Six flags over Texas - wikipedia Six flags over Texas For the theme park, see Six Flags Over Texas. Six coats of arms displayed under the Texas State Capitol Dome `` 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 : Spain ( 1519 -- 1685 ; 1690 -- 1821 ), France ( 1685 -- 1690 ), Mexico ( 1821 -- 1836 ), the Republic of Texas ( 1836 -- 1845 ), the Confederate States of America ( 1861 -- 1865 ), and the United States of America ( 1845 -- 1861 ; 1865 -- present ). This slogan has been incorporated into shopping malls, theme parks ( Six Flags ), and other enterprises. In Austin, the six flags fly in front of the Bullock Texas State History Museum ; the Texas State Capitol has the six coats of arms on its northern facade, and the University of Texas at Austin Life Sciences Library, previously the location of the central library in the Main Building, has each coat of arms displayed in plaster emblems with short excerpts representative of the constitutions of each country. 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. Contents 1 Spain ( 1519 to 1685 ; 1690 to 1821 ) 2 France ( 1684 to 1690 for Fort Saint Louis and 1800 to 1803 as French Louisiana ) 3 Mexico ( 1821 to 1835 ) 4 Republic of Texas ( 1836 to 1845 as the Republic of Texas ; since 1845 as the State of Texas ) 5 United States of America ( 1845 to 1861 ; 1865 to present ) 6 Confederate States of America ( 1861 to 1865 ) 7 Gallery 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Spain ( 1519 to 1685 ; 1690 to 1821 ) Main articles : Flag of Spain and Flag of Castile and León The first flag belonged to Spain, which ruled most of Texas from 1519 to 1685 and 1690 to 1821. There were three Spanish flags used during this period : the `` castle and lion '' arms of the Crown of Castile ( see Flag of Castile and León ) ; the Cross of Burgundy, a military and maritime flag also used by the viceroys of New Spain ; and the Rojigualda introduced by King Charles III in 1785, containing horizontal stripes of red - gold - red and the simple arms of Castile and León. This third flag has been used by Spain in various forms to the present day, and is the flag used in the reverse of the Seal of Texas and adopted by the Texas State Historical Commission. France ( 1684 to 1690 for Fort Saint Louis and 1800 to 1803 as French Louisiana ) Main article : Bourbon royal standard The second flag was the royal banner of the Kingdom of France from 1684 to 1690. In 1684, French nobleman René - 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 designs are used in displays of the `` six flags ''. Later on in 1800, Spain ceded Louisiana to France under the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso. French Louisiana included northern sections of Texas. It remained in the hands of France until 1803, when France sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. However, what would later be northern Texas was sold back to Spain years later. Mexico ( 1821 to 1835 ) Main article : Flag of Mexico The third flag flown ( 1821 through 1836 ) was the flag of Mexico. Mexico 's independence was recognized by 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 ' declaration of independence ). Republic of Texas ( 1836 to 1845 as the Republic of Texas ; since 1845 as the State of Texas ) Main article : Flag 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, became the state flag when Texas joined the United States as a U.S. state in 1845. United States of America ( 1845 to 1861 ; 1865 to present ) Main article : Flag of the United States The fifth and current flag is that of the United States of America, which Texas joined in 1845. Upon secession Texas abandoned this flag for its sixth, until readmission to the Union in 1865. Confederate States of America ( 1861 to 1865 ) Main article : Flags of the Confederate States of America The sixth flag belonged to the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. During this time, the Confederacy had three national flags. Gallery Display of the Six Flags in Austin, Texas See also Texas portal History of Texas Flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande Burnet Flag References Jump up ^ `` Six Flags of Texas ''. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved September 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Texas Historical Commission ( June 20, 1997 ). `` Recommended Historic Designs : The `` Six Flags Over Texas '' ``. Texas Register. Texas Secretary of State. 22 : 5959 -- 67. ^ Jump up to : Texas State Library -- Six Flags of Texas ^ Jump up to : The Six National Flags of Texas External links Flags of Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online Texas Almanac The Portal to Texas History Reverse of Texas State Seal Six Flags of Texas Texas State Preservation Board Texas Register ( scroll down page to `` Six Flags Over Texas '' information on pages 5959 -- 5967 ) The Republic of the Rio Grande Museum Mexico -- Filibustering : Republic of the Rio Grande Origin of the Lone Star Flag of Texas `` Six flags over Texas '' French Texas Spanish Texas Mexican Texas Republic of Texas Confederate States United States History of Texas By period French Texas Spanish Texas Mexican Texas Republic of Texas Texas annexation Civil War era Reconstruction State of Texas By topic Annexation Border disputes Forests Indian Wars Jewish history Oil boom Revolution Slavery Texas Rangers Vice By city Amarillo Austin Brownsville Corpus Christi Dallas El Paso Fort Worth Galveston Houston Laredo Lubbock San Antonio Timelines of cities in Texas Government agency Foreign relations of the Republic of Texas Congress of the Republic of Texas Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas Texas Historical Commission State of Texas Austin ( capital ) Topics Architecture Climate Cuisine Geography Government Healthcare History Languages Law Literature Media Newspapers Radio TV National Historic Landmarks Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places Sites Sports Symbols Texans Tourist attractions Transportation Seal of Texas Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Gambling Politics Regions Ark ‐ La ‐ Tex Big Bend Blackland Prairies Brazos Valley Central Texas Coastal Bend Concho Valley Cross Timbers Deep East Texas East Texas Edwards Plateau Golden Triangle Hill Country Llano Estacado Northeast Texas North Texas Osage Plains Panhandle Permian Basin Piney Woods Rio Grande Valley Southeast Texas South Plains South Texas Texoma Trans - Pecos West Texas Metropolitan areas Abilene Amarillo Austin -- Round Rock Beaumont -- Port Arthur Brownsville -- Harlingen College Station -- Bryan Corpus Christi Dallas -- Fort Worth -- Arlington El Paso Houston -- The Woodlands -- Sugar Land Killeen -- Temple Laredo Longview Lubbock McAllen -- Edinburg -- Mission Midland Odessa San Angelo San Antonio -- New Braunfels Sherman -- Denison Texarkana Tyler Victoria Waco Wichita Falls Counties See : List of counties in Texas Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Six_flags_over_Texas&oldid=832776064 '' Categories : Flags of Texas Slogans Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Español فارسی Galego עברית Lumbaart 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 March 2018, at 23 : 01. 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Question: why is it called 6 flags over texas
Answer: 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: Spain (1519–1685; 1690–1821), France (1685–1690), Mexico (1821–1836), the Republic of Texas (1836–1845), the Confederate States of America (1861–1865), and the United States of America (1845–1861; 1865–present); to describe the six nations that have had sovereignty over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas; to describe the six nations that have had sovereignty over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas