Texas, Our Texas, All Hail the Mighty State!

March 2, 1836 is Texas Independence Day. A day to honor all the men and women who fought so hard for this great Republic. Yes, Texas is first a Republic, and then a state within the United States of America. We are a unique and proud people. Only one of my ancestral family branches was here during this turbulent time of 1836. Most other native Texans had family that arrived here shortly after Texas won its War for Independence. Even if you didn't have ties to the earliest settlers, their spirit was contagious, and those frontiersmen who came later, settled the land and kept the flame alive.

If you are a native Texan, or just carry a special place in your heart for the state, then stop and give a little thankee to the brave men who fought so hard and deserve to have their names remembered.

Executive Department, Washington
March 2nd, 1836.
Fellow-Citizens of Texas: The enemy are upon us. A strong force surrounds the walls of the Alamo, and threaten that garrison with the sword. Our country imperiously demands the service of every patriotic arm; and longer to continue in a state of apathy will be criminal. Citizens of Texas, descendants of Washington, awake! Arouse yourselves!

The question is now to be decided, are we now to continue free men or bow beneath the rod of military despotism? Shall we, without a struggle, sacrifice our fortunes, our liberties and our lives, or shall we imitate the example of our forefathers and hurl destruction on the heads of our oppressors? The eyes of the world are upon us. All friends of liberty and the rights of men are anxious spectators of our conflict, or are enlisted in our cause. Shall we disappoint their hopes and expectations? No! Let us at only fly to arms, march to the battle-field, meet the foe, and give renewed evidence to the world that the arms of freemen, uplifted in defense of liberty and right, are irresistible. Now is the day, and now is the hour, when Texas expects every man to do his duty. Let us show ourselves worthy to be free and we shall be free.

Henry Smith, Governor
(Governor, State of Texas under Mexico)