Texas Badge
The Six Historical Flags of Texas
SPAIN
Spain's claim to Texas dates from 1519, when Alonso Alvarez de Pineda
reached these shores. When Mexico won her independance from Spain in
1821, Spain ceased to rule over Texas. The Spanish flag of the time
bore the symbols of the castle and lion for countries of Castile
and Leon. These two lands had been united for over two hundred years
when King Ferdinand, of Castile and Leon, married Isabella I of Aragon.
With this marriage began the unity of Spain. Under Ferdinand and Isabella,
Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, briefly making Spain an
empire "on which the sun never set."
FRANCE
France's claim to Texas never had as much authority as Spain's, and was
much briefer. The flag of royalist France was probably planted in Texas
soil by the French explorer La Salle it Fort St. Louis in 1685. However,
the fort was gone after three years, and death prevented La Salle from
carrying out King Louis XIV's plan for colonizing lands from the
Mississippi to Mexico. France gave Louisiana to Spain in 1762, leaving
no further doubt that her hold on Texas had ended. The golden symbols
on the French flag of the time, called fleur-de-lys, represent lilies.
In religion and art the lily traditionally stands for purity. This
symbol was favored by a long line of French kings.
MEXICO
The wandering Aztecs had a legend that they could not settle until
they found a place on an island in a lake on which grew a cactus. On
this cactus there would be an eagle holding a snake in its beak. The
Aztecs came upon this strange sight in about 1325, and there built the
city that Cortes would conquer in 1521. This Aztec symbol for what is
now Mexico City was brought back into use after Mexico threw off
Spanish rule in 1821. The vertical green, white, and red stripes are
said to stand for independance, religion, and unity. This flag
flew over Texas until 1836. The Alamo defenders fought under a
modified version of it bearing the number 1824 to show that they
were for Mexico only if the Constitution of 18245 were observed.
REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
Santa Anna once said: "The Texans flatter themselves they have a
government, and are fighting under no recognized flag." Indeed,
Texans fought for independence under banners of many symbols and
colors. Not until three years after the Texas Revolution of 1836
did the Republic officially choose a national flag - not the
first "Lone Star" flag design, but the most enduring. The colors
red, white, and blue have the same meaning in both the Lone Star
flag and the United States flag. Red stands for courage and
bravery, white for purity and liberty, and the blue for loyalty.
In 1839 part of the recommendation for the Texas flag read that
white should stand for peace, red for war, and blue for friendship.
However, this part of the proposal was not approved by the Texas
Congress.
The Texas Flag Pledge: Honor the Texas Flag. I pledge allegiance
to thee, Texas, one and indivisible.
CONFEDERATE STATES
At the time the Confederacy adopted its flag in March, 1861, seven
states out of the eventual eleven had joined the rebel government.
Of these, Texas was the seventh and so is represented by one of
the seven stars in the original Confederate flag. As other states
joined, stars were added to represent them. However, the union
made no change in the Stars and Stripes, and did not omit the stars
on its flag which stood for the rebel states. The Stars and Bars
proved to look too much like the Stars and Stripes from a distance.
Soon the predominantly red "Southern Cross," which many people
recognize today as the battle flag of the South, was created.
Changes were made in the Stars and Bars to make it more
recognizable from afar, but these had not been in effect long
when the Confederacy laid down its arms in 1865.
UNITED STATES
In 1777 the American flag had 13 stars and 13 stripes. In 1795 it had
15 stars and 15 stripes. This flag was nicknamed the "Star-Spangled
Banner." In 1818, after 5 more new states brought the total to 20, it
became clear that the looks of the flag would someday be ruined if a
star and a stripe were added for each new state. Thus on April 4th,
1818, Congress made it a law that the stripes should forever number 13,
for the original colonies, and that for each new state admitted a star
should be added the next Independance Day. Thus Texas's star, the
twenty-eighth, was added July 4th, 1846. The American flag assumed
its present form on Independance Day, 1960, when Hawaii's star, the
fiftieth, was added. The Stars and Stripes is more than just a national
flag for Americans. It is a symbol of the land and government that
promise them freedoms and rights unmatched anywhere on earth.