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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Nearly a quarter of a century before the siege of the |
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Alamo, an army inspired by the fervor of Don Jose Bernardo |
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Maximiliano Gutierrez de Lara and composed of Tejanos, volunteers |
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from the United States, and Native American allies made a |
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courageous bid to liberate Texas from the Spanish empire, leading |
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to the first Texas Constitution on April 17, 1813; and |
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WHEREAS, On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y |
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Costilla and his followers seized the prison at Dolores, Mexico, |
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sparking a Mexican rebellion against the Spanish empire; answering |
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the call to freedom, Don Bernardo traveled to Washington, D.C., in |
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1811 to inform the U.S. government of the rebels' plans to establish |
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a republican government in Texas as part of the liberation of |
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Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1812, Don Bernardo and former U.S. Army officer |
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Augustus Magee led the Army of the North from Natchitoches, |
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Louisiana, into Texas; this volunteer force quickly defeated the |
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Spanish Royalist troops at the Battles of Nacogdoches, La Bahia, |
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Rosillo, and Alazan Creek; and |
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WHEREAS, Don Bernardo and the republican army took possession |
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of San Fernando de Bexar, now known as San Antonio, on the night of |
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April 1 and 2, 1813, and on April 6, 1813, Don Bernardo signed a |
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proclamation declaring Texas' independence from Spain; on April 17, |
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1813, acting in his capacity as president of the new provisional |
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government, Don Bernardo signed the first Texas Constitution; and |
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WHEREAS, This first bold attempt to win the independence of |
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Texas came to a tragic end on August 18, 1813, when the Royalist |
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army under General Joaquin de Arredondo defeated the Texan army at |
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the Battle of Medina; during the bitterly fought, four-hour-long |
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contest, more than 800 Tejano patriots lost their lives in their |
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quest for freedom; and |
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WHEREAS, The valiant struggle of Don Jose Bernardo |
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Maximiliano Gutierrez de Lara and the Army of the North to throw off |
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the Spanish yoke represents a significant chapter in the rich |
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annals of Texas history, one that is indeed worthy of remembrance on |
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this special occasion; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 200th anniversary of the first |
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Texas Constitution on April 17, 2013, and call on all Texans to |
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honor the memory of Don Bernardo and his comrades. |