States101 
Rhode Island
State Flag
The Rhode Island flag was formally adopted on July 27, 1640. Since, Rhode Island has maintained the same flag for the last 384 years.
The Rhode Island flag was voted 18th best out of 51 Flags ranked by the North American Vexillological Association.
The 3 main colors in the Rhode Island flag are #FFFFFF, #FEC500, and #003271. The Rhode Island flag width is 1.1 times the height. Standard flag size is 3 feet x 3.3 feet.
We also provide high resolution and Scalar Vector Graph (SVG) downloadable images — free of charge. Go to Flag Downloads.
Buy Your Rhode Island State Flag Now!Rhode Island Flag
Colors
| #FFFFFF | 80.1% |
| #FEC500 | 17.5% |
| #003271 | 1.3% |
Description
The Rhode Island state flag displays a yellow anchor encircled by thirteen stars of the same color on a white background, fringed on three sides by yellow. A blue ribbon then sits beneath the anchor which reads ‘Hope.’
Meaning
The anchor may reference the state’s geographical ties to the sea along with its history of using water for commerce. The word ‘Hope’ on the flag’s ribbon is thought to be linked to the anchor in that it is believed to have come from the biblical phrase ‘Hope we have as an anchor of the soul’.
The thirteen stars represent the thirteen original colonies which were in order: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and of course Rhode Island.
The white and blue colors of the flag are possibly taken from the flags carried into battle by Rhode Island soldiers during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War.
History
The anchor was first used by Rhode Island in 1647 as a state seal when the four original towns of Providence, Warwick, Portsmouth and Newport united under a single charter. The symbol may have indicated that these four towns were coastal. Rhode Island became the thirteenth state on May 29, 1790 but did not adopt a state flag until March 30, 1877. This original flag displayed an anchor with thirteen blue stars unlike the flag of today which uses yellow stars and the word ‘Hope’. The current flag was adopted on May 19, 1897.
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Download Rhode Island State Flag
Download Rhode Island State Flag as a high quality SVG file. Scaler Vector Images (SVGs) look good at any size. This flag can be used as tiny icons (height less than 50px) or you can make the flag huge (height over 2000px) and still look great!
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We also provide a large black and white Rhode Island Flag Line Drawings for download. This coloring-book style image are perfect for student activities.
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