Six flags over Texas

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This article is about the national flags of Texas. For the theme park, see Six Flags Over Texas.

Display of the "Six Flags" in Austin, Texas.

Six Flags displayed as emblems under the Texas State Capitol Dome

Reverse of the State of Texas Seal

Six flags over Texas is the slogan used to describe the six nations that have had sovereignty over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas. This slogan has been incorporated into shopping malls, theme parks (Six Flags), and other enterprises. The "six flags" are also shown on the reverse of the Seal of Texas. In 1997 the Texas Historical Commission adopted standard designs for representing the six flags.^[1]

1 Spain
2 France
3 Mexico
4 Republic of Texas
5 Confederate States of America
6 United States of America
7 Flag of the Republic of Rio Grande
8 Burnet Flag
9 See also
10 Notes
11 External links

[edit] Spain

The first flag belonged to Spain, which ruled parts of Texas from 1529 to 1685 and from 1690 to 1821. There were two versions of the Spanish flag used during this period. Both designs incorporate the "castle and lion" emblems of the Crown of Castile. The Spanish flag used in the reverse of the Texas state seal, which was also adopted by the Texas State Historical Commission, is the flag adopted by King Charles III, containing horizontal stripes of red-gold-red and the simple arms of Castile and Leon. This flag was used by Spain from 1793 to 1931, and from 1936 till nowadays again with a different coat of arms. ^[2] ^[3]

[edit] France

The second flag was the royal banner of France from 1685 to 1690. In 1684, French nobleman Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle founded a colony on the Texas Gulf Coast called Fort Saint Louis. The colony was unsuccessful, and after La Salle's murder, was soon abandoned. During this time, there was no official French flag, so a number of different designs are used in displays of the "six flags". ^[2] ^[3]

[edit] Mexico

The third flag flown (1821 through 1836) was the flag of Mexico. Mexico obtained sovereignty from Spain in 1821. The Mexican flag displayed in the Austin Capitol is the one of the Mexican Republic of 1823 through 1864. This flag was in use in Texas until its independence from Mexico in 1836 (Texas's declaration of independence). ^[3]

[edit] Republic of Texas

The fourth flag belonged to the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1845. The republic had two national flags during its history, the first being the so-called "Burnet Flag". The "Lone Star Flag", the final national flag, is also the state flag. ^[3]

[edit] Confederate States of America

The fifth flag belonged to the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. During this time, the Confederacy had three national flags. ^[2] ^[3]

[edit] United States of America

The sixth flag belonged to the United States of America from 1845 to 1861 and from 1865 to the present. ^[3]

[edit] Flag of the Republic of Rio Grande

There is a seventh flag for those who live in the southern part of Texas along the Rio Grande river: The flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande. It is not considered one of Texas's flags because the Republic of Texas and the Republic of the Rio Grande both claimed some of the same land. However, in Laredo, the capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande, the local newspaper displays seven flags instead of six. ^[4]

The Republic of the Rio Grande was formed by Federalists under the Mexican Consititution of 1824 made up of the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, with its capital at Laredo. The centrists in Mexico City (who had suspended the Constitution of 1824) sent an army to conquer this new province. After losses at Laredo and Saltillo, the Republic of Rio Grande ceased to exist after just 284 days. ^[5]

[edit] Burnet Flag

The Lone Star Flag replaced the previous national flag known as the Burnet Flag, which had been adopted on December 10, 1836. It consisted of an azure background with a large golden star, inspired by the 1810 "Bonnie Blue Flag" of the Republic of West Florida. Variants of the Burnet Flag with a white star, virtually identical to the Bonnie Blue Flag, were also common.