Bonnie Blue Flag
From Freepedia
The Bonnie Blue Flag, a single white star on a blue field, was the flag of the short-lived Republic of West Florida. In September 1810, settlers in the Spanish territory of West Florida revolted against the Spanish government and proclaimed an independent republic. The Bonnie Blue Flag was raised at the Spanish fort in Baton Rouge on September 23, 1810. In December, West Florida was annexed by the United States and the republic ceased to exist, after a life of 74 days.
In 1836, the Bonnie Blue Flag served as the inspiration for the original Flag of Texas, known as the "Burnet Flag". The Burnet flag was identical to the Bonnie Blue Flag except that the star was yellow. It was replaced in 1839 by the currently-used "Lone Star Flag", which also contains a single star.
The single star of the Bonnie Blue Flag was also the inspiration for the red star in the 1846 Bear Flag of California.
The original territory of West Florida was divided up among four Southern states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. When Mississippi seceded from the Union on January 9, 1861, as a sign of independence, the Bonnie Blue Flag was raised over the capitol building in Jackson. An Ulster immigrant named Harry McCarthy was present, and later wrote "The Bonnie Blue Flag" ("bonnie" being a Scottish word meaning "beautiful") which became a popular marching song, and led to the flag being used as an unofficial flag of the Confederate States of America. One verse is:
- Hurray! Hurrah!
- For Southern Rights, Hurrah!
- Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag
- That bears a Single Star!
On January 26, 1861, Mississippi officially adopted a new flag, which included the Bonnie Blue Flag in its canton and a magnolia tree in its center field (known as the Magnolia Flag).
Modern usage, for some, is a way of representing favor for the American issue of "states' rights", without the perceived offense associated with the Confederate flag.
In the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, Rhett decides to call his newborn daughter "Bonnie" when Melanie remarks that her eyes are "as blue as the Bonnie Blue Flag".
