Forget the Alamo

Forget the Alamo PDF Author: Bryan Burrough
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 198488011X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
A New York Times bestseller! “Lively and absorbing. . ." — The New York Times Book Review "Engrossing." —Wall Street Journal “Entertaining and well-researched . . . ” —Houston Chronicle Three noted Texan writers combine forces to tell the real story of the Alamo, dispelling the myths, exploring why they had their day for so long, and explaining why the ugly fight about its meaning is now coming to a head. Every nation needs its creation myth, and since Texas was a nation before it was a state, it's no surprise that its myths bite deep. There's no piece of history more important to Texans than the Battle of the Alamo, when Davy Crockett and a band of rebels went down in a blaze of glory fighting for independence from Mexico, losing the battle but setting Texas up to win the war. However, that version of events, as Forget the Alamo definitively shows, owes more to fantasy than reality. Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos--Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels--scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico's push to abolish slavery papered over. Forget the Alamo provocatively explains the true story of the battle against the backdrop of Texas's struggle for independence, then shows how the sausage of myth got made in the Jim Crow South of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness. In the past forty-some years, waves of revisionists have come at this topic, and at times have made real progress toward a more nuanced and inclusive story that doesn't alienate anyone. But we are not living in one of those times; the fight over the Alamo's meaning has become more pitched than ever in the past few years, even violent, as Texas's future begins to look more and more different from its past. It's the perfect time for a wise and generous-spirited book that shines the bright light of the truth into a place that's gotten awfully dark.

Forget the Alamo

Forget the Alamo PDF Author: Bryan Burrough
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 198488011X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 433

Get Book Here

Book Description
A New York Times bestseller! “Lively and absorbing. . ." — The New York Times Book Review "Engrossing." —Wall Street Journal “Entertaining and well-researched . . . ” —Houston Chronicle Three noted Texan writers combine forces to tell the real story of the Alamo, dispelling the myths, exploring why they had their day for so long, and explaining why the ugly fight about its meaning is now coming to a head. Every nation needs its creation myth, and since Texas was a nation before it was a state, it's no surprise that its myths bite deep. There's no piece of history more important to Texans than the Battle of the Alamo, when Davy Crockett and a band of rebels went down in a blaze of glory fighting for independence from Mexico, losing the battle but setting Texas up to win the war. However, that version of events, as Forget the Alamo definitively shows, owes more to fantasy than reality. Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos--Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels--scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico's push to abolish slavery papered over. Forget the Alamo provocatively explains the true story of the battle against the backdrop of Texas's struggle for independence, then shows how the sausage of myth got made in the Jim Crow South of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness. In the past forty-some years, waves of revisionists have come at this topic, and at times have made real progress toward a more nuanced and inclusive story that doesn't alienate anyone. But we are not living in one of those times; the fight over the Alamo's meaning has become more pitched than ever in the past few years, even violent, as Texas's future begins to look more and more different from its past. It's the perfect time for a wise and generous-spirited book that shines the bright light of the truth into a place that's gotten awfully dark.

West Side Rising

West Side Rising PDF Author: Char Miller
Publisher: Maverick Books
ISBN: 9781595349736
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
The 1921 flood that put a spotlight on environmental and social inequality in a southwestern city

Lone Star Rising

Lone Star Rising PDF Author: William C. Davis
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0684865106
Category : Texas
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
Originally published: New York: Free Press, 2004.

A Line in the Sand

A Line in the Sand PDF Author: Randy Roberts
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743222792
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
In late February and early March of 1836, the Mexican Army under the command of General Antonio López de Santa Anna besieged a small force of Anglo and Tejano rebels at a mission known as the Alamo. The defenders of the Alamo were in an impossible situation. They knew very little of the events taking place outside the mission walls. They did not have much of an understanding of Santa Anna or of his government in Mexico City. They sent out contradictory messages, they received contradictory communications, they moved blindly and planned in the dark. And in the dark early morning of March 6, they died. In that brief, confusing, and deadly encounter, one of America's most potent symbols was born. The story of the last stand at the Alamo grew from a Texas rallying cry, to a national slogan, to a phenomenon of popular culture and presidential politics. Yet it has been a hotly contested symbol from the first. Questions remain about what really happened: Did William Travis really draw a line in the sand? Did Davy Crockett die fighting, surrounded by the bodies of two dozen of the enemy? And what of the participants' motives and purposes? Were the Texans justified in their rebellion? Were they sincere patriots making a last stand for freedom and liberty, or were they a ragtag collection of greedy men-on-the-make, washed-up politicians, and backwoods bullies, Americans bent on extending American slavery into a foreign land? The full story of the Alamo -- from the weeks and months that led up to the fateful encounter to the movies and speeches that continue to remember it today -- is a quintessential story of America's past and a fascinating window into our collective memory. In A Line in the Sand, acclaimed historians Randy Roberts and James Olson use a wealth of archival sources, including the diary of José Enrique de la Peña, along with important and little-used Mexican documents, to retell the story of the Alamo for a new generation of Americans. They explain what happened from the perspective of all parties, not just Anglo and Mexican soldiers, but also Tejano allies and bystanders. They delve anew into the mysteries of Crockett's final hours and Travis's famous rhetoric. Finally, they show how preservationists, television and movie producers, historians, and politicians have become the Alamo's major interpreters. Walt Disney, John Wayne, and scores of journalists and cultural critics have used the Alamo to contest the very meaning of America, and thereby helped us all to "remember the Alamo."

Texas Rising

Texas Rising PDF Author: Stephen L. Moore
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062394320
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 431

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Book Description
The official nonfiction companion to HISTORY’s dramatic series Texas Rising (created by the same team that made the ratings record-breaker Hatfields & McCoys): a thrilling new narrative history of the Texas Revolution and the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers who patrolled the violent western frontier March 1836: The Republic of Texas, just weeks old, is already near collapse. William Barret Travis and his brave defenders of the Alamo in San Antonio have been slaughtered. Hundreds more Texan soldiers have surrendered at Goliad, only to be marched outside the fortress and executed by order of the ruthless Mexican general Santa Anna, a dictator denying Texans their freedom and liberty. General Sam Houston—a hard-drinking, hot-tempered opportunist—remains in command of a small band of volunteer colonists, mercenaries, and the newly organized Texas Rangers. They are the last hope for Texas to challenge the relentless advance of Santa Anna’s much larger Mexican Army—yet many of them curse Houston, enraged by his decision to retreat across Texas before the advancing enemy. The exhausted, outnumbered rebels will meet their destiny on an empty plain near the Gulf Coast next to the San Jacinto River—and make a stand that determines the fate of the young nation. “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!” will be the battle cries, and the order of the day will echo Travis’s at the Alamo: Victory or death. Acclaimed Texas historian Stephen L. Moore’s new narrative history tells the full, thrilling story of the Texas Revolution from its humble beginnings to its dramatic conclusion, and reveals the contributions of the fabled Texas Rangers—both during the revolution and in the frontier Indian wars that followed.

American Legend

American Legend PDF Author: Buddy Levy
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1440684731
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
David Crockett was an adventurer, a pioneer, and a media-savvy national celebrity. In his short-but-distinguished lifetime, this charismatic frontiersman won three terms as a U.S. congressman and a presidential nomination. His 1834 memoir enjoyed frenzied sales and prompted the first-ever “official” book tour for its enormously popular author. Down-to-earth, heroic and independent to a fault, the real Crockett became lost in his own hype, and he’s been overshadowed by a larger-than-life, pop-culture character in a coonskin cap. Now, American Legend debunks the tall tales to reveal the fascinating truth of Crockett’s hardscrabble childhood, his near-death experiences, his unlikely rise to Congress, and the controversial last stand at the Alamo that mythologized him beyond recognition. In this beautifully written narrative, Crockett emerges as never before: a rugged individual, a true American original, and an enduring symbol of the Western frontier. “A great myth-busting story [that] presents Davy Crockett as a man of genius and folly, which has the unlikely effect of making him all the more heroic.”—Martin Dugard, author of The Last Voyage of Columbus and Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone “As spellbinding and dramatic as any novel and as compelling as any reportage.”—Peter Hoffer, Distinguished Research Professor of History, The University of Georgia

Valentine's Rising

Valentine's Rising PDF Author: E.E. Knight
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101462256
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
Returning to the Ozark Territories, freedom fighter David Valentine is shocked to find it overrun by vampiric Kurians under the command of the merciless Consul Solon. In a desperate gambit, Valentine leads a courageous group of soldiers on a mission to drive a spike into the gears of the Kurian Order. Valentine stakes life, honor, and the future of his home in a rebellion that sparks the greatest battle of his life.

Rising Tide

Rising Tide PDF Author: Randy Roberts
Publisher: Twelve
ISBN: 1455526347
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
The extraordinary story of how Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and Joe Namath, his star quarterback at the University of Alabama, led the Crimson Tide to victory and transformed football into a truly national pastime. During the bloodiest years of the civil rights movement, Bear Bryant and Joe Namath-two of the most iconic and controversial figures in American sports-changed the game of college football forever. Brilliantly and urgently drawn, this is the gripping account of how these two very different men-Bryant a legendary coach in the South who was facing a pair of ethics scandals that threatened his career, and Namath a cocky Northerner from a steel mill town in Pennsylvania-led the Crimson Tide to a national championship. To Bryant and Namath, the game was everything. But no one could ignore the changes sweeping the nation between 1961 and 1965-from the Freedom Rides to the integration of colleges across the South and the assassination of President Kennedy. Against this explosive backdrop, Bryant and Namath changed the meaning of football. Their final contest together, the 1965 Orange Bowl, was the first football game broadcast nationally, in color, during prime time, signaling a new era for the sport and the nation. Award-winning biographer Randy Roberts and sports historian Ed Krzemienski showcase the moment when two thoroughly American traditions-football and Dixie-collided. A compelling story of race and politics, honor and the will to win, Rising Tide captures a singular time in America. More than a history of college football, this is the story of the struggle and triumph of a nation in transition and the legacy of two of the greatest heroes the sport has ever seen.

Remember the Alamo

Remember the Alamo PDF Author: Amelia E. Barr
Publisher: e-artnow
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
"For many years there had never been any doubt in the mind of Robert Worth as to the ultimate destiny of Texas, though he was by no means an adventurer, and had come into the beautiful land by a sequence of natural and business-like events. He was born in New York. In that city he studied his profession, and in eighteen hundred and three began its practice in an office near Contoit's Hotel, opposite the City Park. One day he was summoned there to attend a sick man. His patient proved to be Don Jaime Urrea, and the rich Mexican grandee conceived a warm friendship for the young physician..."_x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_

Phoenix Rising

Phoenix Rising PDF Author: Donald G. Lett
Publisher: Phoenix Rising
ISBN: 1434364119
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 597

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Book Description
In an age when the supply of gasoline to feed this modern American society has become both more expensive and more scarce questions are being pondered. Inquires like, How can a modern society scale back its dependence on gasoline as a motive source?' Are there genuine alternative power sources?' Are they the answer to a growing crisis?' Recent announcements of hybrids like those from Honda, Toyota, and Ford have really brought attention to this issue. Hybrids that use both gasoline engines and electric motors. Really, though, alternative power sources have been around for as long as the automobile has been. The battle between and among the steam car, the electric and the gas car was fought out in the first couple of decades of the twentieth century. This book explores the ins and outs of that battle. A struggle from which the gasoline car emerged completely victorious. To such an extent that steam cars and electric cars virtually disappeared from the scene for many decades. We will look over all three alternatives, exploring their advantages and disadvantages. We will also look over the obstacles to the steamers and the electrics. Barriers that still exist to a certain extent. Handicaps that caused their disappearance in the first place.