1956 Georgia State Flag:
In an attempt to show disdain to Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v Board of Education, in 1956, Georgia’s legislators voted to change the state flag to incorporate the Confederate battle flag. The state constitution provided the legislature the sole authority to change the flag so no public referendum was necessary to make the change. While legislators denied that the change in flag design was an overt display of opposition to desegregation, the new flag design was almost certainly racially motivated.
During the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1960’s, suggestions to return to the pre-1956 flag were stirring. By the 1980’s, legislative sessions considered restoring the pre-1956 flag. Sentiment for keeping the 1956 flag was stronger than the state legislators anticipated, however, and, in 1993, Governor Zell Miller’s attempt to change the flag almost cost him re-election. Even the impending 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and Atlanta business leaders were unable to persuade the General Assembly to change the flag.
Finally, Governor Roy Barnes attempted to put the issue of the 1956 flag to rest. Before coalitions could be organized to slow or stop the change of the flag, Barnes encouraged the legislature to pass HB 16. After it was passed and the new flag design was revealed, supporters of the 1956 flag were livid, with some calling the new flag the “Barnes Rag”. With the upset victory of Sonny Perdue over Barnes in 2002, the flag issue continued to be debated. By 2004, citizens of Georgia voted to choose the current state flag over the Barnes flag.
