TEXAS
TEXAS HISTORY? TODAY WE ARE TAUGHT ABOUT ONE
OF THE FIRST SIGNERS OF THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND
HOW HIS LEGACY LIVES ON TODAY.
>> Reporter: THERE ARE
COUNTLESS TEXANS WHO HELPED OUR
STATE GAIN INDEPENDENCE AND
BECOME THE 28th STATE OF THE
USA.
USA.
USA. MANY
USA. MANY OF THEM YOU LIKELY ALREADY
KNOW BUT I'M HERE TODAY TO TELL
YOU ABOUT SOMEONE YOU MATEY HAD
NOT HEARD ABOUT, BUT YOU
CERTAINLY SHOULD KNOW AND
HOPEFULLY WILL SOON REMEMBER.
I WANT YOU TO MEET JOSI ANTONIO
NAVARRO.
NAVARRO.
NAVARRO. BORN IN SAN ANTONIO IN 179+@5
NAVARRO HAD MONEY OF POLITICAL
ROOTS IN THE FAMILY, WELL AND
PLENTY OF SIBLINGS, 11 TO BE
EXACT. +@
EXACT. +@
EXACT. +@ NAVARRO TAUGHT HIMSELF LAW AND
BUILT HIMSELF UP INTO A
SUCCESSFUL MERCHANT, RANCHER,
AND LAND INVESTOR.
NAVARRO STARTED TO MAKE A NAME
FOR HIMSELF IN THE EARLY 1830S
@ WHEN HE REPRESENTED TEXAS IN A
VERY UNIQUE WAY.
WHILE MANY+@ OF NAVARRO'S FRIEN
AND PEERS FOUGHT AT THE BATTLE
OF THE ALAMO HE WAS HERE AT THE
AND PEERS FOUGHT AT THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO HE WAS HERE AT THE@
WASHINGTON ON THE -- AS THE
TEXANS WORKED TO GAIN THEIR
INDEPENDENCE.
INDEPENDENCE. NOT ONLY WAS NAVARRO THE ONLY
NATIVE TEXAN TO WORK ON THE
COMMITTEE THAT ORIGINA+@LLY WRO
THE CONSTITUTION FOR THE
+@REPUBLIC OF TEXAS, HE WAS ONL
ONE OF TWO NATIVE TEXANS TO
+@
+@ HELP
+@ HELP DRAFT A+@ND SIGN THE TEXAS
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
NOW WITH THEIR INDEPENDENCE,
THESE TEXANS WERE WANTING MORE,
WHICH LEAD TO THE SANTA FE
EXPEDITION OF 1841.
THE SECOND LETTER TO PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
MIRABELLE BONAPARTE LaMARR
ORGANIZED A PLAN TO HEAD TO
+@
ORGANIZED A PLAN TO HEAD TO EASTERN +@NEW MEXICO AND SECEDE
FROM MEXICO AND JOIN THE
REPUBLIC OF TEXAS.
THIS IS AN OFFICIAL LETTER+@ FR
LaMARR ABOUT THE EXPEDITION IN
PART RINGING -- NAVARRO
INITIALLY DIDN'T LIKE THE PLAN,
BUT LEGALLY BONAPARTE PLAYED ON
NAVARRO'S DEVOTION TO TEXAS
CONVINCING HIM TO TAKE THE
JOURNEY.
JOURNEY.
JOURNEY. THE PLAN NOT +@ONLY FELL APART,
IT WAS A DISASTER.
NAVARRO AND OTHER MEMBERS WERE
CA+@PTURED AND TAKEN PRISONERS
THE MEXICAN AUTHORITIES.
NAVARRO HIMSELF UNDERWENT
INTENSE INTERROGATIONS, HE WAS
EVEN OFFERED A GOVERNING
POSITION IF HE WOULD ANNOUNCE
HIS RENOUNCE HIS ALLEGIANCE TO
TEXAS.
TEXAS.
TEXAS. SOMETHING NOW FOUND HERE ON THE
WALL OF THE OFFICIAL HISTORY
MUSEUM IN AUSTIN.
HE PROCLAIMED "I WILL NEVER --
TEXAS AND HER CAUSE, I AM HER
SON."
SON."
SON." THINK ABOUT THA+@T HE WAS FACIN
DEATH AND ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS
SAY SOMETHING AGAINST HIS HOME,
HIS TEXAS, AND HE WOUL+@D NOT D
+@
HIS TEXAS, AND HE WOUL+@D NOT D IT.
IT.
IT. THAT
IT. THAT IS SOMETHING DEEPER THAN
BEING PROUD OF WHERE YOU ARE
FROM.
FROM.
FROM. NAVARRO WAS CONVICT DID OF
TREASON AND SENTENCED TO DEATH
BEFORE THE MILITARY SUPREME
COURT OVERTURNED THE VERDICT
AND SENTENCED HIM TO LIFE
IMPRISONMENT.
IMPRISONMENT. +@
IMPRISONMENT. HE WAS SENT TO THE MISTREATED
PRISON IN VERACRUZ, KNOWN AS A
PRISON OF LIVING DEATH. +@
PLACE IN WHICH NO ONE WAS LEFT
ALIVE.
ALIVE.
