arin's attic | tagged as: holidays

happy texas independence day!

lone star flag

Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. And there’s an opening convey of generalities. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner. - John Steinbeck

March 2, 1836 dawned, frigid and gray; cutting winds blew through glassless windows. Texians - as they styled themselves - huddled close, pulled blankets tight, and gave birth to a dream. At the Town of Washington, fifty-nine representatives voted into existence a sovereign nation: the Republic of Texas. Tennessean George C. Childress had drafted the independence document. In word and spirit it borrowed heavily from Thomas Jefferson’’ original 1776 declaration. No matter. Anglo-Celtic Texians proudly embraced the values and traditions of their founding fathers. “The same blood that animated the hearts of our ancestors in ‘76 still flows in our veins,“one frontier preacher affirmed. Still, not all the delegates were of that blood. Four Mexican residents signed the declaration on behalf of their Tejano constituents. By their presence and with their signatures, they demonstrated that they too shared Jefferson’s values - and his vision of liberty. Thus began a decade of independence singular in the annals of American history. - from The Myth and Meaning of Texas Independence

while i’m not quite so dedicated to ~texas~ as many other texans, i do find our history interesting in its uniqueness among the rest of the states. if ever in the neighbourhood, the institute of texan cultures in san antonio is well worth the visit. (my papaw’s old fiddle was donated to them!)