Texas : An American History.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Benjamin Heber.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Texas--History.

Texas.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (393 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2025.

Summary:

An exploration of the multifaceted characters and complex events that have defined the Lone Star State from its inception through today When Americans turn on their laptops, play video games, go to church, vote, eat TexMex, shop for groceries, listen to music, grill steaks, or watch football, they are, knowingly or not, paying tribute to Texas. Tracing the profound and surprising story of the Lone Star State, Benjamin Heber Johnson shines new light on why Texas has had such a powerful influence on U.S. history. Texas is known to outsiders for mob violence, swaggering self-conception, and conservative politics, but Johnson reveals that the state has also been on the forefront of taming frontier violence, establishing LGBTQ rights, and developing modern businesses such as organic food and personal computing. Neither looking away from the dark chapters of Texas history nor letting them overshadow the achievements of democracy and pluralism that are some of the state’s greatest legacies, Johnson offers a balanced and inclusive history of an often contentious and stereotyped region, covering such topics as the persistence of Native Americans, the frontier story of the Alamo, agrarian populism, racial segregation, the state’s porous border with Mexico, and the way historical memory continues to shape the state’s identity. The reality of Texas, Johnson shows us, is even bigger than we think it is.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction: Burying Stephen F. Austin

1. Ancient Worlds

2. Castaways in Indian Country

3. Entering Indian Worlds

4. At the Edge of Empires

5. Becoming Mexican

6. Becoming Independent

7. Being Independent

8. Losing Independence

9. Border State

10. Civil Wars

11. A White Man’s Country

12. Home on the Range

13. Taming the Frontier

14. The People’s Party

15. Fighting for Democracy

16. Homefronts

17. After Spindletop

18. Automobiles and Burning Crosses

19. Looking to the Past in Hard Times

20. The Good War

21. A Giant Reputation

22. Civil Rights

23. Luckenbach and Beyond

24. Urban Cowboys

25. An Age of Disquiet

Epilogue

Essay on Sources

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780300281415

0300281412

OCLC:

1484071997