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| | Geography - Merriam-Webster's Atlas |
 | | When the first official North Carolina flag was adopted on June 22, 1861, however, its colors and stripes were based on the Stars and Bars, and it displayed the date of North Carolina's secession from the Union (May 20, 1861). |
 | | The present North Carolina flag, established on March 9, 1885, is similar to its Civil War-era predecessor; it was designed by General Johnstone Jones, who served in the Confederate army. |
 | | On one of the ribbons in the current flag is emblazoned "May 20th, 1775." The other ribbon has the inscription "April 12th, 1776," referring to the Halifax Resolves, wherein the Provincial Congress authorized North Carolina delegates to approve the Declaration of Independence of the United States. |
| www.merriam-webster.com /cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?north_carolina (275 words) |
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