Flag of South Carolina

{{Infobox flag

| Name = South Carolina

| Image = Flag of South Carolina.svg

| Alt = Flag of South Carolina

| Use = 010000

| Symbol = {{FIAV|010000}}{{FIAV|Mirror}}

| Proportion = 2:3

| Adoption = {{Start date and age|1861|01|26}} (modifications made on January 28, 1861)

| Design = A white palmetto tree on an indigo field. The canton contains a white crescent.

}}

The flag of South Carolina is a symbol of the U.S. state of South Carolina consisting of an indigo field with a white palmetto tree and a white crescent. Roots of this design have existed in some form since 1775, being based on one of the first American Revolutionary War flags. While keeping most of its design intact since its adoption, it has varied over the years.{{Cite web|last=Fortier-Bensen|first=Tony|date=December 30, 2020|title=Historians propose new South Carolina state flag design|url=http://abcnews4.com/news/local/committee-goes-back-to-drawing-board-after-new-sc-state-flag-design-receives-backlash|access-date=June 17, 2021|publisher=WCIV}}

History

=Moultrie Flag=

File:Flag of Fort Moultrie, South Carolina.svg

In 1775, Colonel William Moultrie was asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety to design a flag for the South Carolina troops to use during the American Revolutionary War. Moultrie's design had the blue of the militia's uniforms and a crescent taken from their cap insignia. It was first flown at Fort Johnson.{{cite web|title=Fort Johnson/Powder Magazine, Charleston County (James Island)|url=http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/charleston/S10817710047/index.htm |publisher=National Register Properties in South Carolina, South Carolina Department of Archives and History|access-date=August 1, 2014}}

This flag was famously flown in the defense of a new fortress on Sullivan's Island, when Moultrie faced off against a British fleet. In the 16-hour battle on June 28, 1776, the flag was shot down, but Sergeant William Jasper ran out into the open, raising it and rallying the troops until it could be mounted again. This gesture was considered to be so heroic, saving Charleston from conquest for four years, that the flag became a symbol of the Revolution and of liberty in the state and in the new nation.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Soon popularly known as either the Liberty Flag or Moultrie Flag, it became the standard of the South Carolinian militia and was presented in Charleston by Major General Nathanael Greene when the city was liberated at the end of the war. Greene described it as having been the first American flag to fly over the South.

When South Carolina adopted its state flag in 1861, the palmetto was added onto the Moultrie flag in reference to Moultrie's fortress having survived largely because the palmettos, laid over sand walls, were able to withstand British cannon fire.{{cite web|title=Palmetto|url=https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/palmetto/|first=David C.R.|last=Heisser|website=South Carolina Encyclopedia|publisher=University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies|date=June 20, 2016|access-date=October 14, 2024}}

File:South Carolina Palmetto Flag (1830-1860).svg|The earliest South Carolina palmetto flag (1830–1860){{cite web |title=General Philip D. Cook Antique Flag|url=https://jeffbridgman.com/inventory/index.php?page=out&id=4229 |access-date=May 30, 2024 |work=jeffbridgman.com/}} {{FIAV|historical}}

Flag of South Carolina (1st Proposal).svg|First official draft for a state flag. This flag was never adopted. {{FIAV|Proposal}}

Flag of South Carolina (January 1861).svg|First official flag of South Carolina. Used from January 26 to January 28, 1861. {{FIAV|historical}}

File:Flag of South Carolina.svg|Second official flag of South Carolina, adopted January 28, 1861. {{FIAV|normal}}

=American Civil War=

Following its declaration of secession from the Union, the newly independent state of South Carolina considered many designs for its "national flag", with the first official draft for a flag being finalized on January 21, which was a white ensign with a green palmetto, and a blue canton with a white crescent.{{cite web |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/news/birth-of-a-flag-newspaper-editor-s-design-chosen-years/article_cf6a739d-75d4-516a-8dc7-fb9fd5e5464c.html |date=January 27, 2011 |title=Birth of a flag: Newspaper editor's design chosen 150 years ago today |first=Brian |last=Hicks |orig-date=last updated December 8, 2016 |location=Charleston The Post and Courier |access-date=September 27, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626205519/https://www.postandcourier.com/news/birth-of-a-flag-newspaper-editor-s-design-chosen-years/article_cf6a739d-75d4-516a-8dc7-fb9fd5e5464c.html |archive-date=June 26, 2021 }} After a week of debate, the state decided to use a Moultrie flag with an upward facing crescent on a blue field, modifying it by adding the palmetto at the center of the field.{{cite web|url=http://www.netstate.com/states/symcresentb/flags/sc_flag.htm |title=South Carolina State Flag – About the South Carolina Flag, its adoption and history|work=netstate.com|access-date=June 23, 2015}} On January 26, 1861, the South Carolina General Assembly adopted the new flag by adding a golden palmetto encircled with a white background. This flag has become known as the "2-day flag" because the golden palmetto was changed after two days on January 28 to a simple white palmetto on the blue background.{{cite web |title=South Carolina State and Secession Flags. |url=http://home.freeuk.net/gazkhan/blank_state.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625023726/http://home.freeuk.net/gazkhan/blank_state.htm |archive-date=June 25, 2015 |access-date=June 23, 2015 |work=freeuk.net}}

