Showing posts with label famous historic places. Show all posts
Showing posts with label famous historic places. Show all posts

02 March 2020

March 2nd: Honoring a Uniquely Texan Holiday

“I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat.”

Who said that?  This guy!


This is a painting of William Barret Travis, who died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

-William Barret Travis at the Alamo, 1836

Every year on March 2, Texans celebrate a holiday that is entirely and uniquely Texan”Texas Independence Day. The day marks the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos.The 59 delegates to the historic convention were a diverse group. Two delegates, José Francisco Ruiz and José Antonio Navarro, were native Mexicans. The rest were immigrants from other parts of Mexico, the United States, and Europe. Two-thirds of the delegates were less than forty years old.

The delegates “ and the people they represented “ had a clear goal. They sought to preserve the freedoms guaranteed to them under the Mexican Constitution, which had been lost under the dictatorship of President Antonio López de Santa Anna. They modeled their Declaration on the one signed in Philadelphia 60 years earlier, expressing their just grievances, determination to protect their freedoms, and vision for a new nation: the Republic of Texas.

Unlike the deliberations today in the U.S. Congress, the Texas Declaration of Independence was non-controversial and approved swiftly. The Unanimous Declaration of Independence by the Delegates of the People of Texas was signed on March 2, 1836. Five copies were sent to the towns of Bexar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria, and San Felipe. Because there was no printing press in Washington-on-the-Brazos, the printer at San Felipe was ordered to print 1,000 copies in handbill form. The original copy was sent to the U.S. Department of State in Washington “ where it would stay for six decades before being returned to the land where it was written.

Even as the delegates signed this historic document, they knew their love of liberty might command the ultimate sacrifice. At that moment, less than 200 miles to the West, Santa Anna's army was laying siege to the Alamo. Just days earlier, its young commander, William Barret Travis, sent a letter addressed to the people of the Republic of Texas and all Americans. He wrote:
 
Fellow citizens and compatriots “ I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna “ I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man “ The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken.


I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls “ I shall never surrender or retreat. 


Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch “ The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days.


If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country “ Victory or Death!


The Travis Letter became a rallying cry for freedom across the young Republic, and though death came to the defenders of the Alamo, victory eventually came for the people of Texas. Not long after the fall of the Alamo, General Sam Houston and about 900 Texas soldiers defeated the larger Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto. The surprise attack was so successful that the battle lasted only 18 minutes, and the next day Santa Anna himself was captured. By this victory, Texans won the independence they had declared less than two months earlier.
 


Map of the Republic of Texas, 1836“1845

Map of the Republic of Texas, 1836“1845 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

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30 December 2017

Meet Little Miss HISTORY – She’ll Be Your Tour Guide!

Spotlight on Barbara Ann Mojica, creator of Little Miss HISTORY.

Retired educator and historian Barbara Ann Mojica is using her KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities) to write history/travel books for children.


Published a series of picture books, nonfiction, the main character is a young traveler named Little Miss HISTORY, an aspiring park ranger eager to take you to famous landmarks and tell you all about them! Through her, Ms.Mojica takes readers on guided tours to well-known sites in the United States. So far LMH has visited:
  • Mount Rushmore,
  • the Statue of Liberty,
  • Sequoia National Park, and
  • Ford’s Theater.

Ms. Mojica has been recognized by BRAGMedallion.com, an organization that endeavors to recognize and promote the works of new and talented self-published authors:



Little Miss History Travels to MOUNT RUSHMORE is the first in a new series of children’s nonfiction books featuring a funny character named Little Miss History who takes you on a journey to visit historic places. This book is appropriate for middle-grade classrooms, libraries, and homes. Ms. Mojica is an historian, parent, grandparent and retired educator-driven by a genuine motivation to help make learning history a fun experience for children. In the words of one reviewer…”I wish we had books like this when I was in school.” 





Since her last trip to Mount Rushmore, Little Miss HISTORY has journeyed more than 1700 miles over land, sea and air to reach her second destination, The Statue of Liberty. This national treasure stands proudly in New York Harbor welcoming all people to the land of freedom and opportunity. In this second book of the series, Little Miss HISTORY will help you discover who thought of the statue in the first place, the values she symbolizes, the architects and engineers who built Lady Liberty, and the little known individuals who contributed their pennies to make her debut in New York’s harbor possible. You will learn about why she remains a promise and symbol of the hopes and aspirations of many people around the world and not just to immigrants coming to America. Come now and follow Little Miss HISTORY as she enlightens you about The Statue of Liberty!




Are you ready for another thrilling adventure? The Little Miss HISTORY series is a nonfiction picture book, history/travel series written with the intention of making learning fun for children and adults alike. In the third book of this series, this wannabe Park Ranger with pigtails and hiking boots three sizes too big skydives into SEQUOIA National Park. She will take you on a journey back in time to meet those who first settled in this wilderness. Through breathtaking illustrations and photographs, the reader will hike, horseback ride, and kayak through the park to view its wonders. Adventurers will encounter waterfalls, granite cliffs, giant trees, and geologic exhibits on their journey. More than three hundred species of wildlife abound in the park. Don’t be surprised if you meet a cinnamon bear or a mountain lion! Little Miss will explain the differences between sequoia trees and redwood trees, how they grow, and why they are important. Discover why the General Grant tree is called a “living memorial.” Despite the natural beauty of this park, readers will discover a deadly danger lurking within.




We are approaching the 150th Anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theater, April 15, 1865, Washington, D.C. In her fourth adventure, Little Miss HISTORY pulls up her reins at its doors to visit a place that has witnessed the best and worst of times. Its walls have heard laughter and tears. This nonfiction picture book is illustrated in somber tones that convey the mood of the tragic events that unfolded there. Little Miss HISTORY keeps spirits up by wearing a top hat like Lincoln and a Roman toga while acting in the theater, but she is well-aware that she is visiting a darker part of America’s history. Learn why many believed the building was cursed. Gaze at the Derringer pistol that fired the fatal shot. Study the boot that John Wilkes Booth wore while injuring his leg during his attempt to escape. See the bed where President Lincoln died. Crane your neck up to stare at the Tower of Books written about Abraham Lincoln in the Center for Education and Leadership. Let Little Miss HISTORY be your guide to learning how Ford’s Theater has become a living memorial to Abraham Lincoln and to the resilience of a country made whole once more.






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