Washington-on-the-Brazos, the birthplace of Texas, was a crucible of Texas democracy—the place where Texans gave voice to their grievances, forged their Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and brought forth a new nation: the Republic of Texas. Yet it is given short shrift in the telling of Texas history, overshadowed by the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, in both schools and popular culture. Men like William Barret Travis, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin understood at the time that without the convention, the Texas Declaration of Independence, and the establishment of a democratic government, the world would see the Texas revolution as just an uprising of disgruntled farmers and outlaws.

The Texas Independence Web site seeks to restore Washington-on-the-Brazos and the Convention of 1836 to their rightful place in Texas history, of equal if not greater importance than the epic battles of 1835-36. Through innovative and exciting Web-based technologies, the site brings the struggle, compromise, and sacrifice of the Convention of 1836 to life. It introduces the men who founded a new nation to a new generation of Texans, and it brings Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site to every classroom in Texas.