The Delaware flag consists of one of the most peculiar designs of any flag in the United States. In a general sense, the flag simply consists of the Delaware coat of arms placed upon a blue background. Below the Delaware coat of arms sits the phrase “December 7, 1787” which of course marks the day in which the state of Delaware ratified the United States Constitution – the first state to ever do so.
The flag layout and design sound simple enough; however the peculiarities arise upon further inspection of the Delaware coat of arms in the middle of the flag. The center of the Delaware coat of arms consists of a shield of horizontal blue, white and green stripes with an ox in the center. Also on the shield sit an ear of corn along with a sheaf of wheat – symbolic of Delaware’s agricultural industry. Above the shield in the center of the Delaware flag sits a small ship sailing the Delaware waters. Below the shield sits the state motto, “Liberty and Independence”, and holding the entire design together are a farmer and soldier placed on each side of the design. Compared to many other state flags in the American Union, the Delaware flag design is unusually complex.
Just as with almost any other flag in the Union, the colors of the Delaware flag have a very interesting and symbolic meaning. Officially, the flag consists of a buff-colored diamond on top of a field of colonial blue with the Delaware coat of arms placed squarely inside the center diamond. The background ( colonial blue) and forground (buff-colored) sections of the Delaware flag have officially been designated “Arno Blue” and “Golden Beige”, respectively. Interestingly enough, the colors of the Delaware flag were supposedly originally derived from the colors of George Washington’s uniform.
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