Gone to Texas : A History of the Lone Star State

by Campbell, Randolph B.

• ISBN13: 9780195138436
• ISBN10: 0195138430
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Gone to Texas engagingly tells the story of the Lone Star State, from the arrival of humans in the Panhandle more than 10,000 years ago to the opening of the twenty-first century. Focusing on the state's successive waves of immigrants, the book offers an inclusive view of the vast array ofTexans who, often in conflict with each other and always in a struggle with the land, created a history and an idea of Texas. Striking a balance between revisionist and traditional approaches to history, author Randolph B. Campbell tells the stories of the colorful individuals and events that shaped the history of Texas, giving equal treatment to the lives of men like Sam Houston and to women and minorities in Texas'shistory. He addresses the fact that Texas is widely regarded as a special state-a place with a story that appeals to millions of people, many of whom have never even been there-and examines what created this idea of Texan distinctiveness. Organized chronologically, the text focuses on five mainthemes: Texas as a "forgotten" province of the Spanish empire that was only protected when some other nation threatened to occupy it; the interpretation of the Texas Revolution as a clash between two disparate cultures rather than as a deliberate, pre-conceived plan by the U.S. to steal the provincefrom Mexico; the identification of Texas as a Southern rather than Western state in terms of its demographic, cultural, economic, and political influences and development; Texas's distinction not as a "unique" state but rather as the exaggerated embodiment of traditional American ideals and emotionssuch as individualism, personal liberty, and violence; and the two-hundred-year-old history of Texas as a destination for immigrants seeking new opportunities. Vividly capturing the adventure and conflict of this state's legendary past, Gone to Texas is ideal for undergraduate courses in Texas history.

Author Biography

Randolph B. Campbell is Professor of History at the University of North Texas.

Table of Contents

MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS	vi
PREFACE	ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	xi
1. The First Texans	1	(23)
2. Exploration and Adventure, 1519-1689	24	(25)
3. Spanish Texas, 1690-1779	49	(27)
4. Spanish Texas in the Age of Revolutions, 1779-1821	76	(24)
5. Mexican Texas, 1821-1835	100	(28)
6. The Texas Revolution, 1835-1836	128	(31)
7. The Republic of Texas, 1836-1846	159	(28)
8. Frontier Texas, 1846-1861	187	(20)
9. Empire State of the South, 1846-1861	207	(32)
10. The Civil War, 1861-1865	239	(29)
11. Reconstruction, 1865-1876	268	(22)
12. Old West and New South, 1865-1890	290	(34)
13. An Era of Reform, 1891-1920	324	(36)
14. The "Prosperity Decade" and the Great Depression, 1921-1941	360	(36)
15. World War II and The Rise of Modern Texas, 1941-1971	396	(42)
16. Modern Texas, 1971-2001	438	(30)
Conclusion: Texas in the New Millennium	468	(4)
APPENDIX 1	472	(1)
APPENDIX 2	473	(4)
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY	477	(9)
INDEX	486