Happy Texas Independence Day

[NoPasaran]

On March 2, 1836, the Texas Convention meeting at Washington-on-the-Brazos declared independence from Mexico.

I am besieged... I have sustained a continual bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours... The enemy has demanded a
surrender... I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never
surrender nor retreat...

William Barret Travis
The Alamo - February 24, 1836

Fellow-Citizens of Texas: The enemy are upon us. A strong force surrounds the walls of the Alamo, and threaten that
garrison with the sword... Now is the day, and now is the hour, when Texas expects every man to do his duty. Let us show
ourselves worthy to be free and we shall be free.

Henry Smith
Washington - March 2, 1836

Independence is declared; it must be maintained.

Sam Houston
Washington - March 2, 1836

http://www.lsjunction.com/docs/tdoi.htm

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/washingt/washingt.htm

[efhmc]

1. Thanks. Now if we could all declare independence from the most pretend

Texan of them all, I could be completely proud again.

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. any chance Mexico might want Texas back?

I'll trade Texas for Cancun and a burrito to be named later. ;)

[efhmc]

8. Many Mexicans fought for Texas' independence. Where do you live?

Perhaps France, Spain, or England would like to have you back. What would we get in return, some cheese, fish and chips, sangria? I'm sure the native Americans would like to have it all back. (Maybe not considering the mess we have made of the place.)

[THUNDER HANDS]

11. Long Island

If England wants it back it can have it. I'll take Northern Ireland and a couple of Guiness factories.

:)

[efhmc]

18. You think they will buy that trade? I've never been there but it has a

certain cachet that has always made it very romantic. Not true?

[GOPisEvil]

3. Yeah!!!! Let's celebrate white folks wanting to own slaves!

Woohoo!!!! :bounce:

Er, Happy Independence Day, everyone! :hi:

[efhmc]

7. Hi, deary, I really hate to take you to task but as with most things,

history and its people and motivation are so much more complicated than that statement. There were many diverse reason that people came to "Texas" during this time. Many of them thought they were freeing people from a government that was opressive. Whether it was right or not it seemed to be their sincere motivation.

[GOPisEvil]

9. OK - I was overly simplistic...

...however it was one of the primary motivations. Especially since the Mexican Constitution of 1824 banned slavery.

[efhmc]

16. Still disagree. I think it was forced Catholicism, something the settlers

had signed on for and then wanted conveniently to overlook, that made many want to fight. Santa Anna was not exactly a great defender of liberty and enslavement of native people was a fact of life in Mexico, in reality, if not on paper. I am sure that slavery was a "right" that many settlers that were from the south wanted, but 12 years is a long time to wait to wage a revolution against a law. I am sure it added to the motivation but I don't think it was the main cause.

[GOPisEvil]

17. Yeah, that's true too.

I guess everybody had their own motivation. Probably what it comes down to is that a lot of the newcomers to Texas wanted a government more like the one they were used to. The whole idea of the Mexican form of government didn't appeal to them.

Plus, the whites weren't really allowed to govern themselves in that the government was in Monclova, and so was not representative. The massacre at Zacatecas didn't help the Mexicans either.

[Gman]

4. That's right! I forgot...

Last year I took my mother-in-law, who is from out of state, down to watch the ceremony commemorating the battle of the Alamo. She's here again this year and we'll probably go down there again this year.

Sam Houston was the first Texas liberal. He would be ashamed of what is going on in Texas now.

[VelmaD]

10. Yup, Sam Houston was THE MAN

He's the kind of Texan I was taught to admire when I was growing up...not people like that carpet-bagging yankee wannabe squatting in the White House. x(

[Burma Jones]

5. Maybe we could grant them independence once again (N/T)

[NoPasaran]

12. Hey, we seceded in 1861

You Yankees kicked our ass.

[efhmc]

13. I've always said that the biggest mistake we ever made was joining the

union. With some leaders like Sam Houston, Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, LLoyd Benson, we could have gone far and with the resources we used to have we could have joined forces with the Mexican and South American oil forces and been a force to reckon with.

[VelmaD]

14. Maybe since he wasn't born here...

shrub never woulda got to run for the highest office here either.

[GOPisEvil]

15. Yes, but I'd have never moved to Texas then. You'd have never met me!

:P

If it weren't for the US Military, I wouldn't have come here. :D

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Wow. Never mind spicy foods...

...THIS is the true Montezuma Revenge!