Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009
Floor Speech
OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009 -- (Senate - March 02, 2009)
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TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I rise to speak on behalf of Texas Independence Day, March 2. On this date in 1836, delegates from 59 Texas settlements in what was then Mexico declared their independence from that country and their determination to live in liberty. The delegates who met in this small town known as Washington-on-the-Brazos were a diverse group. Two of the delegates were native Mexicans, Jose Francisco Ruiz and Jose Antonio Navarro. The rest were immigrants from Europe, from Mexico, and, yes, from the United States. Two-thirds of the delegates were less than 40 years old.
Several of the delegates had political experience, men such as Sam Houston, who had been Governor of the State of Tennessee. He, Robert Potter, and Samuel Carson had all served in the Congress. Richard Ellis had participated in the constitutional convention of the State of Alabama, and Martin Parmer had done the same in Missouri.
These delegates, and the people they represented, had a clear goal. They wanted freedom. In this case, the freedom guaranteed to them under the Mexican Constitution but which had been lost under the dictatorship of then-President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
The Texas delegates modeled their declaration of independence on the one signed in Philadelphia 60 years earlier. They expressed their grievances, their determination to protect their freedoms, and their vision for a new nation--the Republic of Texas.
The "Unanimous Declaration of Independence by the Delegates of the People of Texas'' was signed by those 59 delegates on March 2. Five copies were sent to the towns of Bexar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria, and San Felipe. Because there were no printing presses in Washington-on-the-Brazos, the printer in San Felipe was ordered to print 1,000 copies in handbill form. The original copy was sent to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, where it would stay for six decades before being returned to the State where it was written.
Even as the delegates signed this historic document, they knew their love of liberty might demand the ultimate sacrifice. At that moment, less than 200 miles to the west, Santa Anna's army was laying siege to the Alamo. Just days earlier, its young commander, William Barret Travis, sent out this letter. He wrote:
Fellow citizens & compatriots--I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna--I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man--The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the forth is taken--I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls--I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch--The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country--Victory or Death!
Madam President, death came to the defenders of the Alamo, but victory came to the people of Texas shortly thereafter. On April 21 of that year, Sam Houston and about 900 Texas soldiers defeated the larger Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto. The surprise attack was so successful. It lasted all of 18 minutes, and the next day, Santa Anna himself was captured. By this victory, Texans won the independence they had declared less than 2 months earlier.
Sam Houston went on to serve as President of the Republic of Texas, after serving as Governor of Tennessee, a Member of the House of Representatives from Tennessee, then as President of the Republic of Texas. And after statehood, he served right here in the Senate as one of the first two Senators from our State.
I am honored to hold the same seat in this body that was first held by Sam Houston. He served here for 13 years. He was a champion of Native Americans and raised his voice against secession and Civil War.
Today, Texans honor the courage and sacrifices of those who won our independence and those who have followed in their footsteps to this day.
In the past year alone, I have had the honor to present a Bronze Star to a native of Harlingen, TX, who helped lead the breakout from a beachhead in Anzio during World War II. I was honored to present a Purple Heart to a resident of Seguin who was severely wounded by mortar fire in Korea. I have seen tears of sorrow and of pride of those who have lost loved ones in Iraq. And I have honored young men and women who even now are completing their first year of study at our Nation's service academies.
All these heroes and their families have paid the ultimate tribute to those who stood for freedom 173 years ago. In remembrance of all those who have risked their lives to keep Texas and the United States a land of liberty, I close with the words of our State song:
God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong, That you may grow in power and worth, Thro'out the ages long.
Madam President, I yield the floor.
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