The Story of Texas: A Speech Delivered at the TSHA Presidential Banquet, March 6, 2015

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, where he delivered the following address to the Texas State Historical Association.

Photo by David Olds.

Good evening. I want to thank all of you for inviting Julie and me to be with you. How appropriate that we are gathered on the 179th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo. You may have read about a bill filed in the Texas Legislature this year to protect the Alamo from a takeover by the United Nations. Let me assure you that most of us are not worried that this is actually going to happen. But if anyone wants to file a bill that will protect the Alamo from neglect, I’m all ears.

Being with you tonight reminds me of what a profound responsibility has been given to those of us in elected office: the responsibility to carry forward the remarkable story of Texas. And I will be mindful of that responsibility when I return to the Capitol on Monday. When I want to emphasize the gravity of our work as legislators, I like to say, “remember, we are making history here.” Knowing what you read in the newspaper sometimes about today’s legislature, I realize that may be a scary thought. But let me put your minds at ease. We in the legislature often have our disagreements. But like you, we care deeply about this state. All of us treat our history as Texans with a sacred reverence. We speak of our forefathers like we do the founders of our nation. We retell the stories of Texas Independence, the Alamo, and San Jacinto to infuse our citizens with a courageous spirit of old as we face challenges that are new.

As Texans, we not only know we are unique, but we are sure to tell you that. That uniqueness is rooted in our history. We are fond of telling people we were once our own nation. And what makes our time of independence in the nineteenth century so special is not the republic that lasted less than ten years, but the sacrifice it took to create it. We Texans love to retell the stories of that time; to mention the bravery of men like Bonham, Bowie, and Crockett; to talk about the foresight of Travis and Houston.

But our history is so much richer. Those who fear our increasingly diverse future ignore our very diverse past. In 1825, just eleven years before the fall of the Alamo, the population of Texas was 3,500 people, most of whom were of Mexican descent. This would change a decade later as the population would grow to ten times that number. But still roughly 20 percent would be of Mexican descent. So I simply say: Tell the many Hispanics who come from families that are sixth-, seventh-, or eighth-generation Texan that immigrants from Latin America are the new face of Texas. Read the names of those who died in the fight for independence: alongside Anglo-Saxon names you will find Spanish surnames, representing people who made the same sacrifice for our freedom. Texas is not like other states along the border with Mexico, where assimilation seems like a new phenomenon. Instead, it is rooted in our history. All of you know that we’ve always been a diverse cauldron of cultures and ethnicities. I think those of us at the Capitol should remember that when we start to talk about immigration and related issues.

But a telling of our history should go beyond famous battles and the immigration of various people. It should look at the character and spirit of our ancestors. Those who would settle this land—building its cities and ultimately its industries—were for many years focused on a most basic instinct: survival. They came to a harsh land and found a harsh existence. But Texans would learn to tame the land and defend it. They would become known for large...