Illinois

Illinois surrenders! It waves the white flag. Speaking of conflicts that didn't end well: Vietnam! A soldier stationed there pointed out to the state assembly that when he looked around his mess hall, he couldn't find his home state flag. So, in 1969, the "Illinois" label was added. That seems like a stop-gap measure to me. The problem is that the state seal has nothing unique on it. Eagle, shield, olive branch, banner and sunrise. Now that's specific.
Me to the rescue!

Simple, elegant, bold. If you need me to justify this design, I'll humor you. You look like you've had a hard day. The three fields of color are reminiscent of the French Tricolor, after the Frenchman who corrected the pronunciation of the native people who were foolishly saying "irenwe-wa." The color echoes the state flower, the violet, and the three black stars represent the three geographical regions of the state: The top, the bottom, and the one in between. But we don't need silly justifications, do we? It just feels right! You're welcome, Illinois!