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175 years of pissing people off

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On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Like all children in Texas public schools, I received a year of Texas History, where I learned important things like the “true story” of the Yellow Rose of Texas. I also studied Texas Independence and read of the earlier “Green Revolution, but I have never read the actual Texas Declaration of Independence until this day. (Bad Texan!)

Two things stand out when reading the Texas Declaration of Independence: First, it was obviously greatly influenced by the American Declaration penned by Thomas Jefferson 60 years earlier. Second, the Texans could have used an editor.

When a government has ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people, from whom its legitimate powers are derived, and for the advancement of whose happiness it was instituted, and so far from being a guarantee for the enjoyment of those inestimable and inalienable rights, becomes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers for their oppression.

“Evil rulers!” I think George W. Bush read the Texas Declaration. Also, note it is “lives, liberty, and property.” None of this coy “pursuit of happiness” business. Get your mitts off my stuff! We are a straight-shooting people, both verbally and ballistically.

Among the grievances listed are the lack of trial by jury, attempts to disarm the colonists, violation of due process, quartering troops, prohibition of freedom of religion, and lack of representation in the Mexican government.  Tyranny really only has a couple of notes, doesn’t it?
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One section near the end struck me, “We are, therefore, forced to the melancholy conclusion, that the Mexican people have acquiesced in the destruction of their liberty, and the substitution therfor of a military government; that they are unfit to be free, and incapable of self government.”

Ouch.

Anyway, Texans, in particular, should read the whole thing, as the kids say.  Check out the signature page.  The columns are divided by a cute lil’ curvy line that wouldn’t look out of place on a middle-schoolers notebook.

(Please note, this is 2 days in a row I’ve blogged. Somebody should give me a cookie!)

 

6 responses to “175 years of pissing people off”

  1. Dana Avatar
    Dana

    Every time I read "quartering troops" I think about them being hanged, drawn and quartered. I don't know why.

  2. April Avatar
    April

    I thought I was the only one!

  3. Jeff S. Avatar
    Jeff S.

    I'm no scholar of political philosophy, but I'm pretty sure the "life, liberty and property" line hews back to the original phrasing of John Locke. As a statement of a few of the more important natural rights, I've always preferred Locke's (and Texas's) original formulation over Jefferson's paraphrase.

  4. mumziepooh Avatar
    mumziepooh

    I think it was pretty well written for a bunch of guys on a camp out at Washington-on-the-Brazos! Seriously! It isn't like they had a nice room in Philly or DC to sit and write and they certainly didn't have loads of time what with Santa Ana reigning terror on the Alamo and all. Totally love your title! I think it is what true Texans live for!

  5. April Avatar
    April

    Jeff, you're right about the original wording from the enlightenment thinkers. And I think we'd have been better off if Jefferson had just put in "property." Both the lack of the word AND the vague "pursuit of happiness" have been used by statist to no good end.

    Mumziepooh. I. Love. Your. Name. Actually,I agree. It's pretty well written for the time and the place. They just could have used a refresher in run-on sentences and the abuse of the comma.

  6. […] this day in 1836, Texas declared it’s independence from Mexico while Travis and Bowie and the other defenders were besieged at the Alamo, which would fall 4 days […]

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