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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, December 29, 2025, will mark the 180th anniversary |
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of the admission of Texas into the Union; and |
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WHEREAS, After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the annexation |
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of Texas became a subject of discussion among politicians and |
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diplomats; in the first election following the establishment of the |
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Republic of Texas in 1836, its citizens voted overwhelmingly in |
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favor of annexation; however, the following year, when the |
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republic's minister proposed annexation to the administration of |
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U.S. President Martin Van Buren, the minister was turned down on the |
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basis of constitutional issues and the risk of provoking a war with |
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Mexico, and Texas subsequently withdrew its offer; Texas President |
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Mirabeau B. Lamar continued to oppose annexation, and in his second |
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term, Texas President Sam Houston renewed the annexation effort |
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with no success; and |
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WHEREAS, In the early 1840s, British policy toward Texas |
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caused a change of posture in Washington, D.C.; although Great |
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Britain had no intention of acquiring Texas, the British opposed |
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Texas annexation as England sought to bolster trade with Texans, to |
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prevent the westward expansion of the United States, and to |
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interfere in the American tariff system and institution of slavery; |
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alarmed by these goals, U.S. President John Tyler reintroduced |
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annexation; Texas President Houston ultimately consented to the |
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negotiation of a treaty, but it was rejected by the U.S. Senate in |
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June 1844; and |
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WHEREAS, President Tyler felt great urgency in the face of |
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British ambitions and developed a new plan to annex Texas by means |
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of a joint resolution imposing certain conditions; on February 28, |
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1845, the U.S. Congress passed the joint resolution, which included |
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the requirement for Texas to deliver all military, postal, and |
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customs facilities and authority to the U.S. government; on July 4, |
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Republic of Texas President Anson Jones presented to the Texas |
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Congress, and a popularly-elected constitutional convention, a |
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choice between annexation with the United States or a Mexican |
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treaty granting peace and official recognition of Texas as an |
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independent country; both bodies voted for the American proposal, |
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and the annexation ordinance and constitution drafted by the |
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convention were ratified by popular vote in October; on |
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December 29, 1845, the U.S. Congress approved the Joint Resolution |
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to Admit Texas as a State; it was signed by U.S. President James K. |
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Polk, and Texas became America's 28th state; and |
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WHEREAS, Residents of the Lone Star State take great pride in |
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their heritage as patriotic Americans, and it is indeed fitting to |
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recognize this historic date; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby commemorate the 180th anniversary of the admission of Texas |
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into the Union on December 29, 1845. |