The Texas Declaration of Independence, signed March 2, 1836.
March 2nd is Texas Independence Day, the day that settlers in the Mexican State of Texas signed off on their Declaration of Independence from the government of Mexico and claimed their new independent sovereign status as the Republic of Texas.
The year was 1836, 176 years ago, at a place called Washington on the Brazos, a little place located about half way between present day Austin and Houston.
The Declaration was an action that did not come quickly or easy – or without cost and casualty to the people of Texas. It grew in power over several years of unsuccessful effort to work out problems of unfair taxation and control by the dictatorial Mexican government without fair representation of the needs and wishes of the Texas people and it resulted in a fairly quick, but costly period of combat and siege at Goliad and the Alamo in San Antonio before Texas General Sam Houston led the rebel army to victory over the forces of Mexican General Santa Anna as San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.
Even after San Jacinto, it was mid-summer 1836 before all the Mexican forces in Texas finally retreated in full, south of the Rio Grande River again. Of course, nine years later, in 1845, the independent Republic of Texas would trade in that status for membership in the United States of America, triggering the Mexican War and a much larger reallocation of Mexican territory.
These new mid-19th century boundaries of separation between the United States and Mexico would remain firm until the late 20th century, when scores of economically desperate citizens of Mexico began to regain territory claimed earlier by the USA with a quietly multiple, individually one-by-one and small group border-ignoring invasion of illegal immigrants that was welcomed with open arms by American employers seeking the large sudden presence of cheap labor.
Happy Texas Independence Day, everybody. Better get your taste of it before it all gets used up.
Tags: Texas Independence Day
The Pecan Park Eagle 
March 2, 2012 at 3:14 pm |
Bill , what is the earliest date recorded that baseball was being played in Houston? After the Texas terratory declaraed Independance in 1836 and later joined the U.S.in 1845 ,the Allen Brothers incorporated the city of Houston in 1837 . When did the buffs first come into existance ?
March 2, 2012 at 6:29 pm |
Patrick:
Here’s the very short answer –
1861: 1st Houston Base Ball Cub is formed. We presume that games were already being played here prior to the time the HBBC came into being, but we have found no documentation to prove it.
1867: Houston & Galveston played at the Battlegrounds on San Jacinto Day. (Newspaper documented.)
1888: Houston starts professional life as charter member of the new Texas League.
1896: Houston’s Texas League club is called the Buffaloes for the first time, with some wavering to other names for next decade.
1907-1961: Houston settles into being the Buffalos/Buffs through the rest of their minor league life. No Houston pro ball was played during the three seasons (1943-45) the Texas League shut down for WWII.