FORTISVEX 29 Star U.S. Flag 3x5 Feet Nylon - Made in USA with Brass Grommets

29 Star U.S. Flag History

Iowa’s admission added the twenty-ninth state to the Union on December 28, 1846. Its star joined the national flag on July 4, 1847, making this the official star count through July 3, 1848. The U.S. Senate’s Iowa chronology documents the statehood date. The difference between the December admission and July flag change followed the 1818 system for incorporating new states into the flag.

The path to statehood involved decisions about more than a name and a boundary. Iowa’s first proposed state constitution was drafted in 1844 but rejected by voters. A second constitutional convention met in 1846, producing the document under which Iowa entered the Union. The Iowa Legislature’s constitutional history distinguishes those conventions from the later 1857 convention. The twenty-ninth star thus represents the completion of a political process in which prospective state residents debated and approved the structure of their government.

The State Historical Society of Iowa explains that statehood brought the ability to elect leaders and gain greater influence in national politics, but also the costs of running a state government. The early constitutional order severely restricted the rights of people of color. A historical account of Iowa’s new star therefore includes both entry into the federal system and the limits placed on participation within the new state. The flag records a state’s membership, not equal enjoyment of citizenship by everyone living there.

Iowa’s admission did not immediately fill every federal office. The state legislature failed to elect senators for the Congress in which it joined the Union; its first two senators were not sworn in until December 1848. That detail, recorded by the Senate, separates the symbolism of a new star from the practical work of establishing representation. Meanwhile, Wisconsin became a state on May 29, 1848. Its addition changed the flag on July 4, ending the twenty-nine-star period after one year. The Wisconsin timeline verifies that next admission. Thirteen stripes remained unchanged throughout, linking the growing Union with its original states.

Explore the States Represented in This Flag

• Shop Iowa flags