Most peoples live by myths that define their identity. Texans are no exception. But their myths are especially powerful in shaping their character. “Remember the Alamo” is a slogan that keeps alive the mythic memory of the founding of that nation.
That myth is debunked in the new book authored by Jason Stanford, Bryan Burrough and Chris Tomlinson, Forget the Alamo: The True Story of the Myth That Made Texas. They expose the myth that the 1836 battle at a San Antonio mission was about freedom. Actually it was about slavery. Among the other myths is the notion that Davy Crockett was a martyr who fought to the death rather than surrender. In reality, he surrendered and was executed. Jim Bowie, another hero of the battle never even fought in it. He died in his sickbed instead. The John Wayne film is replete with such myths.
These myths are exposed in Jason Stanford’s Forget the Alamo. Stanford has also co-authored Adios Mofo: Why Rick Perry Will Make America Miss George W. Bush. A political consultant, he also founded a political research and crisis communications firm based in Austin.
Forget the Alamo is especially timely now as Tejanos -Texas Latinos – are becoming a majority in the state. They have been all but erased from its history. Will the recovery of their story be banned by the state’s white political elite as Critical Race Theory?