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Thomas Ulrickson of Newport is a senior at the University of Maine. He works with adults with disabilities part-time while going to college.
For my entire life and the entire life of anyone reading this, the Maine state flag has been the same. Every Mainer can close their eyes and see it, a blue background, emblazoned with the state’s seal, a shield in the center with a moose lying in a field surrounded by water and woods, a tall pine tree directly behind it. Flanking the shield are a farmer leaning on his scythe and a sailor resting on an anchor. Directly above the shield is the Latin state motto, Dirigo, accompanied by the north star. This scene is recognizable to every Mainer, and makes for a good state seal, but does it make for a good state flag?
Maine is one of 26 states that features their state seal on their flag with a blue background. Twenty-six states! As it turns out, the state flag is so generic, that I would bet that almost no out-of-staters could close their eyes and envision the scene I just described.
But our state flag was not always so common and ordinary. Between 1820 and 1901, Maine actually had no flag at all. The current flag was adopted in 1909. So what was the Maine flag from 1901 to 1909? Great question.
In 1901, Maine established the first official state flag. This flag had a buff/beige background with a pine tree in the center and a blue star in the top left corner. The blue star represented the polar star, or north star; the background was buff/beige to represent the color of tanned deer hide; and the pine tree in the center is a Native American-derived symbol that represents New England and freedom.
Recently, this flag has surged in popularity, and I am sure you have seen it in gift shops all across the state. I have a hat with this flag, and a bumper sticker with this flag on my car right now. If you asked tourists to describe what the Maine flag looked like, they would likely describe a flag that has not been the official state flag for 115 years. This flag has become so popular that this November Mainers will have the opportunity to officially make the 1901 flag the state flag again.
I believe that this is the right move, but changing the Maine flag has gotten quite a bit of pushback. Efforts to change the flag back to the original have failed in the Legislature in 1991, 1996, 2019 and 2021. Now, it is up to the Maine voters to decide, and a recent poll found 40 percent in favor, 40 percent against and 20 percent undecided.
I have spoken to many people who are either against the move or unsure. Many find the issue unimportant. After all, it is hardly an issue that will change anyone’s day-to-day lives. Many have said, “Is this really something that we should be spending time and money on?” And my answer is simple: absolutely.
Symbols matter, and symbols are particularly important when they are flying over the State House. Do we really want to send the message to everyone who lives or travels here that we are just like everybody else? I don’t think so.
The state animal is the moose, the state crustacean is the lobster, the state flower is the white pine cone and tassel, the state treat is the whoopie pie, and the state soft drink is Moxie. It is clear to me that Maine’s state flag should not be just like everybody else’s, but “distinctively different.”
It is no secret that Maine is one of the most beautiful and magnificent places in the entire country, and Maine deserves a flag that is as unique and beloved as the state is. I encourage all Mainers to support the new flag referendum by voting yes on Question 5 this November.
