Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I rise today because it is the 172nd anniversary of Texas Independence Day. I wish to take a moment to read a letter…”

“I rise today because it is the 172nd anniversary of Texas Independence Day. I wish to take a moment to read a letter that is such an important part of the history of Texas. It is the letter of William Barrett Travis from the Alamo. This is a tradition I have continued that was started by my colleague and friend, Senator John Tower, to commemorate Texas Independence Day every year, which is March 2. Now, of course, March 2 was yesterday, which is Sunday, so I always try to do it as close to March 2 as I can, as Senator Tower did when he was serving in this body. The Texas Declaration of Independence was a document that was signed by, among others, my own great, great grandfather, Charles S. Taylor, as well as his great friend, Thomas Rusk, who became one of the first two Senators from Texas and whose seat I hold today. They both hailed from Nacogdoches, which is the oldest town in Texas. It is the town where my mother grew up and where my great, great grandfather was a delegate to the convention that declared independence from Mexico for the territory that was Texas. It is a historic time for Texas. We celebrate Texas Independence Day every single year because we know fighting for freedom has made a difference in what Texas is. We love our history. We fought for freedom and we were a republic, an independent nation for 10 years. Then, we came into the United States under a treaty as a State.”