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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The observance of San Jacinto Day on April 21, 2011, |
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provides an ideal opportunity to honor the African Americans who |
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fought bravely on the side of the Texians in the War of Independence |
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from Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1835-36, numerous African Americans, free, |
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enslaved, and indentured alike, joined in the Texas Revolution; |
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they were counted among those who died defending the Alamo, and they |
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fought in every battle, including Velasco, Goliad, Bexar, and San |
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Jacinto; although early histories generally ignored these vital |
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contributions, individual acts of courage and patriotism were |
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recorded for posterity; and |
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WHEREAS, The first Texan casualty of the revolution was most |
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probably Samuel McCullouch, Jr., a free African American soldier; |
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after enlisting in the Matagorda Volunteer Company, he was severely |
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wounded at Goliad during the storming of the Mexican officers' |
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quarters; another African American, Hendrick Arnold, distinguished |
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himself as a guide and soldier for Ben Milam's Texas army at the |
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Siege of Bexar and later at the Battle of San Jacinto; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout the War of Independence, blacksmith, |
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innkeeper, and skilled negotiator William Goyens, a free man of |
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color, was charged with maintaining good relations with the |
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Cherokees; he served as the interpreter for General Sam Houston and |
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his party in securing an important treaty; one of the few Texan |
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survivors of the Alamo was Joe Travis, the slave of William B. |
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Travis, who delivered to the Texas cabinet a report on the battle |
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and the strength of General Santa Anna's army; and |
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WHEREAS, The early chroniclers of the Texas Revolution failed |
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to obtain the testimony of key witnesses to momentous events and |
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left holes in the histories passed down to us; as a result, |
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generations of Texas schoolchildren grew up without learning about |
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the role African Americans played in the founding of their state; |
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however, through surviving accounts of the remarkable deeds of men |
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such as Joe Travis, William Goyens, Hendrick Arnold, and Samuel |
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McCullouch, Jr., citizens of the Lone Star State can gain fuller |
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knowledge and an appreciation for those who contributed to the |
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struggle for Texas independence; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby honor the African Americans who fought for the Republic of |
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Texas in the War of Independence from Mexico and encourage all |
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citizens to learn more about their contributions. |