Description
An exploration of the multifaceted characters and complex events that have defined the Lone Star State from its inception through today
When Americans turn on their laptops, play video games, go to church, vote, eat TexMex, shop for groceries, listen to music, grill steaks, or watch football, they are, knowingly or not, paying tribute to Texas. Tracing the profound and surprising story of the Lone Star State, Benjamin Heber Johnson shines new light on why Texas has had such a powerful influence on U.S. history.
Texas is known to outsiders for mob violence, swaggering self-conception, and conservative politics, but Johnson reveals that the state has also been on the forefront of taming frontier violence, establishing LGBTQ rights, and developing modern businesses such as organic food and personal computing. Neither looking away from the dark chapters of Texas history nor letting them overshadow the achievements of democracy and pluralism that are some of the state's greatest legacies, Johnson offers a balanced and inclusive history of an often contentious and stereotyped region, covering such topics as the persistence of Native Americans, the frontier story of the Alamo, agrarian populism, racial segregation, the state's porous border with Mexico, and the way historical memory continues to shape the state's identity. The reality of Texas, Johnson shows us, is even bigger than we think it is.
About the Author
Benjamin Heber Johnson is professor of history at Loyola University Chicago. Raised in Houston, TX, he is the author of numerous publications, including Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans. Johnson lives in Chicago, IL.
Reviews
"Texas is a big place with a complicated history, and Ben Johnson brings to life the stories of Texas in all its diversity. This book is for anyone who believes that an inclusive history of Texas matters."-Rebecca Sharpless, Texas Christian University
"Johnson gives us a history which is unapologetically revisionist but which also displays the author's genuine affection for his home state. It is indispensable reading for non-Texans hoping to understand the Lone Star State, and for Texans seeking a better understanding of themselves."-Gregg Cantrell, author of The People's Revolt: Texas Populists and the Roots of American Liberalism
"Authored by one of the best historians in the United States, this book's brilliantly conceived and beautifully written chapters will reshape public conversations, classroom discussions, and popular understandings of Texas's deep, varied, and contested past."-Stephen Pitti, Yale University
"Writing about the 'good times' of the past is easy. More difficult and challenging is writing about the 'bad' and the 'ugly.' Ben Johnson does all three in his sweeping, elegantly written historical overview that features diverse voices and forgotten episodes to disrupt popular Texas myths and stereotypes. Johnson shows that the history of Texas is, indeed, an American history."-David Montejano, author of Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986
Book Information
ISBN 9780300226720
Author Benjamin Heber Johnson
Format Hardback
Page Count 392
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
When Americans turn on their laptops, play video games, go to church, vote, eat TexMex, shop for groceries, listen to music, grill steaks, or watch football, they are, knowingly or not, paying tribute to Texas. Tracing the profound and surprising story of the Lone Star State, Benjamin Heber Johnson shines new light on why Texas has had such a powerful influence on U.S. history.
Texas is known to outsiders for mob violence, swaggering self-conception, and conservative politics, but Johnson reveals that the state has also been on the forefront of taming frontier violence, establishing LGBTQ rights, and developing modern businesses such as organic food and personal computing. Neither looking away from the dark chapters of Texas history nor letting them overshadow the achievements of democracy and pluralism that are some of the state's greatest legacies, Johnson offers a balanced and inclusive history of an often contentious and stereotyped region, covering such topics as the persistence of Native Americans, the frontier story of the Alamo, agrarian populism, racial segregation, the state's porous border with Mexico, and the way historical memory continues to shape the state's identity. The reality of Texas, Johnson shows us, is even bigger than we think it is.
About the Author
Benjamin Heber Johnson is professor of history at Loyola University Chicago. Raised in Houston, TX, he is the author of numerous publications, including Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans. Johnson lives in Chicago, IL.
Reviews
"Texas is a big place with a complicated history, and Ben Johnson brings to life the stories of Texas in all its diversity. This book is for anyone who believes that an inclusive history of Texas matters."-Rebecca Sharpless, Texas Christian University
"Johnson gives us a history which is unapologetically revisionist but which also displays the author's genuine affection for his home state. It is indispensable reading for non-Texans hoping to understand the Lone Star State, and for Texans seeking a better understanding of themselves."-Gregg Cantrell, author of The People's Revolt: Texas Populists and the Roots of American Liberalism
"Authored by one of the best historians in the United States, this book's brilliantly conceived and beautifully written chapters will reshape public conversations, classroom discussions, and popular understandings of Texas's deep, varied, and contested past."-Stephen Pitti, Yale University
"Writing about the 'good times' of the past is easy. More difficult and challenging is writing about the 'bad' and the 'ugly.' Ben Johnson does all three in his sweeping, elegantly written historical overview that features diverse voices and forgotten episodes to disrupt popular Texas myths and stereotypes. Johnson shows that the history of Texas is, indeed, an American history."-David Montejano, author of Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986
Book Information
ISBN 9780300226720
Author Benjamin Heber Johnson
Format Hardback
Page Count 392
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
