Six flags over Texas

"Six flags over Texas" is the slogan used to describe the six sovereign countries that have had control 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 United States (1845–present), and the Confederate States (1861–1865).

This slogan has been incorporated into shopping malls, theme parks (Six Flags, including the flagship park, Six Flags Over Texas, in Arlington), and other enterprises. The six flags fly in front of the state welcome centers on the state's borders with Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mexico, and Oklahoma. 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 façade, 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.

While six flags are universally accepted throughout the state, some controversy exists regarding a potential seventh: The Republic of the Rio Grande. Ultimately, the former nation is not included, but certain local governments such as the city of Laredo (which served as its capital city) hold it as a prominent member of the array.