Think back to seventh-grade Texas history class. You probably remember learning the main Texas rivers; maybe heard about a battle or two. But one date was ground into our memories: March 2, 1836.
On that day, Texas declared independence from Mexico before actually winning the war against the country, said Sean Cunningham, an associate professor and chairperson of the Department of History. He said this was similar to how America declared independence from Great Britain.
The Republic of Texas included parts of what are now Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Map provided by Wikimedia.
“As was true of American independence, Texas political leaders met to declare independence before having officially won the war,” Cunningham said. “In the case of Texas, that victory didn’t come until the Battle of San Jacinto in late April.”
The path to independence from Mexico began at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-On-The-Brazos, where Texas leaders drafted and adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence, according to the Bullock Museum website.
Settlers in Texas never viewed themselves as Mexicans but as “Texians,” due to the predominantly European-American origin of the settlers in the state, and wanted to separate themselves from Mexico, according to the Texas timeline on the Bullock Museum website.
The Lone Star State has been ruled by six different countries in its time and has also been its own country before becoming a part of the United States.
Cunningham, who has lived in Texas his whole live besides a brief stint in Florida for graduate school, said Texas does have a unique personality and history. Because of that, Cunningham said he thinks Texas is never boring.
Garrett Auer, a freshman from Angleton, Texas, said he loves the state and never wants to move away.
“It’s got every different variety of weather, people and every different kind of city,” Auer said. “You just have so many different options of where you want to live.”
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Noah Anderson agreed that Texas definitely has variety. He said whether you are looking for a small town or a big city, Texas has something for everyone. He said the personalities in Texas are unique as well.
“The thing I love the most about Texas is the people,” Anderson said. “Everyone is friendly. I do a lot of traveling and go a lot of different places and no one is ever as friendly.”
Cunningham said Texans do have a habit of overstating their “exceptionalism”.
“Not all Texans have always been welcomed into the state’s identity or culture, and there’s a long heritage of discrimination and inequality that must be dealt with,” Cunningham said. “But, there’s no question that Texas is one of those rare places in America in which almost everyone has an opinion.”
Texas was an independent country for only about 10 years, according to the Bullock Museum website, but the pride of Texans runs deep.
“I consider myself a Texan before I consider myself an American,” Anderson said.
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