FORTISVEX 45 Star U.S. Flag 5x8 Feet Nylon - Made in USA with Brass Grommets

45 Star U.S. Flag History

Utah became the forty-fifth state on January 4, 1896, when President Grover Cleveland issued its admission proclamation. The new star entered the official United States flag on July 4, 1896. The forty-five-star period lasted through July 3, 1908, extending across the turn of the century before Oklahoma’s star changed the design. Utah State Archives: the road to statehood; Smithsonian: flag chronology.

Utah’s path to admission involved repeated applications over several decades. The state archives traces the first petition to 1849 and records seven petitions before success. Utah Territory was organized in 1850, but disputes over political authority, religion, and plural marriage complicated subsequent statehood efforts. The 1890 manifesto issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed its official position on plural marriage and helped reshape the political setting for the final application. The forty-fifth star thus represents the conclusion of a long and contested statehood process, not a sudden beginning to Utah’s history. Utah State Archives: petitions and obstacles.

Women’s political rights were another important part of that process. Utah women had gained territorial voting rights in 1870, lost them under federal legislation in 1887, and organized to secure their restoration. The state constitution adopted in 1895 guaranteed women the right to vote and hold office. When Utah entered the Union, it became the third state with equal suffrage, following Wyoming and Colorado. This history gives the new star a meaningful connection to debates about citizenship as well as statehood. National Park Service: women’s suffrage in Utah.

The illustrated flag has six rows alternating between eight and seven stars, producing a total of forty-five, with thirteen alternating red and white stripes. The arrangement describes the product shown rather than an individually identified historical artifact. Oklahoma entered the Union in November 1907, but the forty-five-star flag remained official until the following July Fourth. Keeping those dates separate helps distinguish an admission anniversary from the beginning or end of an official flag period. National Archives: Oklahoma statehood; Smithsonian: the transition to forty-six stars.

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