Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)

The current flag of Georgia was adopted on May 8, 2003 after years of controversy. The former state flag featured a prominant Confederate cross, which many of the state's residents found offensive. African-Americans in paticular found it offensive, as the emblem was originally adopted not during the Confederacy period but in 1956, to protest the desegregation movement. Governor Roy Barnes[?] responded to this increasing distaste, and in 2001 quickly hurried a replacement through the legislature. His new flag sought to seek a compromise, by featuring small versions of some (but not all) of Georgia's former flags, including the confederate one, under the word's "Georgia's History."

The new flag, though much less offensive was not popular. It was seen as looking as though it had been "designed by a committee," and was too complicated and busy. The North American Vexillological Association[?] soon ranked it as the worst flag in North America, and stated that it "violates all basic rules of flag design." In 2002 Sonny Perdue[?] was elected Governor, partially on a platform of allowing Georgians to choose their own flag in an referendum. Perdue failed to live up to his promise however, and in 2003 he instead allowed for the Georgia legislature to draft a new flag. The legislature's flag combined elements of Georgia's previous flags, and created a composition that was largely inspired by the original confederate battle flag, prior to the adoption of the confederate cross. Perdue signed the flag into law on May 8, 2003. see also: Georgia (U.S. state)

The legislation which authorized the new flag allows for a public referendum on which of the two flags, the current one and the one just previous, will be the official flag of the state. The 1956 flag is not included in the choices.