If you do not identify as a Texan, chances are you still know more of them than you care to count.
Every responsible Texan will gladly tell you that they're from the best state in America whether you ask them for their opinion or not. Every responsible Texan should also know basic state history. Therefore, every responsible Texan should know how much they owe to Tennessee. Here is a small handful of reasons Texans should be thankful for Tennessee.
- War Heroes - Remember the Alamo? Before Davy Crockett headed west and met his demise in heroic fashion holding off the army of Gen. Santa Anna, the frontiersman was a Tennessee legislator and U.S. congressman. He was born in Greene County, Tennessee, and lived in the state all but the last few months of his life.
- Governing Leaders - Sam Houston is the only person in American history to be governor of two states. He was raised near Maryville, Tennessee, and studied law in Nashville. Houston defeated Gen. Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto and held Santa Anna as a prisoner of war for three weeks until he signed a peace treaty. U.S. Congress was not yet willing to admit Texas as a state, so Houston was voted president of what became the Republic of Texas. Today, over 2 million people reside in the city that bears his name.
- Statehood - James K. Polk, a former governor of Tennessee, defeated Henry Clay in the 1844 presidential election with a platform promising to annex Texas. He followed through on that promise, albeit through victory in the Mexican-American war. Polk County Texas is named in his honor.
- Shipping - Shipping giant FedEx is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. According to SEC filing, the corporation's total US revenue is around $45 billion and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide.
- Southern food chain - The first Cracker Barrel opened in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1969. Since then, the Old Country Store and restaurant has expanded to serve quality southern cooking in 630 locations concentrated in the southeast and midwest, including 52 in Texas.
- Carbonated Caffeine - Yes, Dr. Pepper is amazingly smooth, but Mountain Dew is the classic choice for those wanting a jolt of caffeine in the enjoyable form of a soft drink. The FDA caps soft drink caffeine content and with 54mg per serving, Mountain Dew has almost 32% more caffeine than Dr. Pepper.
- Cheap Coffee - For those who need more caffeine than what a soft drink can provide and cannot afford to indulge in speciality roasts everyday, Maxwell House comes in clutch. Created in 1892 and named for Nashville's Maxwell House Hotel, the brand was America's leading coffee for many years. The Statistics Portal reports that in 2015, Maxwell House is second only to Folgers in ground coffee sales with $625.9 million and leads Starbucks by $291 million.
- Music - While George Strait, Willie Nelson, and countless more iconic musicians hail from the Lone Star State, they have the Volunteer State to thank for taking spreading their songs nationwide. Bristol, Tennessee, is the birthplace of country music and WSM's Grand Ole Opry show helped Nashville to become Music City. Radios across the land have dialed in to hear the latest hits from the heart of Tennessee for almost a century.
This list shows only one side of mutualistic relationship between these two states. Perhaps Jimmie Rodgers said it best; T for Texas, T for Tennessee.
