Texas Flag: Meaning, History and Facts
Aside from the national flag, each and every state of the U.S.A has a unique state flag. The State of Texas (located in Southcentral USA), has had its official flag since 1839. The history of the flag goes back to the Republic days of Texas.
Here is a historical overview of the Texas Flag, its meaning and some interesting facts.
Overview of the Flag of Texas
The Texan Flag is also called the “Lone Star Flag”. Image Credit: Tlnt.com
Texas can boast of possessing one of the most famous US state flags. The white star on the flag earned it the nickname “Lone Star Flag”. This flag moniker was further transferred to the name of the state itself. As a result, Texas is also popularly known as the “Lone Star State”. Texans hold the flag in high esteem. It’s not uncommon to see the flag proudly displayed at business centers, homes and the state as a whole. When you dig into the history of US flags, one emerges with an exciting truth – the Texas Flag shares national recognition with 2 other state flags, as the only state flags that previously represented a nation. The Hawaiian flag and the Californian flag share that honor with the Texas Flag.
History of Texas Flags
Initially, Texas didn’t exist as a US state. Before the U.S. annexed the Republic of Texas (or before Texas was admitted to the Union) in 1845, Texas State moved hands from from nations such as Spain, France, and Mexico. Under Spanish rule, from 1519 to 1685, Texas used the flag of Spain. From the mid-1680s to 1690, Texas went with the flag of France. This wasn’t their last adoption of a foreign flag. From the early 1690s to 1821, Texas re-adopted the Spanish flag after they reverted to the territorial possession of Spain.
Then, from the beginning of 1821 to 1836, Mexico ruled Texas and imposed their flag on them. Luckily enough in 1836, Texas attained its independence and existed as a Republic. For the first time in their entire lives, Texans finally designed and used their own flag. The flag had striking features. On a blue background, the flag carried a yellow star in its middle portion. Three years later, the flag was redesigned.
In 1839, the Republic of Texas introduced a new flag whose colors closely resembled that of the USA flag. The new design had a blue band running down vertically throughout the left end of the flag; a white star was positioned at the center of the dark blue band. The remaining portion consisted of a white band sitting on top of a red band. When Texas was annexed by the USA in 1845, it decided to maintain the Lone Star Flag as its official state flag.
Meaning of Texas State’s Flag Colors & Symbols
Beneath the colors of the Texas Flag, there are deeper meanings and interpretations. Thankfully, the three stripes are pretty easy to understand. The red stripe (blood red) talks about the bravery of the Texan people. You may see their bravery to be ironical since they were easily ruled by other nations. But hey! Texas fought and won a revolutionary war against Mexico before they gained their independence. The blue color is a symbol of loyalty. Above all, the white represents the purity of the Texan state. The meaning of the star will later be discussed as a fact.
Interesting Facts about the Texas Flag
The following are five very interesting facts about the Texas Flag- commonly referred to as the “Lone Star Flag”:
1. The Designer of the Flag is Unknown
This may have shocked you, but that is the universal truth. The original designer of the Lone Star Flag is completely anonymous. One cannot help but wonder how come a perfect flag with deeper meanings, traces its ownership to no one. Though the actual flag designer isn’t known, there are speculations that it was probably designed by one Senator, William Wharton. He was very active during the Texan Revolution.
2. It Previously Served as National Symbol of a Sovereign Nation
Of all the 50 flags of the US states, the Texas Flag stands tall in history. Before the annex of Texas Republic to the USA in 1845, the Lone Star served as the national symbol of the independent Texan people. After gaining statehood in the USA, no new alterations were made. The Lone Star retained its Texan Republic design, as the official state symbol of Texas. A star was added to the national flag (Old Glory) to represent Texas. When compared to the rest of the US state flags, the Texas Flag has packed a lot more of history into its fabric.
3. The Flag Has Similar Color Schemes as the US National Flag
Long before Texas was annexed to the US, the 1839 colors of the Texan Republic Flag already captured all the colors of the US flag. A valid argument can be advanced here to explain the color matching. It could be assumed that the similar color scheme was a matter of coincidence or maybe it was intentional.
4. The Meaning of the Lone Star Goes Back to the Texan Revolution
The symbolism of the single star on the Texas Flag has a long history. The star’s interpretation goes back to the time of their independence. Texans interpret the Lone Star as a symbol of their unity. The star is a representation of a unified Texas under the watch of the almighty God. However, it’s important to note that, this interpretation didn’t come with the adoption of the flag; it was later interpreted as so.
5. Six Different Flags Fly over the State of Texas
The Texan territory has been ruled back and forth by different countries. When a count is made on the different number of flags that historically represented Texas, the number comes to six. The six flags flying over Texas belong to Mexico, Spain, USA, France, Texan Republic and the Confederate States of America. There are rumors that a 7th flag ever flew over the Texan Republic, but it wasn’t a popular flag.
