Six Flags Over Texas

Six different nations have flown its flag over what is now the state of Texas. This fact is the reason for a slogan, "Six Flags Over Texas," that is used in shopping malls, theme parks, and on the reverse side of The Great Seal of Texas.


Spain was the first country to lay claim to Texas. Cortez began exploration of Mexico in 1519. The first Spanish settlement was created over one hundred years later. The Ysleta Mission in present El Paso was made in 1681.


Even though Texas was claimed by Spain, there was no one there to defend the claim. So in 1685, France planted its flag along the Gulf Coast. The French founded a colony called Fort St. Louis. A series of disasters including shipwreck, famine, disease, hostile Indians, and fighting within the ranks caused the downfall of this colony by 1690. At that time, the territory went back into Spanish hands.


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