Texas Flag - The history behind the banner of the lone star state
The Texas flag is known as the “Lone Star” giving the state its nickname of the “Lone Star State”. It was introduced to the Congress of the Republic of the state on December 28, 1838 by Senator William H. Wharton. It was adopted on January 24, 1839 as the final national Texas flag. When the state became the twenty-eighth state of the Union on December 29, 1845, this national banner became the state of Texas flag.
The law of the state assigns the following symbolism to the colors of the Texas flag: blue stands for loyalty, white for strength, and red for bravery. The Texas flag is defined by law as the following design: The Texas flag consists of a rectangle with a width to length ratio of two to three containing first, a blue vertical stripe one-third the entire length wide, and two equal horizontal stripes, the upper stripe white, the lower red, each two-thirds the entire length long; and secondly, a white, regular five-pointed star in the center of the blue stripe, oriented so that one point faces upward, and of such a size that the diameter of a circle passing through the five points of the star is equal to three-fourths the width of the blue stripe. The red and blue are the same colors used in American flags.
The Lone Star replaced the previous national Texas flag, known as the Burnet. It consisted of an azure background with a large golden star, inspired by the 1810 “Bonnie Blue” of the Republic of the West Florida.
There is a pledge of allegiance to the Texas flag as well, which was instituted by the state legislature in 1933. Urban legend holds that the Texas flag is the only one of all the state flags that is allowed to fly at the same height as American flags. Allegedly, the state has this right because it negotiated special provisions when it joined the Union (this version has been stated as fact on a PBS website). However, the legend is not true. Neither the joint resolution for annexing the state to the United States nor the Ordinance of Annexation contain any provisions regarding flags. According to the code of flags of the United States, any of the state flags can be flown at the same height of American flags, although American flags must always be flown on the right.
There were six nations that have had sovereignty over various parts of the land that is now known as the state. The six nations are Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic, the United States of America, and the Confederate States of America.
For more information about the history of state flags, do some research online.