83R25811 MMS-D
By: Price H.R. No. 2827
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Each year, Texans join in celebrating the Fourth of
July in honor of the day America's founders adopted one of the
landmark documents of modern history, the Declaration of
Independence; and
WHEREAS, When Richard Henry Lee, a delegate to the Second
Continental Congress from Virginia, introduced a resolution on June
7, 1776, declaring that the 13 colonies "are, and of right ought to
be, free and independent States," blood had already been shed
between American militiamen and British soldiers; a year earlier,
in April 1775, the British general Thomas Gage had received orders
to use force to suppress rebellion among the colonists and had sent
troops to seize a weapons depot in Concord, Massachusetts; learning
of the British plans, Paul Revere had ridden out from Boston to
spread the word of the redcoats' advance, and militiamen and
British troops had clashed, first at Lexington and then at Concord,
where the Americans prevailed in a fierce skirmish at North Bridge;
on their march back to Boston, the British had been fired upon
relentlessly by the colonials, and General Gage had to send 1,500
additional men to prevent their being overwhelmed; and
WHEREAS, Two months later, in June 1775, the first major
action between American and British troops took place when more
than 2,000 British soldiers charged militiamen dug in on high
ground overlooking Boston; the colonists withstood two assaults
before running out of ammunition and inflicted heavy casualties in
what became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill; and
WHEREAS, With Britain intent on bringing the colonists to
heel, sentiment in favor of independence continued to grow; it
received additional impetus with the publication in January 1776 of
Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense, which made an impassioned
argument for casting off the fetters of a corrupt monarchy; the
tract quickly sold some 150,000 copies; and
WHEREAS, By July, many members of the Continental Congress
believed that the bond with Great Britain should be dissolved; a
vote on Lee's resolution to that effect was postponed, however, and
a committee was appointed to draft a justification for such a
fateful step; the committee, in turn, chose Thomas Jefferson, a
33-year-old delegate from Virginia, to compose the document;
finally, on July 2, representatives approved Lee's resolution and
two days later, on July 4, they adopted the Declaration of
Independence; and
WHEREAS, The American Revolution would continue for another
five long years and would demand much of the patriots; the tenacity
of the troops who camped with General George Washington at Valley
Forge during the winter of 1777-1778, when disease ravaged their
ranks and food remained scarce for months, has come to symbolize
their unyielding resolve; finally, in October 1781, American troops
and their French allies succeeded in forcing the surrender of the
besieged British army at Yorktown and the war was effectively won;
and
WHEREAS, The official tally of American military personnel
killed in the War for Independence stands at nearly 4,500, with more
than 6,000 wounded; altogether, it is believed that one percent of
the American population died during the war, a figure that would
translate today to a loss of more than 3 million individuals; and
WHEREAS, The revolutionary generation encompassed military
and political leaders of remarkable skill, as well as countless
common folk whose devotion to the cause was crucial to its success;
perhaps no one represents the ordinary patriot more vividly in the
popular mind than Betsy Ross, the Philadelphia seamstress who came
to be credited with creating the first flag to bear the stars and
stripes, following a design that she received from George
Washington in 1776; and
WHEREAS, That venerable flag, now bearing 50 bright stars,
will grace innumerable Fourth of July celebrations as Americans
celebrate the 238th anniversary of this country's founding; on that
day, along with their fellow citizens across the nation, Texans
will gather to give thanks for the blessing of self-government and
to affirm anew the fundamental principles of liberty, equality, and
self-determination, principles expressed so eloquently in a
document that continues to inspire people around the world; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the Fourth of July, 2014.