Texas Independence Day Celebration to be Held on Steps of the Houston City Hall

On March 3, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. the San Jacinto and Sam Houston Chapters of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and the San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas are co-sponsoring a ceremony on the steps of the Houston City Hall (901 Bagby, Houston, Texas) with the City of Houston, to commemorate the 172^nd anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

The Mayor of Houston, Bill White will begin the program by welcoming everyone and reading a proclamation. Officials of the Sons and Daughters of The Republic of Texas will be speaking about the impact the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence had in shaping modern day Texas. We will conclude the ceremony by toasting those brave men who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence with good old Texas water.

Recognized by statute as an official state holiday, Texas Independence Day originally began with the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the 54 delegates to the Convention that met at Washington-on-the-Brazos beginning on March 1, 1836. On the first day, Convention President, Richard Ellis, appointed a committee composed of George C. Childress, James Gaines, Edward Conrad, Collin McKinney, and Bailey Hardeman to draft a declaration of independence.

George Childress, the committee chairman, is generally accepted as the author of the Republic of Texas Declaration of Independence, with little help from the other committee members. Since the six-page document was submitted for a vote of the whole convention on the following day, Childress probably already had a draft version of the document with him when he arrived. As the delegates worked, they received regular reports on the ongoing siege on the Alamo by the forces of General Santa Anna’s troops.

A free and independent Republic of Texas was officially declared March 2, 1836, when the 54 delegates—each representing one of the settlements in TexasR12;signing the Texas Declaration of Independence, and 6 others signing later. After the delegates signed the original declaration, 5 copies were made and dispatched to the designated Texas towns of Bexar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria, and San Felipe, and 1,000 copies were ordered printed in handbill form.

The Sons of the Republic of Texas and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas are 501(c)(3) organizations whose missions are to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the people who achieved and maintained the independence of Texas and to encourage historical research into the earliest records of Texas, especially those relating to the revolutionary and republic periods. The SRT and DRT encourage the preservation of documents and relics, the publication of historical records and narratives, and the celebration of important days in the state’s history. They also encourage the teaching of Texas history in schools and sponsor numerous scholarships. Everyone is invited to join us at 11:00a.m. on the front steps of the Houston City Hall to honor those brave men who took that first important step toward making Texas what it is today! For additional details about the celebration, please contact Event Chairman, Tom Green, KSJ at 281-922-1118.

Photograph: Houston with Texan Flag © Photographer: Stephen Finn | Agency: Dreamstime.com