Alabama is a constituent state of the United States of America with the interesting fact that its official beverage is an alcoholic drink. The state was admitted as a part of the US in 1819 and proclaimed as the 22nd state of the union. The mapping of the state configures a roughly rectangular shape which is slightly elongated in the north-south direction. The border extends Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east and Mississippi to the west.
The flag of Alabama constitutes history since the time of the Civil War (1861-1865). During the war, the separation of the state from the Union was represented by an unofficial flag of blue with a yellow or white star. The blue flag was flown over the state with one side showing a woman flanking the state seal holding the unofficial flag and the other side had the inclusion of a cotton plant and a coiled snake. The assertion of the state identity through distinctive flags was highly wished by many after the end of the war. The design of 1895 had white background with a red saltire. The design was referred to as a “Cross of St. Andrew” by the flag law even though the name was used in Scotland as a white saltire.
Although no official explanation was released for the flag symbols, the intentions were much clear. The square shaped flags were a subtle reference to the Battle flag belonging to the Confederate States of America. The addition of stars to the state flag was proposed by the legislature in 1905, further validating the intention of recreating battle flags. So, no changes were made. A state coat of arms was adopted by Alabama to directly incorporate the Confederate Battle Flag. The flags of other governments of Alabama as well as nations line France, Spain and Britain also went through this adoption. The state seal of 1868 was rejected by the reconstruction government which included a US shield and bald eagle. Instead, the original seal was put in favor.
