By "Historical Republic of Texas" we mean the Republic of Texas (RT) as it was just before it was illegally annexed in 1845. We are calling it the Historical RT to differentiate it from the New RT and also from the various other RT factions out there. Because the RT first declared its independence in 1836, but has been dormant for over a century, we have Redeclared our Independence and Friendship.
Among the other RT factions, only a few were taking the valid approach of resurrecting the RT by following the requirements of the then current (1836) RT Constitution so that the government can be legal again and pick up where it left off. But of all of these factions that we've studied, their oaths of citizenship appear to have extraneous requirements (or other language) not supported by the Constitution, such as a religious bias, or requirements to commit to military service or to disavow all other citizenship. At best, this causes or shows a bias in their selection which could make other good would-be citizens ineligible. Actually, this completely invalidates their approach and means that none of their people are really legitimate RT citizens. Therefore, to avoid any possible risk to our legitimacy, we have started this effort knowing that there are no other valid citizens of the Historical Republic of Texas but our own. We will of course welcome members of other RT factions to join us, if they're sincere and compatible. Naturally, our citizenship oath requires only what the Constitution says it has to.
What about those who say that the annexation was legal? Their own words prove them wrong!
Note that the 1836 Constitution reflects the prejudices of its time, allowing only whites (and orientals and hispanics) to become citizens. We are against racism, sexism, and slavery and we have already started the process of amending the Constitution to remove that crap. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a Catch-22. To amend the Constitution, you have to do it according to the amendment procedures in the Constitution, which means that the government has to be legitimately functioning. The requirements for the government to be legally functioning are, of course, in the Constitution. To elect a President and enough Congress people etc. as specified in the Constitution, you have to follow the requirements for citizenship, voting, and offices as they are in the Constitution. So we had to put up with the requirements as they were (as when the RT was put to sleep in 1845) in order to get the government up and running in compliance with the old rules, and then (and only then) the government can change the rules. So first we had to qualify and swear in enough citizens under the old rules, and hold elections (which are the 1st Monday in September), and take office - so we've done all that. Then the constitutional amendments (after we've finished writing them) need to be proposed in the House or Senate, then passed by a majority of both houses, then referred to the next Congress and published for 3 months, then must pass by at least 2/3 vote in both houses, then must be submitted to the people and approved by a majority of voters, and then the amendments are finally in the Constitution. Then we can admit citizens of all races and then hold new elections. Then the newly elected Historical RT government will have the same elected officials as it would have if it had never been racist.
Thus, by following the rules of the existing Constitution, we have legitimately resurrected the Historical RT from the point where it was put to sleep in 1845. By doing everything legally, and having just the valid requirements for citizenship, and not having any invalid citizens, we preserve the full historical legitimacy of the RT, so no one can honestly challenge our claim to be the rightful RT government. Even if some other faction elects a quorum and reactivates their government before we do, theirs will still be invalid because of their incorrect citizenship oaths.
Since December 9, 2005 we've had enough people in Congress to represent our citizens and begin the process of amending the Constitution. Since that is our most urgent task and does not require fully functioning executive or judicial branches, we will hold elections for those later; we still have an acting President and an acting Chief Justice if needed. On July 19, 2006, our 10th Congress proposed and passed the first batch of amendments and published them to our citizens. On September 4, 2006, we held our 2nd annual election since we revived the HRT, and a Special Election was held October 20, 2006 (after the amendments had been published for 3 months) to fill those seats that were not filled at the annual election and any new seats needed. Then the newly elected 11th Congress passed the amendments again and the citizens ratified them October 23, 2006. On October 26, 2006 we merged with the NRT to finalize the URT.
For now, processing new citizenships may be slow. After we finish electing all needed offices, and add more safeguards to the Constitution, then recruiting and educating new citizens will be the highest priority. Update: We've elected more offices and passed more Amendments. See our URT home page for current status and links to the current Constitution.
(to be continued...)
This web site is under construction.