One hundred and seventy five years ago today a group of men came together just a few miles to the northwest of where I sit this morning and proclaimed Texas and independent nation. I can imagine what it might have been like that morning walking the streets of Washington-on-the-Brazos. Early March in Texas can be challenging in any year
In the story of Texas independence from Mexico, the courageous work of the men assembled in Washington is often overshadowed by the fall of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. After all, at the same time these men put ink to paper, the blood of their fellow Texans was being shed at the Alamo, where men like Colonel William Barrett Travis and Jim Bowie fought to their deaths and became folk heroes.
The history books often lose sight of the delegates courage and clearheaded determination as they labored against a backdrop of fear and uncertainty. They knew the desperation of Travis and his men. They received word of his dire circumstance twice during the Convention. The Alamo was only a few days march from where they convened, and rumors that Santa Anna was just down the road kept them on edge.
Some of the men wanted to recklessly rush to Travis aid without a military or governmental structure in place, but calmer minds prevailed.
via TPWD: Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site Role in History.
After beginning to meet on March 1st, the delegates to the convention formally declared their independence from Mexico on March 2nd. They continued to work on the constitution until being forced from town ahead of the advancing Mexican Army led by Santa Anna on March 17, 1836.
The legacy of these men is still felt today. Though last years return to the 19th century and talk of secession should the conservative base in Texas not get what it wants was taking things a bit far (as you can read in the related articles below, it’s still a movement alive and well in Texas). The not quite decade of independence for the Lone Star Republic did set a tone and a flavor for the state that has never been subdued.
The delegates, who voted unanimously for independence, were:
- Badgett, Jesse B.
- Barnett, George Washington
- Barnett, Thomas
- Blount, Stephen William
- Bower, John White
- Brigham, Asa
- Briscoe, Andrew
- Bunton, John Wheeler
- Byrom, John Smith Davenport
- Caldwell, Mathew
- Carson, Samuel Price
- Childress, George Campbell
- Clark, William
- Coleman, Robert M.
- Collinsworth, James
- Conrad, Edward
- Crawford, William Carroll
- Ellis, Richard
- Everitt, Stephen Hendrickson
- Fisher, John
- Fisher, Samuel R.
- Gaines, James
- Gazley, Thomas Jefferson
- Goodrich, Benjamin Briggs
- Grimes, Jesse
- Hamilton, Robert
- Hardeman, Bailey
- Hardin, Augustine Blackburn
- Houston, Samuel
- Lacey, William Demetris
- Latimer, Albert Hamilton
- LeGrand, Edwin Oswald
- Maverick, Samuel Augustus
- McKinney, Collin
- Menard, Michel Branamour
- Menefee, William
- Moore, John W.
- Mottley, Junius William
- Navarro, Jose Antonio Baldomero
- Parmer, Martin
- Penington, Sydney O.
- Potter, Robert
- Power, James
- Roberts, John S.
- Robertson, Sterling Clack
- Ruiz, Jose Francisco
- Rusk, Thomas Jefferson
- Scates, William Bennett
- Smyth, George Washington
- Stapp, Elijah
- Stewart, Charles Bellinger
- Swisher, James Gibson
- Taylor, Charles Stanfield
- Thomas, David
- Turner, John
- Waller, Edwin
- West, Claiborne
- Woods, James B.
- Zavala, Lorenzo de
And making this day a little more personal to my family…
Happy Birthday Jeremy Austin Boyd.
Related articles
- Texas Independence Day (fastcompany.com)
- Present-day Texas has one boot in the past (chron.com)
- A Line In The Sand: The Texas Independence Rally (whitelocust.wordpress.com)
- Celebrating Texas Independence Day (dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com)
