State Flag, Coat of Arms and Seal the present flag- Michigan's third since becoming a state in 1837- was adopted by Public Act 209 of 1911. The state's first flag featured on one side a portrait of Michigan's first governor, Stevens T. Mason. On the other side was the state coat of arms and "a soldier and a lady." In 1865, the state flag changed to display the state coat of arms on one side and the United States coat of arms on the other side. Today's Michigan flag is a field of blue with the state coat of arms at its center.
The current state coat of arms was also adopted by Public Act 209 of 1911. At the top of the coat of arms is an eagle holding an olive branch and arrows. An elk and a moose support a shield displaying a man standing on a grassy peninsula. The following mottos appear on the coat of arms: E Pluribus Unum (From Many, One), Tuebor (I will Defend) and Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice (If You Seek A Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You).
The state seal was adopted by Public Act 19 of 1963. The seal, which is used on many official state documents, has the words "The Great Seal of the State of Michigan, A.D. MDCCCXXXV" encircling the state coat of arms.
In 1972, Public Act 165 defined a pledge of allegiance to the state flag: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of Michigan, and to the state for which it stands, 2 beautiful peninsulas united by a bridge of steel, where equal opportunity and justice to all is our ideal."
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