Some want to change the Mississippi flag. Which version do you prefer?

Giacomo Bologna
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Some past alternatives to Mississippi's current state flag.

A Republican candidate for attorney general said changing Mississippi's flag would help the Magnolia state focus on its future — not its past.

The flag currently contains a Confederate battle flag in the upper left corner. It was adopted in 1894 and has survived challenges before.

If Mississippi decided to change its flag, what would a new one look like? Here are some alternatives that have been proposed over years.

The Magnolia Flag

The Magnolia flag was Mississippi's first official state flag. It was adopted in 1861 and continued to be used through the Civil War.

The Magnolia Flag was Mississippi's first official state flag when it joined the Confederacy in 1861. A committee came up with the flag which prominently featured the state tree.

The Magnolia Flag was replaced in 1894 with Mississippi's current flag.

The upper left corner of the Magnolia Flag featured the Bonnie Blue Flag, which was Mississippi's flag when Mississippi was briefly the Republic of West Florida.

More:Mississippi flag: Where do governor, lieutenant governor stand on Confederate emblem?

The Bonnie Blue Flag

Bonnie Blue Flag

After a rebellion against Spain in 1810, the area that now includes Mississippi was briefly the Republic of West Florida under the Bonnie Blue Flag, with one white star, until being annexed by the U.S.

From statehood in 1817 to the start of the Civil War in 1861, Mississippi had no state flag.

According to Mississippi historian, author and professor David Sansing, the night after the Secession Convention at the Old Capitol, people walked through Jackson streets waving the Bonnie Blue.

Proposition B

A voter considers his options for state flag on April 17, 2001. Voters overwhelmingly supported the 1894 flag, which contains the Confederate emblem.

In 2001, voters were asked to whether they wanted to keep the state flag. The controversial referendum asked voters to choose between Proposition A (the current flag) and Proposition B.

Proposition B was mostly the same flag, but replaced Confederate battle flag with 20 white stars in a circular pattern set against a blue background. Mississippi was the nation's 20th state. 

The referendum failed. More than 60 percent of voters stuck with the current flag.

The Stennis Flag

Jackson artist Laurin Stennis, granddaughter of the late U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis, designed a proposed state flag that has been introduced in the Legislature through House Bill 1548 by state Rep. Kathy Sykes, D-Jackson.

In 2016, Rep. Kathy Sykes, D-Jackson, filed a bill that would change the state flag to one designed by Laurin Stennis, the granddaughter of the late Sen. John Stennis.

The so-called Stennis Flag was not adopted, but the campaign to make it Mississippi's state flag is not over. The flag is seen on bumper stickers, front porches and business across the state.

According to its website, the Stennis flag features 19 blue stars in a circle around a 20th star, denoting that Mississippi was the 20th state to join the nation. The flag — with a white background and blue stars — is also an inversion of the Bonnie Blue Flag. It also has red bars on its sides.

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.

More: Stars, bars, magnolias: Mississippi, Confederate flag history