[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 54 (Friday, April 19, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E503-E504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            SAN JACINTO DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 19, 2013

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate one of 
the most important events in Texas history, and the history of our 
United States, San Jacinto Day.
  On April 21, 1836, Texas forces, led by General Sam Houston, dealt a 
decisive blow to General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his oppressive 
Mexican Government. Approximately 900 Texan and Tejano volunteers 
overpowered a larger, professionally trained Mexican army of conscript 
soldiers, after suffering defeats at Goliad and the Alamo.
  These outnumbered volunteers were fighting against tyranny and for 
their homeland, and they triumphed because of their determination to be 
free from oppression.
  In the words of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the people's 
government had been ``forcibly changed, without their consent, from a 
restricted federative republic, composed of sovereign states, to a 
consolidated central military despotism.''

[[Page E504]]

  The Texas Revolution proved the bonds of freedom are stronger than 
ethnicity, as many Tejanos sacrificed their lives for Texas' freedom at 
the battles of Gonzalez, Bexar, Goliad, the Alamo, and San Jacinto. The 
war was not between Anglos and Hispanics, it was a struggle between all 
Texans and the military dictatorship in Mexico City.
  Texans and Tejanos knew then what we know now--freedom requires 
sacrifice. Texas culture places high honors on heroes willing to 
sacrifice their lives for a better life for their fellow man, and 
Texans are known around the world as an honorable people who respond to 
the call of duty.
  In that spirit, I want to highlight the work by the San Jacinto 
Chapter of the Daughters of the Texas Republic, who made the 
preservation of the San Jacinto Battleground possible by petitioning 
the Legislature to purchase the acreage and by donating their treasury 
to complete the sale in 1900.
  The San Jacinto Chapter of Daughters and the Texans Veterans 
Association did extraordinary work to ensure that the legacy lived on, 
and the importance of the park has only expanded since then.
  I am very proud to have formerly represented the site of the Battle 
of San Jacinto commemorated by the San Jacinto Monument.
  This park not only has the San Jacinto Monument to recognize the 
brave men that defeated the military dictator General Santa Anna, it 
also home to the Battleship Texas, which is a symbol of sacrifices in 
World War I and World War II.
  With the understanding of where they came from, Texans and Americans 
will continue to respond to calls of service, thereby continuing their 
legacy of respect and admiration throughout the world.

                          ____________________