The Iowa state flag took longer than most to be designed and officially adopted, but, as with most state emblems, it represents the state of Iowa and its citizens using carefully chosen symbols and meaningful images.
The Iowa State Legislature officially adopted the design of the Iowa state flag in 1921, nearly 75 years after Iowa had achieved statehood. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the citizens of Iowa were concerned about national unity and creating a state banner seemed to promote divisiveness, so for many years, Iowa remained flagless. When the U.S. entered World War I, Iowa troops requested a flag for the Iowa-based regiments to fly. The Iowa Daughters of the American Revolution had several designs at the ready.
The flag is divided into three vertical stripes each of a different color. The stripe nearest the flagstaff is blue, which represents loyalty. The wide center stripe is white, representing truth; and the stripe on the right is red, representing courage. The bald eagle in the center holds in its beak a banner inscribed with the Iowa state motto: "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain."
Iowa law dictates that the Iowa flag be flown on the same flagpole as the U.S. flag, but beneath the stars and stripes. It is the duty of public officers to supply public buildings in the state of Iowa with a suitable flag, to be flown with the flag of the U.S. when weather conditions are favorable. All public schools must also "maintain a suitable flagstaff on each school site" and fly the state flag as weather permits.
