(AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
A few days back a paragraph in the media caught my eye. It came in the context of the now “reset” project to revamp Alamo Plaza to make it less of a circus and more of a reverent space befitting the battle and sacrifice that took place there.
The
San Antonio Express-Newsstory deals with the current state of play, and includes this claim from local activist and university professor Mario Salas. I should note, he’s not a history professor.
Mario Salas, a member of the county’s historical commission who has taught African American studies, said most people don’t know that Santa Anna had an all-Black regiment here in 1836 because that part of the story has been marginalized.
Texas Heroes Act seeks to limit role of slavery in battle for independence at the Alamo
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State Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, is the primary author of a bill that seeks to emphasize the grievances listed in the Texas Declaration of Independence at the Alamo, when explaining the causes of the 1835-1836 war for independence from Mexico.Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff photographer
Slavery was an underlying cause of the state’s battle for independence, according to scholars, but a bill before the Texas House seeks to downplay its role in Alamo history.
Legislation from State Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, would focus the causes of the Texas Revolution solely on those listed in the state’s declaration of independence.
A clash over remembering the Alamo
Richard Webner, The Washington Post
May 8, 2021
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Members of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, a lineage society for descendants of the state s founders, gather beneath the Cenotaph monument on Alamo Plaza in March 2020.Photo by Tamir Kalifa for The Washington Post
SAN ANTONIO - The Alamo needs a makeover; on that, at least, everyone agrees. Plaster is flaking off the walls of the nearly 300-year-old former Spanish mission, the most revered battle site in Texas history. Its one-room exhibit space can hold only a fraction of key artifacts. And the surrounding plaza is a tourist circus, packed with novelty shops and a Ripley s Believe It or Not museum.
KEN BRIDGES
James Pinckney Henderson may not have been one of the most famous of early Texas figures, but his actions were perhaps some of the most important. As a lawyer, diplomat, and the state’s first governor, he helped build strong foundations for the future of Texas.
Henderson was born in North Carolina in 1808. By the age of 21, he had graduated from the University of North Carolina Law School and earned admission to the state bar. He became known for his voracious study habits during his years in school, poring over law books up to 18 hours per day.
For Henderson, failure to give oneself entirely to a task was never acceptable. His dedication won him great admiration among his peers. Because of this, he rose quickly to the rank of colonel in the North Carolina militia. In 1835, he moved to central Mississippi where he opened a law practice. However, news of the events unfolding in Texas captured his attention. The Texas Revolut
A clash over remembering the Alamo Updated: May 9 Published May 9
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Print article SAN ANTONIO - The Alamo needs a makeover; on that, at least, everyone agrees. Plaster is flaking off the walls of the nearly 300-year-old former Spanish mission, the most revered battle site in Texas history. Its one-room exhibit space can hold only a fraction of key artifacts. And the surrounding plaza is a tourist circus, packed with novelty shops and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. But Texans are deeply divided over how, exactly, to remember the Alamo. A $450 million plan to renovate the site has devolved into a five-year brawl over whether to focus narrowly on the 1836 battle or present a fuller view that delves into the site’s indigenous history and the role of slavery in the Texas Revolution.