The Palmetto Flag quickly became a symbol of the secessionist movement. During the following winter, it was unfurled at various places around the country, even as far away as Nebraska City, Nebraska, by pockets of Southern partisans. Less than three months after its adoption, a variation of the palmetto flag unfurled over Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861, the day it was occupied by the Confederate Army, making it the first of the Confederate flags to replace the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America, from which the Confederacy had seceded.{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/flags/fosu1.htm |title=Fort Sumter|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=June 23, 2015}} The flag consisted of a palmetto on an entirely white background with a red star in the upper left quadrant and is commonly known as "The Palmetto Guard Flag.

The Sovereignty flag was never recognized as an official flag in South Carolina, but there are also claims that it was flown for a short period of time in South Carolina after its secession on December 20, 1860. The South Carolina Sovereignty flag is considered to be the inspiration for the Confederate battle flag. Another significant flag is the "South Carolina Secession Flag"; the day after South Carolina seceded, a red flag with two tails, a large white star and a down-right facing crescent was raised over the Charleston Custom House. It then spread to other cities as a symbol of secession.{{cite web|title=South Carolina State, and Secession Flags|url=http://home.freeuk.net/gazkhan/blank_state.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701071824/http://home.freeuk.net/gazkhan/blank_state.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 1, 2015}}

At the beginning of the American Civil War, a similar flag was flown at Morris Island by cadets from The Citadel as they fired upon United States supply ships.

South Carolina Sovereignty-Secession Flag.svg|Sovereignty/Secession Flag {{FIAV|historical}}

South Carolina Secession Flag.svg|South Carolina Secession Flag {{FIAV|historical}}

Ensign of the South Carolina Navy.svg|South Carolina naval ensign during Revolutionary and Civil Wars {{FIAV|historical}}

Big Red.svg|The flag flown by Citadel cadets over Morris Island, South Carolina during the American Civil War {{FIAV|historical}}

Origin of the crescent

File:South Carolina Flag under American Flag.jpg

William Moultrie states in his memoirs: "A little time after we were in possession of Fort Johnson, it was thought necessary to have a flag for the purpose of signals: (as there was no national or state flag at that time) I was desired by the council of safety to have one made, upon which, as the state troops were clothed in blue, and the fort was garrisoned by the first and second regiments, who wore a silver crescent on the front of their caps; I had a large blue flag made with a crescent in the dexter corner, to be in uniform with the troops ...""Memoirs of the American Revolution, Vol. I," William Moultrie, p. 90

Moultrie's original design placed the crescent vertically, with the opening directing upward. The 1860s flag also shows the crescent with upward pointing cusps. However, in 1910—for reasons that he did not document—Alexander Samuel Salley Jr., secretary of the state's Historical Commission, angled the crescent to its current orientation.

Design standardization

While the flag invariably includes a white palmetto and crescent design on a blue background, state law since 1940 has not provided "specifications for the shape, size, design or placement" of the symbols, or the exact color of the background.{{Cite news|url=http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article196339369.html|title=SC has no official state flag design, so flag makers make it up. That could change|last=Wilks|first=Avery G.|date=January 24, 2018|work=The State|access-date=January 24, 2018|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/can-south-carolina-fix-its-state-flag/article_8a12ebb6-0112-11e8-82fd-0bf4949fdfe1.html|title=Can South Carolina fix its state flag? What color blue? What design of tree?|last=Shain|first=Andy|date=January 24, 2018|work=Post and Courier|access-date=January 24, 2018|language=en}} As a result, flags from different manufacturers may have different appearances. A committee of the South Carolina Senate held a hearing on the issue in January 2018 but did not immediately advance a bill to standardize the design.

A standardized design was revealed in 2020 but was immediately met with major backlash from the public for its perceived poor design and aesthetics.{{Cite web|last=Aitken|first=Peter|date=December 31, 2020|title=South Carolina debuts new state flag and the public hates it|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-carolina-debuts-new-flag-public-hates-it|access-date=January 1, 2021|publisher=Fox News|language=en-US}} Two other designs were then proposed, one of which will possibly become the official standardized version.{{cite web|author=South Carolina State Flag Study Committee|title=Report of the South Carolina State Flag Study Committee|url=https://www.scstatehouse.gov/CommitteeInfo/SCStateFlagStudyCommittee/SC%20SFSC%20Final%20Report-merged.pdf|date=March 4, 2021}}{{cite web|author=South Carolina State Flag Study Committee|title=Addendum to the Report of the South Carolina State Flag Study Committee|url=https://www.scstatehouse.gov/CommitteeInfo/SCStateFlagStudyCommittee/SC%20SFSC%20Final%20Report%20Addendum.pdf|date=March 4, 2021}} However, {{As of|2023|lc=y}}, legislation has been procedurally roadblocked, with State Senator Brad Hutto being a core oppositional force to design standardization.{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Alexander |date=January 4, 2023 |title=Run it up the flagpole: Advocates try again to standardize SC's palmetto tree flag |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/run-it-up-the-flagpole-advocates-try-again-to-standardize-scs-palmetto-tree-flag/article_21f78860-8c6e-11ed-814a-8b8c09ca8223.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=The Post and Courier |language=en}}

The standardization of the flag would make Pantone 282 C the official shade of indigo to be used on the flag.

Flag of South Carolina Proposal.png|The initial proposed flag {{FIAV|proposal}}

South Carolina Flag Design A.svg|Proposed Standard A {{FIAV|proposal}}

South Carolina Flag Design B.svg|Proposed Standard B {{FIAV|proposal}}

=Design variations=

Flag of South Carolina (1861).svg|Flag of South Carolina (1861)

File:Flag of South Carolina (1861–1910).svg|Flag of South Carolina (1861–1910)

File:Flag of South Carolina (1910–1940).svg|Flag of South Carolina (1910–1940)

Reception

The South Carolina state flag is considered by flag experts as one of the top state flags in the United States.{{cite web |last=McCandless |first=Caroline |title=Ranking all 50 U.S. state flags, from best to worst |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/ranking-all-50-u-s-state-flags-96130283672.html |website=Yahoo News |date=July 30, 2015 |access-date=March 24, 2025}}

{{cite web|last1=Crann|first1=Tom|last2=Bui|first2=Ngoc|title=Flag expert calls new Minnesota state flag ‘outstanding,’ top 10 in the country|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/12/19/flag-expert-calls-new-minnesota-state-flag-outstanding-top-ten-in-the-country|publisher=MPR News|date=December 19, 2023|access-date=September 20, 2024}} In a 2001 survey of U.S. and Canadian subdivisional flags by the North American Vexillological Association the South Carolina flag ranked 10th out of 72—6th out of 50 U.S. states.{{Cite web |last=Kaye |first=Edward B. |date=June 10, 2001 |title=2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey |url=https://nava.org/digital-library/design/surveys/2001-State-Provincial-Flag-Survey.pdf |access-date=February 3, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Hall |first= Matthew |title=The 10 best state flags (and why South Carolina isn't No. 1) |url=https://www.thestate.com/opinion/article290814244.html |work=The State |date=August 12, 2024 |access-date=March 24, 2025}}

=Commercial use=

File:South Carolina Bicentennial 13c 1976 issue.jpg

Shirts, belts, shoes, wallets, koozies, holiday decorations and other accessories featuring the flag's palmetto and crescent are popular throughout South Carolina and other southeastern states as a symbol of the state's long-standing heritage.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}} It is also common for alumni and supporters of the state's main universities (the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, Furman University, the College of Charleston, Winthrop University, Wofford College, and The Citadel) to display the state flag in their school colors.

Gallery

South Carolina state flag placed on the bier of Jefferson Davis.jpg|The state flag that was placed on the bier of Jefferson Davis, 1893.{{cite web|title=The Museum That Keeps Now-Obscure Confederate Flags|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/museum-obscure-confederate-battle-flags-southern-cross-stars-bars|author=Sarah Laskow|publisher=Atlas Obscura|access-date=March 23, 2025}}

Greetings from South Carolina - Map.jpg|The state flag as depicted in a 1963 greetings card.

Stamp-south-carolina.jpg|The state flag as depicted in a 1970 6-cent stamp commemorating the tricentennial of South Carolina.

2008 South Carolina license plate In God We Trust 000 000.png|2008 South Carolina license plate with the state flag.