• Year First Flown: 1897
• Designed By: Official Flag Commission
• Design: A white flag with a yellow anchor that is encircled by 13 five-point yellow stars. The stars and the anchor are outlined in blue, and a blue banner placed below the anchor reads "Hope".
• Meaning: The colors white and blue were used by Rhode Island regiments in the American Revolutionary war, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War. The 13 stars that encircle the anchor represent the 13 original U.S. colonies. The anchor has been an important symbol of hope for Rhode Island since the colony was founded, and the state's motto has been "Hope" since 1644.

The anchor has been a symbol of hope for Rhode Island ever since its early days as a colony. In 1647, the legislature of Rhode Island created a seal for their colony that included an anchor. In 1664, the seal was amended to include the motto "Hope". Between the years of 1775 and 1783 the anchor and the word "Hope" were used on military flags of the Rhode Island regiments in the American Revolutionary War. In the early 1800's, ships belonging to Rhode Island might have used a flag with a simplified version of the state's seal on them. The colony of Rhode Island officially became a state and joined the Union on May 29th, 1790. Close to a century later, the state adopted its first official flag on Marcy 30th, 1877. This flag was very similar to the flags carried by the 1st Rhode Island Regiment throughout the American Revolutionary War and consisted of a white background, an anchor, and the word "Hope". The original design of Rhode Island's state flag was changed on February 1st, 1882. This new design was slightly simpler than the first and had a blue field, a yellow anchor, and a ring of 13 yellow stars. Finally, on May 19th, 1897, a new flag design was put into use and has remained the official flag design of the state of Rhode Island ever since.