Time to change the state flag and reject Manifest Destiny
On July 4, 1858, a 32nd star was added to the Stars & Stripe to represent the new state of Minnesota. Minnesota had become a state on May 11 of that year. Unofficially our star is the 4th star in the 6th row.
Since its approval by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, Old Glory, which then had 13 stars and 13 stripes, has continuously been updated with a new star every time a new state joined the Union. This keeps our national flag representative of all the citizens in our country.
Recently there has been talk of updating Minnesota's state flag. The design, of a farmer plowing as a Native American rides off over the horizon, spurred this discussion.
Immediately there was controversy, specifically that changing the flag would be eliminating history. Oddly, this lash out seems to be coming from the same people who demand that we respect our continuously updated national banner.
Here's the problem with our state flag's current design: It is a perfect example of the cultural belief in Manifest Destiny.
Manifest Destiny, first espoused in 1845, is the belief that US settlers, primarily white and Christian, are destined by God, and entitled, to expand across the continent and own/use everything. This was never a policy, but a very popular idea that was complemented by the idea of American Exceptionalism.
Together they engendered the cultural belief that white Christian settlers were special and better than anyone else and entitled to, well, everything. Today this belief system has morphed into the concept of white privilege. It's the force behind segregation and red-lining and host of other discriminatory practices.
The phrase Manifest Destiny still pops up, as it did recently in the pop song by PANIC! At The Disco:
"Fulfill the prophecy
Be something great
Go make a legacy
Manifest Destiny
Back in the day
We wanted everything,
wanted everything"
Do we, as Minnesotans, want a flag that represents Manifest Destiny and white entitlement? Or do we want a flag that is updated, as is done with our national flag, to represent all the people of our state?
As the North Star State, with a state motto L'Etoile du Nord, I suggest a star on a field of blue and the motto on a banner across the bottom. The cardinal points of the star could represent Minnesota's assets (water, farmland, forests, ores) or her industries (agriculture, industry, mining, medicine). Surrounding that center star could be a corona of 87 smaller stars representing the counties.
This flag would represent our state as it is now. History is not being rewritten by updating a flag any more than the history of the US is rewritten when a star on the blue field is added.
Like the Star Spangled Banner's stripes, the center star and motto banner would represent the past and like its stars, our stars would represent all the citizens of the North Star State.
The current Minnesota flag, with a few modifications, has flown since 1893. It's time for a change.
Times Writers Group member Karen Cyson is a child-care provider in Stearns County and the coordinator for Central Minnesota Mensa. Her column is published the third Sunday of the month.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Time to change the state flag and reject Manifest Destiny
