BUY Rebel Flags For SaleFor more than half a century, six historic flags flew over the entrance to Six Flags Over Texas, and one of them was the Stars and Bars, the First National flag of the Confederacy. The park defended that flag more than once. Then, in August 2017, it went from saying the flag would stay to taking down all six flags in about 24 hours.
The Six Flags of Texas
Six Flags Over Texas opened in Arlington in 1961, and its name was a tribute to Texas history. Over the centuries, six nations have flown their flags over Texas:
- Spain, from the 1500s until 1821
- France, during La Salle’s short-lived colony in the 1680s
- Mexico, from 1821 until 1836
- The Republic of Texas, from 1836 until 1845
- The Confederate States of America, from 1861 until 1865
- The United States, from 1845 to 1861 and again from 1865 on
The park’s themed areas were built around those six chapters of history, and the flags at the entrance were a lesson in Texas history for millions of visitors.
From the Battle Flag to the Stars and Bars
When the park first opened, the Confederacy was represented by the familiar battle flag. In the 1990s, the park swapped it for the Stars and Bars, the official national flag of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1863. The Stars and Bars has a blue canton with a circle of stars beside three bars of red, white and red. Many visitors never knew the difference, but it was the more historically accurate choice.
Event One: The Park Holds Its Ground in 2015
In 2015, after the church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, companies across the country came under pressure to drop anything Confederate. Six Flags Over Texas kept its flag. The park’s explanation was simple: it flew the historic national flag of the Confederate States, not the battle flag, and did not sell the battle flag in any form.
Event Two: One Day in August 2017
Two years later, after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, reporters asked the park again. On Thursday, August 17, 2017, a park spokeswoman gave the same answer as in 2015: the Stars and Bars would stay.
By Friday morning, it was gone. And it wasn’t just the Confederate flag. The park took down the flags of Spain, France, Mexico and the Republic of Texas too, and replaced all six with the American flag. Six Flags made the same change at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio and Six Flags Over Georgia. A flag display that had stood since 1961 was gone in a single day.
The Reaction
Many Texans were not happy. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller publicly criticized the decision, warning that taking down historic flags was part of a trend that would not stop with the Confederacy. Fans of the park pointed out the obvious: you cannot tell the history of Texas, or explain the park’s own name, without all six flags.
Fly All Six Flags at Home
The flags may be gone from the park, but nothing stops you from flying them yourself. Learn about the First National flag in our post on the 7, 11 and 13 star Stars and Bars. You can fly the 7-star Stars and Bars, the same First National flag that flew over the park, or browse more in our Confederate flag collection, and more in our Texas flags.
Source: Dallas Observer: Six Flags Over Texas Lowers One of Its Flags
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