Editing Coat of arms of New York (section)

==History==
{{Multiple image
|image1=Coat of arms of New York (1792).jpg
|caption1=Late 18th century rendition of New York's coat of arms, using a semi-globe and rounded shield.
|image2=New York state coat of arms (illustrated, 1876).jpg
|caption2=Late 19th century rendition of New York's coat of arms, using a semi-globe and rounded shield.
|image3=Coat of arms of New York State (1896-2020).svg
|caption3=Coat of arms of New York from 1896 until the addition of second motto in 2020.
}}
The first version of the coat of arms on the state flag was adopted in 1778 and has been slightly redesigned over the years. The present flag itself is a contemporary variant of an American Revolutionary War-era flag. The original is at the [[Albany Institute of History & Art]].
[[File:1896_New_York_State_Flag.jpg|thumb|Etching of the 1896 state flag<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 13 February 1896 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18960213.2.99&srpos=17&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-New+State+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>]]
The flag was not well defined at first, but variations of a flag with the state's coat of arms have existed since 1777. In 1858 the Adjutant General's office issued that the state flag features the state's coat of arms over a white background.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Corey |first1=Albert |title=New York History |date=1946 |publisher=Cornell University Press |pages=523–530 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/23148988}}</ref> On March 16, 1888 [[Abram Hewitt|Mayor Hewitt]] of New York City ordered that the state flag should fly over [[New York City Hall|City Hall]] on [[Saint Patrick's Day|St. Patrick's Day]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuolumne Independent 24 March 1888 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=TUOI18880324.2.43&srpos=19&e=------188-en--20--1--txt-txIN-+State+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> The flag was formally adopted by the state legislature in 1896 featuring a [[Buff (colour)|buff]] background since [[George Washington]] mandated regiments from New York and New Jersey wear buff [[Facing colour|facings]]. However, this choice of color for the flag proved unpopular in New York as it was the custom for military flags to be blue with the coat of arms, as they had been for New York troops during and before the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The legislature changed the field of the flag from buff to blue by a law enacted on April 2, 1901.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/us-ny.html |title=New York (U.S.) |publisher=Crwflags.com |access-date=2013-12-29}}</ref>

In April 2020, the 2021 state budget was passed, modifying the coat of arms to include "E Pluribus Unum" as a secondary motto beneath "Excelsior".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Description of the arms of the state and the state flag|url=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/STL/70|date=2020-04-18|website=NY State Senate|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref> The state seal and flag were also updated to reflect the change.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Hern|first1=Sunny|last2=Ahern|first2=Ez {{!}}|date=2020-01-15|title=Gov. Cuomo seeks to change 138-year-old NY state flag|url=https://www.syracuse.com/politics/2020/01/gov-cuomo-seeks-to-change-138-year-old-ny-state-flag.html|access-date=2020-06-27|website=syracuse|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Jon |date=Jan 14, 2020 |title=New York's flag has been the same for a century. Why Andrew Cuomo wants to change it |url=https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2020/01/14/andrew-cuomo-change-new-york-state-flag-seal/4435871002/ |access-date=2020-06-27 |website=Democrat and Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2001, the [[North American Vexillological Association]] (NAVA) surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 [[U.S. state]], [[U.S. territory|U.S. territorial]], and [[Canadian province|Canadian provincial]] flags. After the survey was completed, NAVA members chose the flag of New York to be ranked 53rd out of the 72.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nava.org/digital-library/design/surveys/2001-State-Provincial-Flag-Survey.pdf|title=2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey - NAVA.org|work=nava.org}}</ref>

{{Gallery|title=Historical state flags of New York|align=center|noborder=no|File:Flag of New York (1858–1896).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} State flag from 1858 to 1896|File:Flag of New York (1778–1901).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} State flag from 1896 to 1901|style=text-align:center|Flag of New York (1901-2020).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} State flag from 1901 to 2020}}
{{Gallery|title=Other historical flags related to New York|align=center|noborder=no|File:Prinsenvlag.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Dutch colonial flag of [[New Netherland]] from 1614 to 1667|File:Red ensign of Great Britain (1707–1800, square canton).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} British colonial flag of the [[Province of New York]] from 1664 to 1783}}