. The different elements of the coat of arms on the Massachusetts State Flag each have a meaning that represents the state. The blue shield symbolizes the Blue Hills of two state cities, Canton and Milton. The Native American carries a large bow held in the right hand and an arrow in the left; the arrow like point is pointing down to indicate that he comes in peace.
Also inside the shield is a white five-pointed star. The star, which is white on the Massachusetts state flag but silver on the state seal, represents the state as one of the first 13 colonies; in fact, Massachusetts was sixth. The crest arching higher than the shield is an image of a right arm extending from a blue and gold crown. The golden arm holds a broadsword made of gold.
A blue ribbon surrounds the sides and bottom of the shield, on which the Commonwealth motto is written in gold lettering: “Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem”. The sword on the crest supports the motto on the ribbon, which translates to “With the sword we seek peace, but peace only under freedom.” This motto, written in 1659 by the English politician Algernon Sydney, was adopted in 1775.
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