Flag of Massachusetts

What the Massachusetts state flag looks like

The state flag of Massachusetts is a plain white rectangle with the coat of arms of the Commonwealth in the center. Almost everything on it is blue, gold and white, which is why white covers most of the flag's surface.

The coat of arms has three parts:

• The shield. A blue shield holds a gold figure of a Native American man. He holds a bow in his right hand and an arrow in his left, with the arrow pointing down. A white five-pointed star sits in the upper right corner of the shield, near the figure's head.
• The crest. Above the shield, a bent arm holds a broadsword with the blade raised.
• The motto ribbon. A blue ribbon surrounds the shield and carries the Latin motto Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem.

The flag originally had a different reverse side, with a green pine tree on a blue shield. That reverse was removed in 1971, so the arms now appear on both sides.

Massachusetts flag meaning and symbolism

The motto means "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty." It is attributed to the English politician Algernon Sidney. The sword above the shield is a copy of one that belonged to Myles Standish, and its blade is raised to recall that liberty was won through the American Revolution.

The figure is meant to depict an Algonquian Native American, and the arrow pointing down signifies peace. The star shows Massachusetts as a U.S. state, one of the original 13. The figure as standardized in 1890 is a composite, with a head modeled after the Ojibwe leader Thomas Little Shell. The Massachusett people lived around Massachusetts Bay, and the state takes its name from them.

The pine tree appeared on the original reverse side of the flag, and it also appears on the state's naval and maritime flag, which has a green pine tree on a white field. Massachusetts is one of only three states with its own maritime ensign, along with Maine and South Carolina.

History of the Massachusetts flag

The figure on the shield descends from the seal of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, created in 1629. The original seal showed a Native man with the words "Come over and help us", a reference to the colonists' stated mission. Pine tree flags were used in Revolutionary-era Massachusetts, and in April 1776 the Massachusetts State Navy adopted a white flag with a green pine tree and the motto "An Appeal to Heaven".

A white flag bearing the state arms was in use for decades before it became law. The current state flag was adopted by statute on March 18, 1908, at the urging of Governor Curtis Guild Jr. Its reverse side originally showed a green pine on a blue shield. In 1971 the reverse was removed, and that is the only change the flag has had since 1908.

The flag has been criticized for its portrayal of Native Americans, a sword raised over a Native figure, and the Latin motto. In 2021 a special commission was created to review the flag and seal. In 2022 it recommended changing the seal, motto and flag but did not agree on a design. In 2024 Governor Maura Healey signed a budget amendment to change the flag, seal and motto, and a new commission narrowed public submissions down to a few final proposals in 2025. Until a new design is enacted, the 1908 flag remains the official one. Readers looking at other New England designs can compare it with New Hampshire, or browse all U.S. state flags.