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WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) commemorated Texas Independence Day on the Senate floor by reading a letter William B. Travis wrote during the Battle of the Alamo.  Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found here. 

“I'd like to start off speaking about a very important day in the history of my state, a day that inspires pride in the hearts of all those who were born in Texas. I'm here to commemorate Texas Independence Day.”

“On March 2, 1836, Texas adopted its Declaration of Independence from Mexico.”

“On February 24 of that year, with his position under siege, an important figure named William Barrett Travis wrote a letter which I'd like to read.”

“Here in the Senate both Republicans and Democrats have had the honor of reading the fabled Travis letter since 1961, when then-Texas Senator John Tower started that tradition.”

“Every single day, I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve 28 million Texans, a chance I wouldn't have had without the sacrifices made by the brave men like William Barrett Travis 182 years ago.”