Texas Independence Day

Today is the 174 anniversary of Texas’ Independence from Mexico.

In schools today, projects are planned at the fourth and seventh grade levels — the grades in which Texas History is taught.

“Texas Independence Day is a critical part of the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) for fourth and seventh grade Texas History,” said Stephen Foster, instructional specialist in social studies for the Comal Independent School District. “At the fourth grade level, you’ll have teachers doing more of the crafts-oriented projects. With the seventh grade, you get more of the intellectual level (historic figures and places),” in the classes, he said.

Statewide, the standardized testing of students on Texas history has waned, though not in the standards for the curriculum, Foster said.

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, or TAAS test, the precursor to the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS, the current standardized test in the state, emphasized more competency in Texas history and historic figures in the eighth-grade year.

Now the TAKS test “is more U.S. history, just discussing Texas’ role in western expansion and slavery,” Foster said.

On March 2, 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos by 59 signatories — Sam Houston along with 58 other representatives.

Like the United States Declaration of Independence, the Texans’ declaration contains a statement on the nature of government, a list of grievances, and a final declaration of independence, according to the Handbook of Texas Online. The welfare of the state of Coahuila had taken precedent over that of Texas, they argued. Also listed among their grievances was that the Mexican government had failed to provide a system of public education, trial by jury and freedom of religion. The declaration even charged that the Mexican government had incited native populations — the Comanche and other tribes — to massacre the settlers from the United States.

Houston convinced the signers that the declaration would give them some basis of legality and would help draw more help from the United States

Today, also happens to be the birthday of Sam Houston. He was born on March 2, 1793 in Virginia. He is the only person in U.S. history to be governor of two states, Tennessee and Texas, a U.S. Senator and the president of a foreign nation — the Republic of Texas.