In January 1861, motivated by the nation's civil unrest, Alabama AL voted to secede from the Union. Several months later, the first Confederate flag was flown over the Alabama state capital. It was dubbed the Battle flag and had a blue cross of St. Andrew (an X-shaped cross or saltire) across a red field. When Alabama rejoined the Union in 1895, it needed to represent the new era with a new state flag that still respected the old Alabama flag. The designers chose a square flag with a crimson-colored St. Andrew's cross on a pure white field. The Alabama state flag colors symbolize courage and purity; the cross recalls the Battle Flag of the Confederacy. Alabama State Flag Adopted: 1895