ArcaMax

En route to visit family in South Texas for Thanksgiving, we stopped in San Antonio to enjoy the riverwalk and take our 9-year-old son to the Alamo. Most kids in America learn the story of the Alamo in history class at some point. If you're a student in Texas, the state is really particular about how that 1836 battle at the old Spanish Mission (and the rest of Texas history) gets taught.

Perhaps this is why I did not find a single mention of slavery on the placards or timelines displayed when we visited. I had suspected as much and came prepared with a copy of the 2021 bestseller "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth" written by three Texans: Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford. I read it on our trip, determined to teach my son the truth of what happened and why. My husband is Tejano. He grew up in south Texas, and we got married in his hometown of Brownsville. I do not want our son believing in some caricature of U.S. history that only serves to enshrine so-called white heroes.

The fight over Texas land first and foremost excludes its true owners -- Native Americans. Once you make it past that fact and fast-forward to Mexico's independence in 1821, you come face-to-face with the tension between Mexico and Texians -- American colonizers who settled in Texas with the Mexican government's consent. What made Texas so desirable to Americans? The land's potential for cotton farming, and, well, Stephen F. Austin said it best in 1832 when he wrote, "Nothing is wanted but money, and Negros are necessary to make it."

The Texas Revolt boiled down to preserving slave labor for growing cotton. Slavery wasn't an issue for Spaniards, but it was for Mexicans. Equal rights was foundational to their revolution considering 60% of the Mexican population was of mixed race. Austin would lobby in Mexico again and again for slave labor with the help of the lawyer and state Rep. Jose Antonio Navarro, whose home is also preserved in downtown San Antonio, complete with a statue to honor him.

Texians didn't like Mexico's rules, but they also didn't want to leave. They liked their slavery-fueled cotton money. So they revolted. It was the cause they were willing to die for.

We did see one slave mentioned by name at the Alamo during our visit: William Barrett Travis' enslaved man named Joe. He was with Travis during battle, and a placard notes that Joe was "spared." But why would Santa Anna -- a man described by many as a bloodthirsty dictator -- make sure to spare Joe if not to make a point in protest against slavery?

Texians got their revenge at the battle of San Jacinto, while famously shouting "Remember the Alamo!" Their revenge earned them the slavocracy of their dreams. The Texas constitution remains the only one in world history to guarantee slavery, and yet the word slavery somehow does not appear anywhere in the materials for people visiting the Alamo to learn about this pivotal battle.

John Wayne said of his movie in 1960, "The Alamo will remind a forgetful world what kind of people Americans really are." Wayne was right, just not in the way he thought. Americans like to pick and choose the parts of history we remember. We don't like being frank about the ugly parts. But, if we can elect Donald Trump, can't we be honest about the Alamo? Trump fits right in with these Anglo heroes of 1836.

If we can elect a felon to the presidency, we can admit that Jim Bowie was a slave smuggler also known for real estate fraud. We can admit that Davy Crockett was a washed-up politician who did not go down fighting, but instead was captured and executed. We can admit that Travis was a womanizer who liked to journal about his shenanigans. Oh, and he never drew any line in the sand either, but the man sure could write a letter. We can also admit that the Alamo battle was an insurrection.

The white men this country hold in high esteem don't look so different from these Alamo's "heroes." Somebody had better get Trump a coonskin hat and a Bowie knife.

We are doomed to repeat our country's horrific mistakes rooted in racism and entitlement if we don't start being honest. The legend of the Alamo, and our determination to lie about what happened and why, exemplifies who America still is -- a people insistent on controlling the historic narrative for the benefit of the privileged class.

Parents should not have to vet history curriculum or placards placed at National Historic Sites. I don't want my children to be lied to. I will remember the Alamo. I'll remember it as a shining example of yet another American myth.

========

Check out Bonnie's weekly YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/bonniejeanfeldkamp. To find out more about Bonnie Jean Feldkamp and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2024 Creators Syndicate, Inc.