THE LONE STAR STATE AND MY CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION

You would think that after all this time, I would have put something of educational value on a post or two. Well, okay - maybe there is somewhere among the daily dribble (yeah, I realize I'm using the term 'daily' loosely).

Because I check sitemeter here and there, I notice that there are several hits a day for searches along the lines of "why is it named the lone star state". Since searching "Lone Star State" usually brings up this site in the top few, I should probably give at least some explaination. Particularly because many of those landing here appear to be teachers or students and I surely wouldn't want to let anyone down. So here's Mr. B's help:

Why is it called the 'Lone Star State'?

The short answer to that question is this: After many battles, including that at the Alamo against Santa Ana, Texas proclaimed its independence as a republic in 1836. The lone star, originally gold on a blue background, signified this and served as a reminder of the struggles to gain its independence from Mexico. At the time, folks in both Texas and the United States explored annexation to the US. However, political disagreements pertaining to issues related to the Civil War didn't make the annexation favorable at the time. 9 years later, things were a little different and the Republic of Texas was annexed as the 28th state on December 29, 1845. At this time, the official flag of the republic became the official flag of the state, with exception of the star, which was turned from gold to white. Although I've never varified this personally, it's widely accepted that, in fact, Texas is the only state in the US that reserves the right to legally secede. Economically speaking, it's agricultural, mineral and manufacturing resources make it the single largest contributor to the US economy as a whole.

Bonus fact:

The name Texas comes from the word "Teysha" from the language of the Caddo Indian Tribes. Loosely translated, it means "Friend".

Bonus fact #2:

The University of Texas Longhorns won the Baseball World Series in 2005 AND the NCAA National Football Championship just a few months later in January of 2006. But then, if you've ever read this blog before, you already know this.

Any other questions??? Glad to be of service......

Have a great weekend!!!