Alamo scholars caution against oversimplifying, glorifying Texas Revolution as part of U.S. history
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Bruce Winders, who was the Alamo’s on-site historian for 23 years, warns against making broad generalizations about motives of participants in the 1836 battle and Texas Revolution.Robin Jerstad /For the Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
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Ernesto Rodriguez III, Alamo curator, said a Mexican decree on March 31, 1835, forcing a reduction in the size of state militias, left many Texans feeling vulnerable to attack. The Battle of the Alamo occurred less than a year later in San Antonio.BOB OWEN /San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
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A musket volley pierces the morning air during the annual Dawn at the Alamo ceremony on March 6, 2021. A panel of Alamo scholars recently cautioned against oversimplifying the 1836 battle for Texas independence.Robin Jerstad /Robin JerstadShow MoreShow Less
Scattered ashes at Alamo set off concerns about archaeology, dignity of the site expressnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from expressnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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This past week, Texas State Historical Association chief historian Walter Buenger made two controversial assertions regarding the Alamo in a story published by
Although the battle has become a symbol of patriotism and freedom for many Texans and Americans, like the Confederate monuments erected after the Civil War, the myth of the Alamo has been used to “commemorate whiteness,” according to Walter L Buenger, Texas State Historical Association chair.
The battle itself was relatively insignificant tactically speaking, but it gained recognition decades later in the 1890s as backlash to African Americans gaining more political power and Mexican immigration increasing, Buenger said. In 1915, “Birth of a Nation” director D.W. Griffith produced “Martyrs of the Alamo,” which solidified the myth further by pitting white virtuous Texans against racist caricatures of Mexicans on screen.