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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 133
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WHEREAS, Chicano History Week commences on February 2, |
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2017, the 169th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of |
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Guadalupe Hidalgo; and |
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WHEREAS, A crucial document in the annals of both the |
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United States and Mexico, the 1848 treaty ended two years of war |
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between those nations; Mexico recognized the annexation of Texas |
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by the United States, accepted the Rio Grande as the state's |
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southern border, and gave up about half of its territory, |
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including modern-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and |
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parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah, in exchange for $15 |
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million; and |
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WHEREAS, Approximately 80,000 Mexicans lived in the ceded |
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area at the time, and the vast majority chose to become United |
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States citizens; although the treaty granted protection of their |
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property and civil rights and although subsequent adjudication |
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in Texas confirmed most of their claims, Mexican Texans in the |
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area between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River faced mounting |
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pressure and discrimination as the years passed and as more |
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Anglos moved into the region; within decades, Mexican Texans |
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owned almost no land at all; and |
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WHEREAS, Organized efforts to combat discrimination |
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against Latinos in Texas date to the early 1900s; in the 1960s and |
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1970s, members of the Chicano movement joined the long struggle |
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to win social justice for Mexican Americans; composed largely of |
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younger Latinos, the movement focused attention on failed |
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promises contained in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; at the |
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same time, this movement insisted on the value of Mexican culture |
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and traditions and gave impetus to the inclusion of the Mexican |
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American experience in discussions of United States history; and |
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WHEREAS, The contributions of Mexican Americans are |
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integral to the story of this nation, and by gaining a better |
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understanding of Chicano history, we deepen our appreciation of |
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the rich heritage that is shared by all Americans; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize February 2 through 8, 2017, as |
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Chicano History Week and encourage all Texans to learn more about |
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the important role that Chicanos have played in the saga of the |
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Lone Star State. |
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Rodríguez |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on February 6, 2017. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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Member, Texas Senate |