Final answer:
Missouri's flag uses red, white, and blue to mirror the national flag of the United States and to connect with its own history, including the Missouri Compromise and its past as a slave state. These colors symbolize valor, purity, and justice and show how the meanings of colors can intertwine with state and national identities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Missouri decided to use red, white, and blue for its flag due to the colors association with the broader national identity of the United States and the historical significance of these colors in representing the state's past, including its place in the Missouri Compromise and during the Civil War. Red, white, and blue are traditional colors of the United States, symbolizing valor, purity, and justice, respectively. The state of Missouri's use of these colors connects its historical narrative, including the tumultuous Missouri Compromise, to the visual identity of the nation.
The colors also reflect Missouri's participation in the history of the United States, including its role as a slave state and the challenges it faced regarding the balance of power between free and slave states. Over time, red has been associated with defiance and revolution, while blue has often been linked to conservative movements, but these associations have sometimes been reversed or altered in different contexts. In conjunction with Missouri's history, an example of how the traditional meanings attributed to colors can interact with state and national identity in complex ways.