So You’re New to Texas? Here’s Some Stuff Ya’ll Ought’a Know
March 6 is the 186th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. Most Americans are familiar with that history and, if you went to public school here, you most likely had Texas history for a full year before reaching seventh grade. If you didn’t, here’s some stuff you may have missed.
MORE THAN A THEME PARK
The story behind Six Flags’ name dates back to 1933, when Texas began pledging allegiance to our state flag. Sixteen other states do the same, but a survey of newcomers revealed most didn’t know if their home state had a state pledge and certainly never recited it daily at school or at civic meetings and sports events.
Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.
This pledge is so important to Texans because, since the 17th century, Texas has been under six sovereign flags. The earliest flags were for Spain and France, which controlled parts of Texas at different times. Next was Mexico, after the nation gained independence from Spain. In 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico—remember the Alamo—and became a Republic under interim President David Burnet. Sam Houston was the republic’s military commander, and later president.
Remember the other important battles too
The Texas revolution for independence from Mexico officially began in 1835 at the Battle of Gonzalez and soon after recorded 50 Texans storming the presidio at Goliad. This was the period in which Jim Bowie made a name for himself—with fewer than 100 men, he defeated 450 Mexicans at the Battle of Concepción.
On February 24, 1836, the second day of the siege at the Alamo, William Travis wrote one of the most famous letters in American history. He addressed it “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World” to ask them for help. He ended the letter “Victory or Death,” and local printers made 700 copies of the letter to encourage Texans to join the fight.
After the defeat at the Alamo, the Mexican army continued to advance. At the end of March, nearly 400 Texans who had not evacuated the presidio were brutally executed at the Goliad Massacre, under orders from Mexican General Santa Anna. Often called “the second Alamo,” it spurred Texans and Americans to greater resistance and amended the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!”
In April, in what has been called the most important event in Texas history, Texans—some of whom arrived after reading Travis’ letter and were triggered again by Goliad—defeated Santa Anna’s forces at the Battle of San Jacinto. This was the decisive win for independence that turned Texas into a sovereign republic.
In 1845, after much negotiation about what statehood would mean for both sides, Texas was admitted to the United States. It bypassed the normal process of becoming a territory first and went straight into statehood, at which time it raised the fifth—American—flag.
The agreement came with the understanding that the Union would always respect Texas’ history as a sovereign nation, and why the Texas flag is raised to the same height as the American flag. Hawaii is the only other state that, having been sovereign at one time, can do the same.
In 1861, Texas seceded to join the Confederacy (the sixth flag), and was readmitted to the Union in 1870.
Thus, the flag has always meant something very specific in Texan history. In 1933, state legislators decided to formalize it and require schoolchildren to recite a pledge to the Texas flag.
The culture of self-government
While Texans are notorious for rebelling against federal overreach, legal experts suggest Texas may not leave the Union legally. The annexation resolution of 1845 stipulated that Texas could, in the future, choose to divide itself, and create four states plus the original Texas. Some joke that the new Texas would look like a pie, sliced outward from a circle around the Alamo, so every Texan could still claim it.
Meanwhile, Texas still has an outlet if secession becomes necessary. We have our own power grid (and plenty of oil and natural gas to fuel it), which is immune from Federal interference because the power lines do not cross state lines.
Miscellaneous Texas…
“Don’t Mess With Texas” was originally an anti-littering campaign. But today, Texas is by far the state with the most residents serving in the military.
The left lane is for passing. If you’re going to drive in it, you should be at least 10 miles over the speed limit.
Chili. Does. Not. Have. Beans. Tacos are for breakfast. H-E-B. Whataburger. Sweet tea. No soda or soft drinks or pop, just cokes. Football. Church.