Independence Day

Today is Texas Independence Day.  Not important to anyone besides Texans.

Most of the residents at the retirement home where I live are folks who grew up in Texas and have never lived or been any place else.  We remember Texas history, which is taught in our schools as on a par with U.S. History.  As for European history, what happened over there that can compare with the Alamo?

On March 2, 1836, a small group of settlers, mostly farmers and ranchers, gathered in a little white frame church in Washington-on-the-Brazos, and declared Texas independent from Mexico.  The audacity of those men, most of them recent immigrants from the U.S.!  No true Texan questions that these newly hatched Texans were justified in taking control of lands that Spain claimed for 300 years.  After all, Mexico had gained its only a few years before and had been totally inept in governing the fast remote land.     

Mexico’s president, General Santa Anna, proved equally bad in trying to recapture the country.  In April, Sam Houston and a handful of men whipped the Mexican army, captured the general, and shipped him off – literally in a ship – to Washington as a present to Andrew Jackson. 

So Texas became an independent nation for the next ten years.  That’s why in front of every big building in Texas you will see two flag poles, one flying the U.S. flag and the other the lone star flag of Texas.  

Some Texans think the U.S. should still treat the state like an independent country, to be negotiated with and deferred to like France and Britain.  In November we elected a new senator, a Tea Party man named Tom Cruz. Within a month after taking his seat in the U.S. Senate, Cruz made a fool of himself, posturing and voting “No” on everything, even an act to protect women from abuse.  Even his fellow Republicans were embarrassed.

Last year at Montclair we had a big party to celebrate Texas Independence Day.  The dining hall was hung with lone star flags, and bouquets of artificial bluebonnets decorated every table.  A few months ago our new activities director cleaned out the store room and threw out all the flags and decorations.  She was from New Orleans and did not know any better.  While eating hamburgers at lunch today just a few of us old Texans reminded each other that March 2 is a special day. 

Maybe that is just as well.  We also have residents who moved here from other states.   They all acknowledge that Texas is – well, different – but are right to insist that this state is no more special than Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi, or Pennsylvania.

In my own lifetime I have seen Texas change from a mostly rural land dominated by rich white men to primarily urban (three of the ten largest cities in the U.S. are in Texas), where minorities are growing in number.  Huge numbers of blacks and Hispanics, with a surprising influx of Asians.  Not to mention young professionals from “up North.”   Most of the transplanted elders at Montclair moved here to be near their children. 

Politics is still dominated by old, rich white men.  We are stuck with Senator Cruz for the next six years.  But times they are changing.  Are you listening Congressman Hensarling?