Flag of Texas

The flag of Texas is one of the most popular United States flags. The flag is rectangular and has three fields. The blue field is vertical, on the left of hoist side of the flag. In the center of the blue field is a white stripe. The other two fields on the flag of Texas are horizontal and consist of a white field on the top half of the flag and a red field on the bottom. The flag of Texas is known as “The Lone Star Flag,” because of the single white star on the banner.

Senator William H. Wharton introduced the design for the Lone Star flag to the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 28, 1838, when Texas was an independent nation. The congress officially adopted the banner less than one month later, on January 24, 1839, as the national flag of the Republic of Texas. When Texas became a state of the Union in 1845, the Lone Star flag became the state flag, although this was not official until 1933.

The Lone Star flag is highly revered among Texans and has great symbolic meaning. According to the official Texas code, the blue stands for loyalty, the white stands for purity, and the red symbolizes bravery. The white star on the flag is very significant to Texans, as it symbolizes all Texans and their unity as “one for Gold, State and Country,” according to the Texas Flag Code. The Lone Star was originally used to represent Texas’s independence from Mexico and today stands for the independent spirit exhibited by Texas’s residents.

Between 1818 and 1938, during the Texas Revolution, Texas flew five other flags. The Lone Star and Stripes, consisted of the white Lone Star on a blue background with red and white stripes, much like the U.S. Stars and Stripes flag. The “Come and Take It” flag appeared as a symbol of defiance when Texas was at war with Mexico. The Alamo Flag contained the Mexican tricolor of green, white, and red and the year “1824,” the year in which the Mexican empire was overthrown. The Dodson Tricolor was a vertical tricolor of red, white, and blue with the lone star in the center of the blue field. Finally, the Burnet Flag consisted of a blue background with a golden star in the center, and was inspired by the flag of the Republic of West Florida.