Massachusetts unveils finalists for state flag, motto, and seal — which gets your vote?
From the state flag to the motto and seal, Massachusetts has revealed its finalists. Take a look and vote for your favorites.
Massachusetts is getting a new seal, flag, and motto this year and voters just narrowed the choices down to three options in each category.
After a four-plus year process, more than 1,150 submissions were sent to the Massachusetts Seal, Flag and Motto Advisory Commission. The finalists of each category reference Massachusetts’ ideals and heritage, including references to it as the sixth state in the Union, its Indigenous background, and terrain.
The state’s current emblem has drawn controversy due to its use of colonial imagery.
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Executive Director Kate Fox has said the nine designs are still subject to changes based on public feedback.
According to an earlier Boston.com report, the final three options will be aired at public meetings across the state, where residents can provide feedback and “help inform the Commission’s final recommendations,” Abigail Phillips, director of communications at the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, said. Final recommendation will be made to the state by Dec. 15.
The Flags
The design references the Indigenous tribe of Massachusett, which translates to “at the great hill,” a reference to the Great Blue Hill, according to Mass.gov. Six blue and white waves symbolize Massachusetts’ coastal identity and its place as the sixth state to join the Union. The star signifies Massachusetts’ status as a maritime hub and alludes to John Winthrop’s famous “city upon a hill” sermon.
This design displays the state’s flower, the mayflower. The petals are in the same shape of the shield on the current state flag. The blue evokes the the Massachusetts’ coastal waters, while the gold reflects the iconic dome atop the state house.
This design features six turkey feathers which hold cultural significance in some Indigenous traditions, often representing health and well-being. They face clockwise in a circle to show forward progress and community. The crimson is commonly associated with education in Massachusetts—schools that use the color include MIT, Harvard University, UMass Amherst, and Arlington Public Schools, according to Mass.gov.
The Seals
Lighting Our Way Forward (left): This design transforms the original flag’s star into a sun, placing it against a “a stylized MA landscape with water, hill, and mountain shapes.”
Peace with Liberty (center): This design contains a white star that symbolizes peace, the state bird of a chickadee, and the official state marine mammal, the North Atlantic right whale.
1788 (right): This design is similar to finalist crimson flag design that highlights six turkey feathers, with the addition of a diamond symbol used by Indigenous communities, and 351 dashes for every Massachusetts municipality.
The Mottos
“Multa Voces, una res publica” (Many Voices, One Commonwealth) is meant to reflect “modern Massachusetts while honoring its rich, multifaceted past,” the submitter wrote.
“We honor all life guided by the First Light” which pays homage to the Wampanoag and other indigenous tribes who were known as “People of the First Light.”
“Bono publico laetamur” (We Rejoice in the public good) taken from The Beverly Public Library, “expresses a hopefulness and joy about building things for communal benefit, which I think captures the best of Massachusetts,” the submitter said.
We want to know: What are your favorites among the state flag, motto, and seal finalists. Vote for your favorites in the form below or e-mail us at [email protected], and your response might be featured in an upcoming article.
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