Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth is a 2021 history book written by the American authors Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford. It examines the story of the Battle of the Alamo, and argues that the heroic story of its defenders during the Texas Revolution is not accurate, and that it was not the important battle that it is often considered in Texas history lessons. [1] [2] [3] [4]
David Crockett was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the Texas Revolution.
The Alamo is a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Roman Catholic missionaries in what is now San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, a pivotal event of the Texas Revolution in which American folk heroes James Bowie and Davy Crockett were killed. Today it is a museum in the Alamo Plaza Historic District and a part of the San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site.
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican army in a fight that lasted just 18 minutes. A detailed, first-hand account of the battle was written by General Houston from the headquarters of the Texan Army in San Jacinto on April 25, 1836. Numerous secondary analyses and interpretations have followed.
William Barret "Buck" Travis was a 19th-century American lawyer and soldier. He is known for helping set the Texas Revolution in motion during the Anahuac disturbances and commanding the Misión San Antonio de Valero as a lieutenant colonel in the Texian Army.
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar. About one hundred Texians were then garrisoned at the mission, with around a hundred subsequent reinforcements led by eventual Alamo co-commanders James Bowie and William B. Travis. On February 23, approximately 1,500 Mexicans marched into San Antonio de Béxar as the first step in a campaign to retake Texas. In the early morning hours of March 6, the Mexican Army advanced on the Alamo. After repelling two attacks, the Texians were unable to fend off a third attack. As Mexican soldiers scaled the walls, most of the Texian fighters withdrew into interior buildings. Those who were unable to reach these points were slain by the Mexican cavalry as they attempted to escape. Between five and seven Texians may have surrendered; if so, they were quickly executed. Subsequently almost all of the Texian inhabitants were killed.
George Prescott Bush is an American politician and attorney who served as the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Bush unsuccessfully campaigned for the party's nomination in the 2022 Texas Attorney General election.
Lone Star is a 1996 American neo-Western mystery film written, edited, and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in South Texas. The ensemble cast features Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Elizabeth Peña and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into the murder of one of his predecessors. Filmed on location along the Rio Grande in southern and southwestern Texas, the film received critical acclaim, with critics regarding it as a high point of 1990s independent cinema as well as one of Sayles' best films. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and also appeared on the ballot for the AFI's 10 Top 10 in the Western category.
Juan Nepomuceno Seguín was a Spanish-Tejano political and military figure of the Texas Revolution who helped to establish the independence of Texas. Numerous places and institutions are named in his honor, including the county seat of Seguin in Guadalupe County, the Juan N. Seguin Memorial Interchange in Houston, Juan Seguin Monument in Seguin, World War II Liberty Ship SS Juan N. Seguin, Seguin High School in Arlington.
The Alamo is a 2004 American war historical drama about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The film was directed by John Lee Hancock, produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark Johnson, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, and starring Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston, Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett, Jason Patric as Jim Bowie, and Patrick Wilson as William B. Travis. The screenplay is credited to Hancock, Stephen Gaghan, and Leslie Bohem.
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is an American cinema chain founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, which is famous for serving dinner and drinks during the movie, as well as its strict policy of requiring its audiences to maintain proper cinema-going etiquette. Sony Pictures Experiences acquired the chain in June 2024.
The Immortal 32 was a relief force of thirty-two Texian Militia from the Gonzales Ranger Company who reinforced the Texians under siege at the Alamo. They are "immortalized" as the only unit to answer the To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World letter. Along with the other Alamo defenders, they were all killed and burned after the Battle of the Alamo.
Julien Lon Tinkle was a historian, writer, book critic, and professor who specialized in the history of Texas. Tinkle, the long-time book editor and critic for the Dallas Morning News, was known for his award-winning books, including an engaging history of the battle of the Alamo and a biography of J. Frank Dobie. He is the namesake for the Texas Institute of Letters' highest honor, the Lon Tinkle Award for Lifetime Achievement.
The Battle of the Alamo left a substantial legacy and influence within American culture and is an event that is told from the perspective of the vanquished.
Bryan Burrough is an American author and correspondent for Vanity Fair. He has written six books. Burrough was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Dallas, Texas, between 1983 and 1992. He has written for Vanity Fair since 1992. While reporting for The Wall Street Journal, he won the Gerard Loeb Award for excellence in financial journalism three times. Burrough has written a number of book reviews and op-ed articles for publications such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. He has also made appearances on Today, Good Morning America, and many documentaries.
Adina Emilia De Zavala was an American teacher, historian and preservationist of Texas history. Her efforts led to saving the Alamo Long Barrack Fortress for future generations. She was born to Augustine De Zavala, son of Lorenzo de Zavala, the first Vice President of the Republic of Texas. Adina's mother Julia Tyrrell De Zavala was born in Ireland. In 1994, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Marker number 86 was placed at Alamo Plaza to honor De Zavala. In 2008, Texas Historical marker number 15124 was placed in St. Mary's Cemetery to honor De Zavala's contributions to Texas.
William Harding Mayes was Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. state of Texas (1913–1914), a newspaperman who published the Brownwood Bulletin and founder of the University of Texas journalism school.
Texas Rising is a 2015 History Channel five-part television miniseries based on the Texas Revolution against Mexico and how the Texas Rangers were created. It was directed by Roland Joffé and premiered on May 25, 2015. The series stars Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Ray Liotta, Brendan Fraser, Olivier Martinez and Cynthia Addai-Robinson.
John Willingham is an American writer and editor known for his collections of reviews about honors programs at public universities in the United States, for his essays about history, literature, politics, and religion, and for The Edge of Freedom: A Fact-Based Novel of the Texas Revolution. The Revolution was his subject once more in his paper "Should We Forget the Alamo?: Myths, Slavery, and the Texas Revolution (2023). In 2011, he founded and became editor of Public University Honors, a website that evaluates more than 50 college honors programs and provides information about honors programs in general.
Emma Pérez is an American author and professor, known for her work in queer Chicana feminist studies.