Six Constitutions Over Texas
Six Constitutions Over Texas

Author: William J. Chriss

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2024-06-18

Total Pages: 425

ISBN-13: 1648431720

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In his foreword to Six Constitutions Over Texas: Texas’ Political Identity, 1830–1900, historian H. W. Brands describes the saga surrounding the development of the Texas state constitution as having “the sweep of a Russian novel . . . populated by characters as colorful as any of Tolstoy’s.” Indeed, even a glance at the table of contents reveals hints of international and regional conflict, intrigue, and shifting political alliances that characterized the rise and—in the case of the first five iterations—fall of the constitutions serving as the guiding document for what was variously a state of Mexico, an independent nation, a member of the Union, a Confederate state, and a newly subdued region under Reconstruction. This meticulous study by legal historian William J. Chriss examines how Anglo Texans went about creating their political identity over three quarters of a century and the impact of those decisions. By delineating the social, political, military, and other considerations at play during the various stages of Texas’ development and how those factors manifested in the various constitutions, Chriss illuminates the process by which various groups constructed Texas “as an imagined community, an identity produced by ideological consensus among economic, cultural, and legal elites.” Replete with insights on the ways in which systems of law impact social control and political identity, Six Constitutions Over Texas offers a fresh view of how shifting political ideologies were canonized with varying degrees of permanency in the state constitution.

Writing the Story of Texas
Writing the Story of Texas

Author: Patrick L. Cox

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2013-03-01

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 0292745370

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The history of the Lone Star state is a narrative dominated by larger-than-life personalities and often-contentious legends, presenting interesting challenges for historians. Perhaps for this reason, Texas has produced a cadre of revered historians who have had a significant impact on the preservation (some would argue creation) of our state’s past. An anthology of biographical essays, Writing the Story of Texas pays tribute to the scholars who shaped our understanding of Texas’s past and, ultimately, the Texan identity. Edited by esteemed historians Patrick Cox and Kenneth Hendrickson, this collection includes insightful, cross-generational examinations of pivotal individuals who interpreted our history. On these pages, the contributors chart the progression from Eugene C. Barker’s groundbreaking research to his public confrontations with Texas political leaders and his fellow historians. They look at Walter Prescott Webb’s fundamental, innovative vision as a promoter of the past and Ruthe Winegarten’s efforts to shine the spotlight on minorities and women who made history across the state. Other essayists explore Llerena Friend delving into an ambitious study of Sam Houston, Charles Ramsdell courageously addressing delicate issues such as racism and launching his controversial examination of Reconstruction in Texas, Robert Cotner—an Ohio-born product of the Ivy League—bringing a fresh perspective to the field, and Robert Maxwell engaged in early work in environmental history.

Abraham Lincoln and His Times
Abraham Lincoln and His Times

Author: Thomas J. Ebert

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2023-08-03

Total Pages: 462

ISBN-13: 1476646392

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Lincoln's significance in the history of slavery and emancipation, the Union's preservation and the formation of a new national vision is crucial to comprehending the antebellum and Civil War periods in American history. This is a one-of-a-kind hybrid reference work that combines chronology with almost 400 primary source papers to contextualize Lincoln's life within his historical era. These written materials serve as the foundation upon which historians can construct a picture of Lincoln's America. In addition to important chronology and documents, this work includes introductory essays that summarize the topics of each chapter, brief biographies of those referenced in the book, and a source bibliography. Historical records are the heart of this work. Documents illustrate different viewpoints, to provide a full grasp of the time and place, as well as Lincoln's significance during this era.

Claiming Sunday
Claiming Sunday

Author: Joleene Maddox Snider

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2022-11-14

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 0875658296

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An inspiring story of human souls who survived the dehumanizing system of slavery in the Old South, Claiming Sunday also provides important keys to comprehending modern racial relations in a more enlightening and historically accurate manner. The story is told through a richly detailed narrative revealing the lives of the enslaved on the Devereux Plantation and through interviews with their modern-day descendants. Julien Devereux and his elderly father, John, came to Texas in 1841 from Alabama. Julien first settled in Montgomery County and then moved to Rusk County in 1846. When he died in 1856 he owned 10,500 acres of East Texas cotton land and seventy-five enslaved Black Americans. Julien’s widow, Sarah Landrum Devereux, maintained the plantation through the Civil War. The Devereux Slave Community centered on two people, Tabby and Scott. Together they raised eleven children and saw their family grow over the years, as other lines were added to the Community. The Slave Community endured the various moves from Alabama to Montgomery County, Texas, and then on to Rusk County, but a lawsuit filed after John Devereux’s death broke up Tabby and Scott’s immediate family and threatened the unity of the entire Community. The Devereux Slave Community’s strength, endurance, and determination helped to repair the damage from the division of the core of the Community and carried them whole through to freedom in 1865.