U.S. #2968
1995 32¢ Texas Statehood
Issue Date: June 16, 1995
City: Austin, TX
Quantity: 99,424,000
Printed By: Sterling Sommers for Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: 11.2
Color: Multicolored
U.S. #2968 commemorates 150 years of Texas statehood. On December 29, 1845, Texas became the first independent nation to become a U.S. state. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Texas' statehood, this stamp features one of the great traditional symbols of Texas - a cowboy atop a horse carrying the Lone Star flag. Even the 1845 date and the word "Texas" were designed to resemble the lettering of a branding iron.
Texas
With its vast plains, fertile lowlands, and majestic mountain ranges, Texas is the second largest state in the U.S. A wild frontier, once famous for its cowboys and cattle drives, today this prosperous state is known for its agricultural wealth and flourishing industries.
Throughout its colorful history, the flags of six nations have flown over Texas. Claimed as part of Spain, France, and then Mexico, Texas gained its independence in 1836 when American revolutionists defeated Mexican troops at San Jacinto. Settlers, lured by offers of free land, flocked to the new territory, pushing its frontier westward.
Texas remained an independent nation for nearly ten years before becoming the 28th state in 1845. During the Civil War, Texas joined the Confederate States, but was readmitted to the Union in 1870.
In 1901 the discovery of oil transformed the state’s economy, and the development of farmland, mineral resources, and coastal harbors insured its growth and prosperity. Following World War II, manufacturing expanded, shifting the state from a rural farm economy to an urban industrialized economy. Today Texas continues to lead the country in the production of beef, cotton, oil, and natural gas.
Battle Of San Jacinto
On April 21, 1836, Texan soldiers led a swift attack on an unsuspecting Mexican force at the Battle of San Jacinto.
The Texans and Mexicans had been at odds since the early 1830s. Up to that time, Mexico had allowed Americans to form a colony in Texas, but it quickly grew to nearly 30,000 people.
Mexican leaders grew concerned about the high number of Americans living in their territory and in 1830, halted their immigration. Relations between the settlers and the government quickly deteriorated. In 1834, a Mexican politician and soldier, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, took over the Mexican government and established himself as a dictator. A year later, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
After a few clashes between Texans and Mexican soldiers, Texas leaders organized a temporary government on November 3, 1835. Texas troops under Colonel Benjamin Milam captured San Antonio on December 11, 1835. Enraged, Santa Anna sent a large army to San Antonio to put down the uprising.
Texan forces withdrew to the walls of the Alamo. From February 23 to March 6, 1836, Santa Anna’s forces attacked the fort until it finally fell. Many famous men died while defending the Alamo, including Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and William B. Travis.
On March 27th, Santa Anna ordered 330 Texan rebels executed after they surrendered at Goliad. Rather than crush the independence movement, these actions galvanized Texan resolve. Word of Santa Anna’s cruel, merciless treatment of the Texans quickly spread, and the ranks of the Texas Army swelled. As the Mexican Army continued its march into Texas, General Sam Houston was training about 900 men to stop them.
The two forces met on April 20 along the San Jacinto River near present-day Houston. On that day, Santa Anna tried unsuccessfully to penetrate the enemy position. He decided to rest his weary men the next day.
But there was no rest for the Texans. Houston ordered an attack instead. The cavalry quietly surrounded the Mexican flanks while ground troops crept within 200 yards of the Mexicans before being detected. The artillery opened fire while the infantry attacked the unprepared enemy with a rallying cry of “Remember the Alamo, remember Goliad!” In less than 20 minutes, the Mexican Army surrendered. Santa Anna tried to escape wearing a private’s uniform but was captured the next day.
Santa Anna signed a peace treaty three weeks later, promising that the Mexican Army would leave Texas. And the Republic of Texas was an independent sovereign country for nearly a decade before it joined America as the 28th state in 1845.