Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Texas Independence Day

March 2 is the July 4 of Texas. On March 2, 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico and its fairly oppressive ruler, Santa Anna. There was, of course, a lot of work to do after that, but Texas famously won its independence and became a nation unto itself. (Some would say that it still is...but I digress.)

Texas is the only state that was once an independent country, and perhaps its greatest hero, Sam Houston, holds many distinctions of his own. As the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung notes:

He is the only person in U.S. history to be governor of two states, Tennessee and Texas, a U.S. Senator and the president of a foreign nation — the Republic of Texas.

Well, today also happens to be the anniversary of Sam Houston's birth, so there's a double reason to celebrate in the Lone Star State today. Oh, and it's election day down there, too, which is usually less of a reason to celebrate. But it's worth hoisting a Shiner Bock or two (which I would, if I could find any) in honor of Texas and ol' Sam today.

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