By Green H.C.R. No. 185
77R8250 JLZ-D
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, In the spring and summer of 1776, in the midst of
1-2 the revolution that would give birth to our nation, the members of
1-3 the Second Continental Congress gathering in Philadelphia
1-4 deliberated the destiny of their struggle for freedom, gradually
1-5 coming to the conclusion that they had but one course: dissolve
1-6 their ties to the old order of oppressive rule and form a new
1-7 nation; and
1-8 WHEREAS, Aware of the danger they faced but willing to risk
1-9 all for the principles and ideals in which they believed, they
1-10 adopted and later signed a document, the Declaration of
1-11 Independence, that gave voice to their beliefs: that all Men are
1-12 created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
1-13 unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
1-14 Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are
1-15 instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent
1-16 of the Governed; and
1-17 WHEREAS, Spurred by these beliefs, our forefathers succeeded
1-18 in securing independence from Great Britain, but embarking on a
1-19 bold unprecedented experiment in democracy, the fledgling republic
1-20 struggled in the years following the American Revolution; not quite
1-21 a full-fledged nation but a loose-knit federation of states, the
1-22 union was on the brink of economic and political disaster; and
1-23 WHEREAS, In May 1787, another assemblage of the young
1-24 nation's most respected statesmen, patriots, and political thinkers
2-1 convened in Philadelphia and, over the span of another fateful
2-2 summer, drafted a document that not only created a new form of
2-3 government but, in so doing, inevitably changed the course of
2-4 history; and
2-5 WHEREAS, Keeping in mind the principles expressed 11 years
2-6 earlier in the Declaration of Independence, but desirous of
2-7 creating a more perfect union that would permanently secure their
2-8 hard-won liberty, the delegates to the constitutional convention
2-9 engaged in a historic debate that ultimately produced the blueprint
2-10 for a strong, stable national government: the Constitution of the
2-11 United States; and
2-12 WHEREAS, Although the constitutional convention completed its
2-13 task and adjourned in mid-September 1787, the process of state
2-14 ratification gave rise to another public debate among supporters
2-15 and critics of the new constitution, with the most serious
2-16 misgivings among its critics being the absence of a bill of rights
2-17 explicitly protecting individual liberties; and
2-18 WHEREAS, Given assurance that a list of amendments amounting
2-19 to a bill of rights would later be considered, pivotal states began
2-20 ratifying the constitution one by one, and, with New Hampshire
2-21 becoming the ninth state to ratify in July 1788, the constitution
2-22 was officially approved; and
2-23 WHEREAS, On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the
2-24 United States proposed to the state legislatures a set of
2-25 amendments to the constitution; of the 12 amendments proposed, the
2-26 10 that specifically dealt with individual rights were ratified by
2-27 three-fourths of the state legislatures; those first 10 amendments
3-1 came to be known as the Bill of Rights; and
3-2 WHEREAS, These documents, and the nation founded on them,
3-3 have stood the test of time, but the passage of time has taken
3-4 another toll on a citizenry that is too apt to take for granted the
3-5 individual liberties for which others were willing to make the
3-6 greatest sacrifices; and
3-7 WHEREAS, Worse than simply taking for granted our national
3-8 heritage is forgetting or failing to ensure that future generations
3-9 are fully capable of appreciating, and defending if need be, the
3-10 principles and ideals embodied in the documents that comprise the
3-11 charters of our freedom: the Declaration of Independence, the
3-12 United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights; and
3-13 WHEREAS, Indicative of this civic lapse is the fact that, in
3-14 recent surveys, more than one-third of Texans surveyed could not
3-15 identify even one of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment
3-16 to the United States Constitution, barely half could identify at
3-17 least one, and fewer than five percent could name two or more; and
3-18 WHEREAS, Given that September 25 is traditionally regarded as
3-19 the anniversary of the date the Bill of Rights was completed and
3-20 adopted by the First Congress and sent to the states for
3-21 ratification, there can be no more appropriate observance than the
3-22 dedication of the week on which the date falls to impress upon the
3-23 schoolchildren of this state the importance of understanding and
3-24 preserving their national heritage; now, therefore, be it
3-25 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
3-26 hereby designate the week of September 25 in 2001 and 2002 as Teach
3-27 Freedom Week in Texas and urge its observance in the public
4-1 schools, particularly in grades 3 through 12, by daily recitation
4-2 at the beginning of each class day of the following passage from
4-3 the Declaration of Independence:
4-4 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men
4-5 are created equal, that they are endowed by their
4-6 Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
4-7 these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of
4-8 Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are
4-9 instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from
4-10 the Consent of the Governed.
4-11 and, be it further
4-12 RESOLVED, That, contingent on passage of legislation by the
4-13 77th Texas Legislature permanently designating an annual Teach
4-14 Freedom Week, the State Board of Education be directed to develop
4-15 and establish a curriculum of in-depth studies of the sacrifices
4-16 and values of the founding fathers and of the purposes and intents
4-17 of the founding documents and scrupulous examination of the
4-18 Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States,
4-19 and the Bill of Rights; and, be it further
4-20 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward official copies
4-21 of this resolution to the chair of the State Board of Education and
4-22 to the commissioner of education of the Texas Education Agency.