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I’m late, but buckle in. It’s time to talk #TexasIndependenceDay. 1/x
Something worth remembering: the US Declaration of Independence was a laborious effort. The Continental Congress debated details for several months, appointing drafting committee in June 1776. Jefferson wrote over several weeks. Drafts were reviewed, edited, and edited more. 2/x
The Texans, on the other hand, convened on March 1, appointed a committee, produced a declaration overnight, and adopted it the next day. George Childress might’ve arrived with a pre-written draft in hand to make this possible. 3/x
If you’ve never read the Texas Declaration, I encourage you to do so. For a 183 year old document, it’s very readable in a modern sense. It’s clearly inspired by the US Declaration, but unique in itself. 4/x
lsjunction.com/docs/tdoi.htm
lsjunction.com/docs/tdoi.htm
The Declaration specifies numerous complaints against the Mexican government, some of which were rarely discussed before (e.g. “It has failed to establish any public system of education”). 5/x
Some view this part of the Declaration as a laundry list of dubious grievances, to beef up the case for breaking free of Mexico. I see it as more forward thinking. Childress and the others saw what Texas would need, if it was to grow and develop as a free society. 6/x
As we see education debated in #txlege, warrants mentioning: our revolutionary heroes saw public education, financed by “the public domain,” as a cornerstone of an ideal society, along with freedom of arms, absolute freedom of religion, trial by jury, and national security. 7/x
60 delegates signed on to the Texas Declaration of Independence. 3 were native born (de Zavala, Navarro, Ruiz). The rest were immigrants. Well over half arrived in Texas after 1830, when Anglo immigration was banned. They were in Texas.....not legally. 8/x
The personal stories of the signers and revolutionary heroes are complicated. Many had checkered pasts. Some had inglorious futures. This is the real world, not a Disney movie. Heroes are complicated humans, like you and me. They’re heroes no less. 9/x
From 1836 to 2019, the story of Texas was, is, and will be beautiful, ugly, complicated, and contradicting, with noble-minded people often struggling to live up to noble-minded ideals. We may not always succeed, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying. God bless Texas. 10/10
