Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I wish to take a moment to read the letter of William Barret Travis from the Alamo. This is a tradition I continue that…”

“I wish to take a moment to read the letter of William Barret Travis from the Alamo. This is a tradition I continue that was started by Senator John Tower to commemorate Texas Independence Day, and that is today, March 2. Today is the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence, a document that was signed by, among others, my great-great-grandfather, Charles S. Taylor, and also his friend, Thomas J. Rusk, who first held the Senate seat I now hold. They both hailed from Nacogdoches, which is the oldest town in Texas--the town in which my mother grew up and the town in which I now own the home my grandfather built. It is a very historic time for Texas. We celebrate Texas Independence Day every single year because we know that fighting for freedom has made a difference in what Texas is. We love our history. We fought for freedom. We were a republic for 10 years, and then we came into the United States as a State. The defense of the Alamo by 189 courageous men, who were outnumbered 10 to 1, was a key battle of the Texas Revolution. The sacrifice of COL William Barret Travis and his men made possible GEN Sam Houston's ultimate victory at San Jacinto, which secured independence for Texas.…”