The Tennessee State Legislature officially adopted the flag on April 17, 1905.
In a 2001 poll conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the flag of Tennessee was ranked 14th in a list of 72 flags of North America, including all the state and provincial flags of the United States and Canada.
The three stars represent the three Grand Divisions of the state, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The blue circle around the stars represents the unity of the "Grand Divisions" of the state. The blue bar at the edge of the flag was purely a design consideration. When asked about the blue bar, Reeves stated that "The final blue bar relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when hanging limp." The National Geographic magazine erroneously reported in October 1917 that the stars represent Tennessee's status as the third state to enter the United States after the original thirteen.
Tennessee state law dictates on how the center emblem is drawn on the flag.
The arrangement of the three (3) stars shall be such that the centers of no two stars shall be in a line parallel to either the side or the end of the flag, but intermediate between the same; and the highest star shall be the one nearest the upper confined corner of the flag.
In 1976, the United States Postal Service issued a sheet of stamps with one stamp for each state. The Tennessee flag was upside down as represented on its stamp.
Prior to the adoption of the current flag, the state of Tennessee used a tricolor in red, blue, and white. The three bands were slanted to represent geographically the three regions of Tennessee. It included the number 16 and the words "The Volunteer State", representing Tennessee being the 16th state in the Union, and the state's nickname.
Alongside the state flag, there are other flags used by the government of Tennessee. The Flag for the Governor of Tennessee has been in use since 1939. It is a scarlet flag, with four stars, one in each corner, and the State Military Crest, a tree with three white stars, in the center. The Tennessee General Assembly has its own flag as well.