The first Constitutional
Convention had begun its work by declaring Texas' independence from
Mexico, writing a new constitution and electing the first leaders.
A committee of five delegates, all signers of the Texas Declaration
of Independence, was selected and their choice for a design for
a new flag was approved by the entire convention on May 11th, 1836.
The elegant design was the work of Lorenzo de Zavala, the most accomplished
statesman among the delegates. Interestingly, Zavala, a native of
Spain, had served as Mexico's Secretary of the Treasury, Minister
to Paris and as President of the Constitutent Congress in 1824 before
siding with the Texans.
Selecting a flag for the new republic had been on
the minds of the delegates and the people of Texas for some time.
Four months earlier, before his capture and execution by the Mexicans
after the battle of Coleto, Colonel Fannin had written:
"Give us a flag to fight under, as unlike
theirs as possible. We need one and have nothing [here] to make
it of, and hope the Convention will furnish one in time to
hoist it in defiance of Santa Anna."
