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Why I wrote I AM
HOUSTON
| Sam Houston was a natural leader.
He often surprised people by doing unusual things and yet he charmed women with his
courtly manners. He lived for a while with the Cherokee Indians. Sometimes he wore
outlandish clothes. Houston's forceful personality gained him election as governor of two
states, president of the Republic of Texas, and member of the United States senate. |
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What I admired most about this
colorful character was that once he made up his mind, he refused to change his opinion
just because it was a popular thing to do. He had an answer for people who asked why he
had not voted the same way as they did -- "Just because you are wrong, do I have to
be wrong too?" He did not follow the crowd. |
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| Nobody is perfect, and I try to
show that in my biographies, but I choose people who have qualities I admire.
Houston was a person who could just say "No" and make it stick. As
governor of Texas at the beginning of the Civil War, he was
faced with a choice -- sign an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy or lose his
office. He passionately believed in the United States. He refused to sign and
lost the governorship. |
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In 1993, the year of his 200th
birthday, Texas had big celebrations for him. I got to go to the parties for this
Texas hero. |
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Book
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