Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4438, the ``San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Leasing and Boundary Expansion Act of 2010,'' as introduced by my fellow member of the Texas delegation, the distinguished Ciro Rodriguez. This bill will expand the boundaries of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, adding an additional 150 acres of land to the site that preserves important pieces of Texas history. In the early 18th Century, the five missions in San Antonio were the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America. Built primarily to expand Spanish New World influence northward from Mexico, the missions also served to introduce native inhabitants into Spanish society. All five thrived through the middle of the 18th Century, and then slowly declined towards the end of the 1700s, through disease, inadequate military support, and increased hostility from Comanches and Apaches. The Alamo, the most famous of the missions, is well known to all, as a shrine of Texas history. The other four missions--San Jose, San Juan, Concepcion, and Espada--have been in active operation as houses of worship since the 1800s, and are still important to the history of Texas. In 1978, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was authorized by the National Park Service. At that time, the San Antonio River, which runs through much of the Park's area, was somewhat polluted.…”