ALIVE. BUT AFTER FOUR YEARS IN THIS
DUNGEON NAVARRO ESCAPED.
SOME STORIES TELL OF A
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE, BUT IT IS
MOST LIKELY THAT FAMILY AND
FRIENDS BRIBED THE PRISON
GUARDS FOR HIS RELEASE.
EVEN SO IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME
NAVARRO GOT THE NICKNAME THE +@
WHITE DOVE, BEING REGARDED AS A
MAN OF PEACE TO ESCAPE DEATH IN
PRISON.
PRISON.
PRISON. NAVARRO RETURNED HOME,
CONSIDERED A HERO, EARNING
RESPECT FROM LEADERS SU+@CH AS
GOOD FRIENDS STEPHEN -- AND
COLLEAGUE SAM HOUSTON.
NAVARRO WENT ON TO HAVE MANY
IMPORTANT PIECES OF WRITING
THAT CAPTURED THE HISTORY OF
WHAT TEXAS WAS AND BECAME.
HE IS CONSIDERED THE FIRST TO
HONDO TO WRITE ABOUT THE
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
HE ALSO SAW THE NEED TO CORRECT
VERSIONS OF HISTORY THAT
IGNORED, DIMINISHED OR
INCORRECTLY RECORDED THE
HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF TO
HONDO'S.
HONDO'S.
HONDO'S. HE SERVED IN MANY CAPACITIES
THROUGH THE YEARS AT THE LOCAL,
STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL.
+@ DURING HIS LIFETIME THERE WERE
SIX CHANGES OF GOVERNMENT.
A SPANISH COLONY, MEXICAN
STATE, AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC,
AND AMERICAN STATE, A
CONFEDERATE STATE, AND THEN
ONCE AGAIN AN AMERICAN STATE.
NAVARRO EVENTUALLY LIVED FULL-
TIME IN SAN ANTONIO NEAR WHERE
HE WAS BORN.
TH+@AT IS WHERE HE DIED IN 1871
NOW THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN NEARLY
150 YEARS AGO, BUT THAT DOESN'T
DIMINISH THE TYPE OF IMPACT HE
STILL HAS TODAY.
WITH MORE THAN 500 NAVARRO
DESCENDENTS THROUGHOUT TEXAS
AND OTHER STATES THERE ARE
PLENTY OF THINGS NAMED AFTER
HIM, LIKE HERE AT NAVARRO
STREET IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND THE NAVARRO SCHOOLHOUSE
ALSO IN SAN ANTONIO.
FOR THOSE IN NORTH TEXAS IF YOU
LIVE IN NAVARRO COUNTY, YET
THAT IS NAMED AFTER H+@IM AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. COURSE THE CANADA CITY WITHIN
THAT COUNTY IS NAMED IN MEMORY
OF HIS FATHER'S BIRTHPLACE OF +@
CORSICA.
CORSICA.
CORSICA. IN +@1936 THE TEXAS CENTENNIAL
COMMISSION PLACED A LARGE
BRONZE STATUE OF NAVARRO THAT
NOW SITS IN FRONT OF THE
NAVARRO COUNTY COUNT WHERE
SPARTA IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT
STREETS IN CITIES AND STATUES
IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE WHO WON'T LET THE
MEMORY OF THIS AND FADEAWAY.
THE NONPROFIT THE FRIENDS OF --
NAVARRO WAS FOUNDED BY+@ HIS
GREAT, GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER
SYLVIA NAVARRO TILLOTSON IN
2006.
2006.
2006. THIS ORGANIZATION IS DEDICATED
TO ENHANCING THE PROFILE,
LEGACY, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF
THE NAVARRO NAME, WHILE THEY
MAKE SURE TO CELEBRATE HIS
BIRTHDAY EVERY YEAR WIT+@H PEOP
COMING FROM AROUND THE STATE
AND +@COUNTRY, THEY ALSO ARE
FOCUSED ON SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE
YOUNGER GENERATIONS, AND MAKING
SURE TO +@FIND WAYS TO EDUCATE
PEOPLE ON WHAT NAVARRO DID FOR
TEXAS INDEPENDENCE.
TEXAS INDEPENDENCE. THE NONPROFIT LEADERS ALSO
HELPED ENHANCE SAN ANTONIO'S
CASA NAVARRO STATE HISTORIC
SITE, TURNING IT INTO A MORE
INTERACTIVE HISTORICAL
INTERACTIVE HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. ALLOWING EVERYONE TO REMEMBER
WHO JOSI ANTONIO NAVARRO WAS.
NAVARRO WAS A SELF-TAUGHT MAN
WHO FOUGHT FOR AND BELIEVED IN
AND DID NOT KN+@OW HOW TO GO
THROUGH LIFE ANY OTHER WAY.
HE HELPED TEXAS GAINED ITS
INDEPENDENCE AND INEVITABLY
HELPED US BECOME PART OF THE
COUNTRY WE LIVE IN TODAY.
AND IF THIS STORY DIDN'T MAKE
YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT +@NAVARRO
MEANS TO TEXAS, AND TEXAS MEANS
TO NAVARRO, I'D LIKE TO READ
YOU A PIECE FROM HIS OBITUARY.
"TO NONE OF HER GREATEST
STATESMEN NOR TOO