he read the letter from william barrett, texas. so we have a tradition every texas independence day of a texas senator reading the very moving speech from william barrett travis. today is the 175th anniversary of our independence from mexico. this past sunday, i had the honor of participating in the 175th anniversary of the texas declaration independence signing. it was a celebration that brought together almost all of the 59 signers descendants. thousands came to celebrate this pivotal event in texas' legacy of freedom and patriotism. my great, great grandfather was willing to sign the document that declared texas free from mexico. i am humbled to occupy the senate seat from texas that was first held by thomas jefferson husk, another signer of the texas declaration of independence. the 59 brave men did not just come in and sign a paper. they took great risks. they put their lives, their treasures and the lives of their families on the line to do this. and 175 years later sometimes you don't think of how hard it was for them to dec