Description
The national flag conforms to the known pattern of the civil war period. It carried 34 stars, as at the outbreak of the civil war (1861), president lincoln refused to remove the stars representing those states which seceded from the union. It carries seven red stripes and six white stripes, these were made of either silk or bunting. The flag would have borne regimental designation and, branch of service in gold stencil upon the fourth red stripe, in line with national regulationsthe second variation of the new york flag follows the accepted pattern. Emblazoned on a dark blue field is the state coat of arms. The goddess liberty holds a pole with a liberty cap on top. Liberty stands for freedom. At her feet is a discarded crown, representing freedom from england at the end of the revolutionary war. On the right is the goddess, justice. She wears a blindfold and carries the scales of justice its meaning that, everyone receives equal treatment under the law. The state motto “excelsior” on a white ribbon expresses the idea of reaching upward to higher goals. On the shield a sun rises over the hudson highlands and ships sail the hudson river. Above the shield is an eagle resting on a globe representing the western hemisphere.
