In honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England Virginia was named
and in 1607 became the first permanent English settlement in North America. Virginia was
also one of the original states in the Union and was a leading part in the revolutionary
struggle. The seal indicates Virtus with one foot on the dead body of Tyranny and whose
crown has fallen off and lies nearby. Within a wreath is the center seal and was
designed by George Wythe in 1776. On April 17,1861 Virginia seceded from the Union and
by the end of that month the seal was used in the flag. The seal appeared on a white
disc in a plain blue field. In 1930 the seal was revised and the new version was used on
the flag in 1931. The flag has remained unchanged since 1861.
