Lone Star State turns 175

In a sleepy little town on the banks of the Brazos River, while Santa Ana's forces laid siege to the Alamo, 59 men met and declared Texas independent. On March 2, 1836, the Republic of Texas was born.

The Texas Declaration of Independence was modeled after Thomas Jefferson's declaration - spelling out the role of government and listing the grievances the Texans had with Mexico. George Childress is generally credited as being the author of the document.

Mr. Childress was born in Tennessee in 1804 and crossed the Red River into God's country in December of 1835. In 1841, after several unsuccessful attempts to establish a law practice, Mr. Childress killed himself by slashing his abdomen with a bowie knife.

So, raise a glass of iced tea and wish Texas a happy birthday.