Flag of Massachusetts
The flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the flag of Massachusetts. It has been represented by official but limited-purpose flags since 1676, though until 1908 it had no state flag "per se" to represent its government. A variant of the white flag with blue seal was carried by each of the Massachusetts volunteer regiments during the Civil War alongside the National Colors. An exception were the two "Irish regiments" (the 9th and 28th Volunteers), each of which was permitted to carry an alternative green flag with a harp symbol. The state currently has three official  flags: a state flag, a "naval and maritime flag" (despite it no longer having its own navy), and a governor's flag. With Florida and Minnesota, it is one of only three state flags to prominently feature a Native American in its heraldry. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) placed Massachusetts's state flag 38th in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state and U.S. territorial flags ranked. State flag. The flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts displays, on both sides, the state coat of arms on a white field. The  shield depicts an Algonquian Native American with bow and arrow; the arrow is pointed downward, signifying peace. A white star with five points appears next to the figure's head, signifying Massachusetts as a U.S. state. A blue ribbon surrounds the shield, bearing the state motto "Ense Petit Placidam, Sub Libertate Quietem" ("By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty"). Above the shield is the state military crest: the bent arm holding a broadsword aloft. The sword has its blade up, to remind that it was through the American Revolution that liberty was won. The sword itself  is a copy of one belonging to Myles Standish and signifies the philosophy that one would rather lose their right arm than live under tyranny. The state flag was officially adopted in 1907, but had been used unofficially since the American Revolutionary War as the ensign of the Massachusetts State Navy. In 1971, the earlier pine tree was replaced by the current design. Attempts to change the flag On January 11, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill establishing a commission to change the state flag and seal by October 1, 2021 that will "faithfully reflect and embody the historic  and contemporary commitments of the Commonwealth to peace, justice, liberty and equality and to spreading the opportunities and advantages of education." The bill was previously approved by the Massachusetts Senate on July 28, 2020. The Special Commission on Massachusetts Flag and Seal (Special Commission to Investigate the Features of the Official Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth) first met in July 2021. Naval and maritime flag. In April 1776, the Massachusetts State Navy adopted, as its flag (naval ensign), a white field charged with a green pine tree and the motto "An Appeal to Heaven." In 1971 the motto was  removed, and the flag was designated "the naval and maritime flag of the Commonwealth". Massachusetts is one of only three states with its own maritime ensign. The first is Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820. The second is South Carolina, which activated her navy twice: first during the American Revolutionary War and again during the American Civil War.