Happy 174th Birthday, Texas!

March 2, 2010

March 2 is a big day here in my native state. On this day in 1836, Texas became a republic.

Delegates from the 17 Mexican municipalities of Texas and the settlement of Pecan Point had met the day before at Washington-on-the-Brazos to consider independence from Mexico. George C. Childress presented a resolution calling for independence and he was tapped to head a committee to draft a declaration proclaiming such.

"In the early morning hours of March 2, the convention voted unanimously to accept the resolution," notes the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas. "After fifty-eight members signed the document, Texas became the Republic of Texas. The change remained to be demonstrated to Mexico."

Yes, then my Texas ancestors had to go out there and walk the walk of their independence talk. Kind of explains why we're still such a mouthy group!

And despite the snickers and rolled-eyes from the rest of the United States (and many Texans) when our governor uttered the politically calculated word "secession" last year, he knew he was tapping into the proud, deep and independent core of the Lone Star State.

That's why March 2 is still such an important day to us Texans. Not only do we commemorate our birth as an independent nation, but we celebrate the qualities that enabled Texicans to create, defend and nurture the Republic of Texas.

So please excuse us for being even more Texan today, as we both honor our past shown in the General Land Office video below for its Save Texas History program, and as we head to the polls to help determine our immediate leadership.

We'll have parades, cook some Bar-B-Q and revel in such Texana as Davy
Crockett's famous proclamation "You may all go to hell and I will
go to Texas" and Bum Phillips ode to being a Texan.

We promise to settle down to our slightly less in-your-face Texas personas tomorrow. Or maybe not!

The rest of the country: I'll be back in a little while with the next in our look at the taxes in other parts of the United States.

Until then, you can check out the state tax tidbits that have already been posted.