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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, March 2, 2017, marks the 181st anniversary of the |
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adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the moment in |
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1836 when proud Texans proclaimed an independent republic and took |
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the first steps down a road that would lead, nine years later, to |
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Texas' joining the Union as the 28th state; and |
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WHEREAS, The delegates to the Convention of 1836 assembled on |
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March 1 at Washington-on-the-Brazos, meeting in an unfinished |
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building in bitterly cold weather; even as they set about forging a |
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new nation, the defenders of the Alamo were preparing to face the |
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final assault by the troops of General Antonio López de Santa Anna; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Adopted on March 2, the Declaration of Independence |
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listed many grievances against the government of Mexico, citing, |
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among other things, its despotism, violence, and abridgement of |
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civil liberties; the document concluded by boldly declaring "that |
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the people of Texas do now constitute a free, Sovereign, and |
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independent republic, and are fully invested with all the rights |
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and attributes which properly belong to independent nations"; and |
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WHEREAS, Five copies of the declaration were immediately |
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dispatched to Béxar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria, and San Felipe, |
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and another 1,000 copies were distributed as printed handbills; on |
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March 6, the men of the Alamo made their heroic last stand, and |
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nearly seven weeks after that, General Sam Houston and his 900 |
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troops, with the cry of "Remember the Alamo!" on their lips, |
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defeated Santa Anna's army at San Jacinto, bringing an end to |
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Mexican rule in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the pivotal dates in Texas history, March 2 |
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continues to be celebrated annually by Texans across the length and |
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breadth of the state; on this occasion, Texas Independence Day, |
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they reflect upon the freedoms they enjoy and honor the courage and |
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sacrifice of the men and women who, against the odds, brought these |
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blessings to pass; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate Texas Independence Day 2017 and pay |
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tribute to the memory of those individuals who founded the Republic |
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of Texas. |