Texans have always done things a little bit differently. We tend to drive bigger cars, eat more beef, and love high school football just a little bit more than other regions. A quick look at our state history illustrates how this iconoclastic behavior has been a part of Texas since the very beginning.
When Tejanos and Anglo-American settlers realized that the dictatorial President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was systematically abandoning the republican values inscribed in the Mexican constitution, they decided enough was enough. Forty-four delegates were elected to assemble on March 1, 1836, at Washington-on-the-Brazos to draft a constitution for an independent Texas nation. Fourty-one of the delegates – including two native Texans, one Mexican representative, and many others from across the United States and Europe – were present at the opening session. George C. Childress proposed a Declaration of Independence similar to that of the United States, and the resolution to declare independence from Mexico was unanimously adopted the next day on March 2, thereby forming the Republic of Texas.
Ever since then, Texans have continued to two-step to their own tune – even when it comes to electricity. Unlike most other states in the U.S., our power grid is completely disconnected from neighboring states, which gives us the freedom to manage our grid as we see fit. And because most of Texas is deregulated, roughly 90% of Texans are able to choose their own electricity provider based on the plans, prices, and rewards programs that work for them.
We’re proud to champion the same values our ancestors held dear – namely, an abiding love of personal freedom and the courage to challenge the status quo. From all of us here at Energy Texas, Happy Texas Independence Day, y’all!
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