82R22170 MMS-D
By: Anderson of McLennan H.R. No. 1331
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to
join with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in celebrating the
175th anniversary of the winning of Texas independence and the
birth of the Republic of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Texans who chafed under Mexican rule saw their dream
of autonomy come to fruition in the spring of 1836; delegates to a
convention meeting at Washington-on-the-Brazos adopted the Texas
Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836, affirming the
principle of self-determination and proclaiming the creation of a
free and sovereign Texas; and
WHEREAS, Although the Texas revolutionary army suffered
disastrous defeats at Goliad, where approximately 400 captured
soldiers were executed, and at the Alamo, where a 13-day siege ended
in the loss of every defender of the fort, those reverses would
later provide powerful rallying cries for Texas troops that were
still in the field; on April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston's army
vanquished a larger force led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the
Battle of San Jacinto and secured Texas independence; and
WHEREAS, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, founded in
1891, has diligently perpetuated the memory of the Texas pioneer
families and soldiers whose determined efforts and sacrifices 175
years ago led to the creation and advancement of a new republic; in
addition to fostering the preservation and publication of
historical records and narratives, encouraging historical
research, and promoting the study of Texas history in the public
schools, the DRT has served as custodian of several significant
historical properties, including, for the past 106 years, the
Alamo; and
WHEREAS, The DRT welcomes into membership anyone who has a
direct, lineal ancestor who settled in the Republic of Texas before
February 19, 1846, the day that President Anson Jones lowered the
Texas flag and declared that "the Republic of Texas is no more"; and
WHEREAS, From its inception, the DRT has enjoyed a membership
as diverse in background as the men who died defending liberty
within the Alamo walls; that stalwart band included Tejanos, a free
man of African descent, and individuals who hailed from England,
Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland; among the ranks of the DRT
today are also members whose Texas forebears traced their ancestry
to Mexico, the Canary Islands, Spain, Poland, Sweden, and France;
and
WHEREAS, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas has made an
immeasurable contribution to the safeguarding and transmission of a
rich and unique heritage, and its members are indeed deserving of
recognition for their tireless dedication to that vital endeavor;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby commend the Daughters of the Republic of Texas
for their outstanding stewardship of the Alamo and call on all
Texans to commemorate the seminal events 175 years ago that led to
the achievement of Texas independence and to the creation of the
Republic of Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas as an expression
of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.