Fourteen Flags
			Over
	Oklahoma

First Flag - Royal Standard of Spain 1541 Divided in quarters of alternating red and white fields, with a gold castle on the red fields and a red lion on the white fields. The castle (Castile) and lion (Leon) represented the royal Spanish families of which the King of Spain was a descendant. Introduced by Francisco Vasques de Coronado and Hernando de Soto around 1541. European practice held that the first nation to explore a new land gained the right of possession to that land. Spain claimed the southern portion of the present continental United States from 1540 to 1700, known as "New Spain." Thus begins the recorded history of the area comprising Oklahoma.

Second Flag - Great Union of Great Britain 1663 Adopted in 1606, a combination of the flags of England (the red cross of St. George on a white field) and Scotland (the white cross of St. Andrew on a blue field), the two countries having united under James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England. At this time in history, the flag does not yet contain the cross of St. Patrick (representing Northern Ireland) which is on the modern "Union Jack" of the United Kingdom adopted in 1801. + = A blue field with the red cross of St. George, representing England, superimposed over the white cross of St. Andrew, representing Scotland, the two countries having united under James I. In 1663, King Charles II gave to eight of his loyal supporters a swath of land called "Carolina." It stretched from the recently colonized Atlantic to the Pacific, incorporating much unknown land, including Oklahoma.

Third Flag - French Royal Standard 1719 Three gold fleur de lis (flower of lilies, or French lilies) on a white field. Introduced by Bernard de la Harpe in 1719. From the explorations of Robert (René) La Salle in1682, France laid claim to all the land drained by the Mississippi River, calling it "Louisiana" after the King, Louis XIV.

Fourth Flag - Standard of the Spanish Empire 1763 Three horizontal fields: red, gold, and red again, with the castle and lion in the gold field. France's original claim of the land drained by the Mississippi (Louisiana) had grown to include all lands to the Pacific coast. In 1763 after losing the French and Indian War, France signed the Treaty of Paris and relinquished Louisiana, dividing it between Spain, who got all the land west of the Mississippi River, and England, who assumed the lands to the east, except the Island of Orleans.

Fifth Flag - The French Republic 1800 Three vertical fields: blue, white, and red (from left to right). In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte reclaimed Spain's part of Louisiana in a secret treaty with Spain. This was a transfer of possession in name only, as France never actively pursued its claim. It did, however, prove advantageous to Napoleon 3 years later when he sold it to the United States. The flag described above is the current flag of the French Republic, and the one now flown as one of the "Fourteen Flags Over Oklahoma." In 1800, the flag of the French Republic displayed the three vertical fields in the opposite order: red, white, and blue (from left to right). The colors were not reversed until 1830, so the flag at right represents the fifth flag actually flown over Oklahoma.

Sixth Flag - United States 1803 A blue canton in the upper left corner containing 15 white stars, over a field of 15 horizontal stripes of alternating red and white. There were 15 states in 1803, and the law at that time required a star and a stripe for each state. When Napoleon needed money to fund his European campaign, President Thomas Jefferson convinced Congress to buy Louisiana for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 brought all but the panhandle of Oklahoma under United States rule for the first time.

Seventh Flag - United States 1818 A blue canton in the upper left corner containing 20 white stars, over a field of 13 horizontal stripes of alternating red and white. The new United States flag reflects the design change mandated by Congress: 13 stripes to represent the 13 original colonies, and a star for each state in the union (20 in 1818).

Eighth Flag - Republic of Mexico 1821 Three vertical stripes: green, white, and red (left to right), the white stripe containing a representation of an eagle with a snake in its talons. From 1821 to 1836, Mexico held the panhandle of Oklahoma.

Ninth Flag - Republic of Texas 1836 A single gold star on a field of azure blue. From 1836 to 1845, the Oklahoma panhandle was a part of the Republic of Texas.

Tenth Flag - Texas (Lone Star Flag) 1839 A blue vertical stripe on the left, flanked by two horizontal stripes, white over red. A single white star is in the middle of the blue field. From 1839 to 1850, the Oklahoma panhandle remained part of Texas while it continued as a republic, then after statehood in 1845. The boundaries of Texas were redrawn in 1850, removing the Oklahoma panhandle, which became known as No Man's Land until 1890, when it was added to Oklahoma Territory (western Oklahoma).

Eleventh Flag - Choctaw Indian Nation 1861 The Choctaw seal on a field of blue. From 1861 to 1865, the Choctaws fought on the side of the Confederates in the Civil War and carried their flag into battle. The Choctaw Nation was one of the many Indian nations in the Indian Territory - what is now eastern Oklahoma.

Twelfth Flag - Confederate Battle Flag 1861 St. Andrew's Cross in blue over white on a field of red. On the blue cross are 13 white stars representing the states of the Confederacy. From 1861 to 1865, most of the Indian nations in Indian Territory (eastern Oklahoma) aligned with the southern states, as many were slaveholders. They believed that Lincoln would free their slaves. Only the Osage and Shawnees remained loyal to the United States government.

Thirteenth Flag - Oklahoma (Original Flag) 1911 A white star edged in blue, with the number "46" in blue in its center, on a field of red. Although Oklahoma became the 46th state November 16, 1907, an official flag was not adopted until 1911.

Fourteenth Flag - Oklahoma 1925/1941 From 1925 to 1941, the word "Oklahoma" did not appear on the flag. It was added by law in 1941. The Oklahoma flag since 1941. Go to the Oklahoma flag page for a description and other information. Read House Bill 2409, which proposes to change the Oklahoma flag back to its 1925 design.

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