Texas: A Free Nation Under God

About the Book

After a 13-day siege by the Mexican Army in March 1836 the Alamo fell. 185 Texans were killed while trying to defend this fortress. The Mexican Army marched on to Goliad where they massacred 350 Texans. The Texas Army, led by General Sam Houston, engaged and defeated General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Mexican forces at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. Located in present-day Harris County, Texas it was the decisive battle of the Texas revolution in a fight that lasted just eighteen minutes. About 700 Mexican soldiers were killed and 730 captured, while only nine Texans died. This battle paved the way for the Republic of Texas to become a sovereign nation. Sam Houston became a national celebrity and the Texans' rallying cries, "Remember the Alamo!" and "Remember Goliad!" became etched into history and legend. With its sovereignty declared Texas existed as an independent nation state from 1836 to 1846, with a promising healthy economy. It had trade relationships with several other nations, especially Great Britain. When Texas agreed to join the Union of the United States in 1846, it reserved the right under its constitution to secede from the United States and once more become a nation in itself should its people so decide. If this were to happen, Texas could be divided into five individual states, becoming once again, the Republic of Texas. The geography, natural resources including petroleum, agriculture, ranching, universities, and industry of Texas enable it, if necessary, to be the independent nation that it reserved the right to be. At different times by different Texans there have been discussions regarding the need and achievability of Texas seceding from the United States. This was generally thought of as all talk and no one publically or seriously considered secession.

About the Author

Manuel L. (Manny) English, Ph.D. Visit Manny's website at: www.drmannyenglish.com Dr. Manuel (Manny) L. English is a retired executive and former professor. He was born in East Texas, one of ten children of sharecropper parents. When he was five years old, he began working in the cotton and corn fields along with his brothers and sisters attending school only when there was no work. Poverty prevailed in all directions. From the age of ten there were many moves to Arkansas and several parts of Texas in search of farm work. At sixteen, to escape the poverty of his childhood, Manny enlisted in the U.S. Marines Corps serving in Korea with the 1st Marine Division. Two weeks after returning to Camp Pendleton, he came down with Korean malaria spending 40 days in a military hospital. This near-death experience gave him the opportunity to realize that he wanted to make something out of his life. He left active duty in the fall of 1955. After some travel and not quite ready to settle down, he joined the U.S. Army in 1957 spending six years serving in Berlin, Germany and at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Manny met Jeanette in Honolulu in February 1962 and they married six months later. In 1964, he elected to leave the army and attend university. Two months later, a U.S. Air Force recruiter came and asked him to join. With one child and one on the way, and with the promise of support in getting his university degree, he enlisted as a staff sergeant in the Air Force. Ten months later Manny was selected for the ‘Boot Strap’ program spending a full calendar year at the University of Omaha earning his bachelor’s degree. He was then immediately promoted to second lieutenant. The Air Force continued its educational support enabling Manny to earn masters (U of Oklahoma) and doctorate (U of Manchester, England) degrees. Manny retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1976. He is proud to hold the title: Marine, Soldier, and Airman. Manny went on to teach at several universities and serve as chief executive officer of a number of medical organizations including two teaching hospitals, one in Saudi Arabia. He has published numerous articles on a variety of subject and his book titled: An Imaginative Existence - A Provocative Essay on Causation, Manifestation, and Finality of Being is a Pinnacle Award Winner for 2010 . He now resides in the Seattle area and his interests include fictional and non-fictional writing. Chris Adams, Major General, USAF (Ret) Visit Chris's website at: www.literarywerks.com Chris Adams grew up in the small town of Tomball, Texas. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Major General, former Chief of Staff, Strategic Air Command; Associate Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory, industry executive and published author. As a basis for several of his works, he traveled extensively in the former Soviet States, making some 23 extended visits. He draws extensively on his knowledge and experience in strategic air operations, nuclear weapons and the culture of the former Soviet Union in developing his writings. A veteran of Vietnam, he served as a bomber pilot, wing and air division commander and senior staff officer, three years with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and six years with the Defense Nuclear Agency. He is a Texan and American Patriot, and has been awarded the nation’s highest peacetime decoration, The United States Distinguished Service Medal, The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) National Medal of Honor and numerous other awards and decorations. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University~Commerce and is listed in Who’s Who in America. His previous books include three non-fiction Cold War historical treatments and four spy novels.