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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to |
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join with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in celebrating the |
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175th anniversary of the winning of Texas independence and the |
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birth of the Republic of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Texans who chafed under Mexican rule saw their dream |
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of autonomy come to fruition in the spring of 1836; delegates to a |
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convention meeting at Washington-on-the-Brazos adopted the Texas |
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Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836, affirming the |
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principle of self-determination and proclaiming the creation of a |
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free and sovereign Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Although the Texas revolutionary army suffered |
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disastrous defeats at Goliad, where approximately 400 captured |
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soldiers were executed, and at the Alamo, where a 13-day siege ended |
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in the loss of every defender of the fort, those reverses would |
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later provide powerful rallying cries for Texas troops that were |
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still in the field; on April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston's army |
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vanquished a larger force led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the |
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Battle of San Jacinto and secured Texas independence; and |
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WHEREAS, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, founded in |
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1891, has diligently perpetuated the memory of the Texas pioneer |
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families and soldiers whose determined efforts and sacrifices 175 |
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years ago led to the creation and advancement of a new republic; in |
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addition to fostering the preservation and publication of |
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historical records and narratives, encouraging historical |
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research, and promoting the study of Texas history in the public |
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schools, the DRT has served as custodian of several significant |
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historical properties, including, for the past 106 years, the |
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Alamo; and |
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WHEREAS, The DRT welcomes into membership anyone who has a |
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direct, lineal ancestor who settled in the Republic of Texas before |
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February 19, 1846, the day that President Anson Jones lowered the |
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Texas flag and declared that "the Republic of Texas is no more"; and |
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WHEREAS, From its inception, the DRT has enjoyed a membership |
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as diverse in background as the men who died defending liberty |
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within the Alamo walls; that stalwart band included Tejanos, a free |
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man of African descent, and individuals who hailed from England, |
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Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland; among the ranks of the DRT |
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today are also members whose Texas forebears traced their ancestry |
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to Mexico, the Canary Islands, Spain, Poland, Sweden, and France; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas has made an |
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immeasurable contribution to the safeguarding and transmission of a |
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rich and unique heritage, and its members are indeed deserving of |
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recognition for their tireless dedication to that vital endeavor; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend the Daughters of the Republic of Texas |
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for their outstanding stewardship of the Alamo and call on all |
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Texans to commemorate the seminal events 175 years ago that led to |
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the achievement of Texas independence and to the creation of the |
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Republic of Texas; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas as an expression |
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of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |