Remember the
Texas Revolution
Anytime is the perfect time for Texas citizens as well as Texans at heart to boneup on the Texas Revolutionary War, plan a weekend visit to the War's battle sites--the Alamo, Golaid, and San Jacinto--and show their Texas pride by flying the Texas flag or taking photographs of Texas wildflowers.
rEAD UP ON THE tEXAS rEVOLUTION
ONLINE SOURCES
Baker, E. C. and Pohl, J. W. (2013, March 2). Texas Revolution. Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved fromhttp://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/
After reading up on the more-or-less official summary of the Texas Revolution, bookmark this Handbook of Texas link as a go to site for information about historical topics on Texas. Readers can browse topics by keyword, regularly check out a Texas day-by-day feature, and access the Southwestern Historical Quarterly and the Texas Almanac.
Patrick, L. (n. d.). Many a cause, many a conflict: The Texas Revolution. Austin Community College. Retrieved from http://www.austincc.edu/lpatrick/his1693/causes.html
Patrick outlines the causes of the Texas Revolution: 1) Settlers brought with them James Monroe’s views about Manifest Destiny; 2) Internal conflict within Mexico allowed Anglo-Texas colonists to loosen their ties with Mexico; 3) Racism on both sides of the border accentuated cultural differences; 4) Nineteenth-century Anglo-Texans and Mexicans couldn’t bridge the differences that separated them: Protestant settlers had originally agreed to learn Spanish and convert to Roman Catholicism, but they failed to do so; 5) Settlers were also uncomfortable with Mexico’s adoption of the Napoleonic legal code since it differed from the United States legal system based on English common law; 6) Philosophical differences about the function of government: The Mexican concept of Siete Leyes that concentrated power in a centralized federal system contrasted with the individualism inherent in Jacksonian Democracy; 6) Slavery: From 1822 to 1835, the Mexican government took repeated steps to abolish slavery in Texas, which conflicted with the economic model that Anglo-Texas immigrants took with them from the American South; 7) Physical Isolation: Settlements in Texas was far away both from Mexico City and the centers of government and commerce along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
Texas Revolution. (n. d.). Academic Kids. Retrieved from http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Texas_Revolution
This Academic Kids Web page offers a lot of handy hyperlinks while its summary of the Texas Revolution should inform both middle-school age students and their adult counterparts.
Texas Revolution and War for Independence History. (n. d.). Thomas’ Legion. Retrieved from http://thomaslegion.net/thetexasrevolutiontexaswarofindependencehistoryandbattlemaps.html
Website provides lots of excellent maps that add to a discussion of the events of the Texas Revolution along with their causes and results.
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY NONFICTION
Brands, H. W. (2005). Lone Star Nation. New York: Anchor Books.*
Brands gives a thorough and balanced account of the Texas fight for independence both from the Texian and the Mexican points of view, writing a work that is half way between a politically correct, revisionist history and an old-fashioned canonization of the heroes of the Alamo.
Davis, William C. (1999).
Three Roads to the Alamo: The
Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barrett Travis.
New York: Harper Perennial.*
Haley, James L. (2004).
Sam Houston. Norman:
University of Oklahoma Press. [Waco-McLennan Library owns the 2002 edition].*
Delving into primary sources, Haley writes the most complete biography of Sam Houston ever.
Hardin, Stephen L. (1996). Texian
Illiad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Hardin’s story-telling style describes in detail the
battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto juxtaposed against the earlier less famous
battles for Texas independence.
James, Marquis. (1988). The Raven: A Biography of Sam
Houston. Austin: University of Texas
Press.*
Winner of a Pulitzer Prize, The Raven often an intimate portrait of Houston that not only includes his time serving Texas but also his earlier life in Tennessee and among the Cherokee.
Thompson, Frank. (2005). The Alamo. Denton: University of North Texas Press.*
Thompson’s photographic history emphasizes how novels,
poems, and plays have continuously changed the American’s memories about the
Alamo since 1836.
Christian, Betsy & Christian, George. (2013). For the Love of Texas: Tell Me About the Revolution. Gruska, Chris A., Illustrator. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press.
Aimed at the middle school reader, the
Christian’s text should thorough involve its target audience, who will also
delight in the book’s humorous illustrations.
Jakes, John. (1990). Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story. Bacon, Paul, Illustrator. Boston: HMH Books for Young Readers*.
Jakes well-researched tale tells the story of the young
woman who survived the siege of the Alamo to children in first through fourth
grade.
Wade, Mary Dodson.(2009).
Davy Crockett, Creating a Legend.
Hein, Joy Fisher, Illustrator. Houston, Texas: Bright Sky Press.*
The author, a former teacher and librarian, introduces
young readers to the man behind the bigger than life legend.
---. (2009). Sam
Houston: I am Houston. Finney, Pat, Illustrator. Houston, Texas: Bright
Sky Press.*
Wade writes an entertaining biography for readers age 9 to 12.
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*Available through the Waco-McLennan County Library.
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WACO-McLENNAN COUNTY LIBRARY
TEXAS HISTORY HELP
| Waco's Original Carnegie Public Library |
McGinley Patrons who hold a Waco-McLennan County Public Library card can access subscription databases. Databases on Texas history that patrons will find particularly helpful include the Handbook of Texas Online, and the Texas Reference Center.
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PLAN A TRIP TO TEXAS BATTLE SITES
Taking the kids to visit the Alamo and other Texas War for Independence sites is a rite of passage enjoyed by generations of Texas families, and this spring parents might combine it with a trip to view Texas bluebonnets (more on this later on this Web page).
HONOR TEXAS REVOLUTIONARY WAR HEROES
Texas Revolutionary War Heroes. (n. d.). Find a Grave. Retrieved from http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=vcsr&GSvcid=27471
Find a Grave has located the graves of sixteen veterans of the Texas Revolutionary War.
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| The Alamo |
REMEMBER THE ALAMO
The Alamo. (2013). Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Retrieved from http://www.thealamo.org/visitors/tag.php
Daughters of the Republic of Texas maintain this historical mission along with the French Legation in Austin, Texas. Their Web site features links to the history of the battle as well as giving visitor information and directions to the Alamo, located at 300 Alamo Plaza in downtown San Antonio. Visitors through March 7, 2013, can view the letter that William B. Travis wrote to solicit possible recruits. They may view the Alamo free-of-charge from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Monday through Saturday and from 10 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. on Saturdays.
REMEMBER GOLAID
Golaid State Park and Historic Site. (2013). Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. Retrieved from http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/golaid
Golaid State Park on the San Antonio River contains a refurbished replica of the site of the Battle of Golaid, the Mission Nuestra Señora del Espritu Santo de Zuniga built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Guided interpretative tours are available from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. seven days a week, and free tours are offered weekdays from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Admission to the state park is $3 for adults (age 12 and older) while children under age 12 may enter free-of-charge. A current calendar of events includes ranger programs and bird-watching walks.
REMEMBER SAN JACINTO
San Jacinto Museum of History. (n. d.). Retrieved from http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org
The San Jacinto Museum of History Web site gives a history of the battle that won Texas its independence, and a time line of the battle's events helps readers understand the significance of the world's largest monument tower. Readers can also find a link to the nearby Battleship Texas, and the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library.
SHOW TEXAS PRIDE
From purchasing a Texas flag that has flown over the Capitol in Austin to engaging in stereotypical Texas activities, such as taking pictures of the kids among fields of bluebonnets, Texans can show just how proud they are of their home state.
Celebrate Texas. (2013). Celebrate Texas Independence Day, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.celebratetexas.org
Along with highlighting state-wide events March 1st through 4th, the site gives groups and institutions the chance to own a Texas flag flown over the Capitol.
TAKE PHOTOS AMONG THE WILDFLOWERS
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Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center. (2013). University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved from http://www.wildflower.org/
To visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at 4801 La Crosse Avenue in Austin, take MOPAC Expressway past Slaughter Lane, then turn left at the next traffic light on La Crosse. The Wildflower Center grounds are open 9 to 5, Tuesday through Saturday and Noon to 5 on Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults $7 for seniors 65 or older, $7 for students 13 or older, $3 for children 5 through 12, and free for children 4 or under. A calendar of events keeps visitors informed about current Wildflower Center activities.
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