Exam 2 Class Notes
Symptoms of PTSD
-flashbacks (constant vivid recall) -disrupted sleep/nightmares/insomnia -feeling detached, unable to connect with others, isolation -depression -headaches -angry outbursts -suicidal thoughts
Friday November 22, 1963
Assassination of JFK in downtown Dallas -impacted dallas in a bad way from late 1963 to 1973-75 (10 years!) -Terrible reputation, unsafe, dangerous place Dallas = death of JFK "City of Hate" "City that Killed JFK"
Abraham Zapruder
Dallas businessman -loved JFK and Jackie -photography buff "Zapruder Film" (26 sec)
Texas Revolution and Tejanos Simple def of Texas Revolution:
October 1835- April 1836 (6 months long) -Anglo-led armed uprising against Mexican authority
1836- Davy Crockett
One example of TX Boosterism
Dr. Allan Horwitz
Sociology professor @ Rutsers University wrote: "PTSD: A Short History" (2018)
Traditionalist view on Rangers:
Texas Rangers were heroes who tamed the wild frontier and brought law and order to Texas
Revisionist Interpretation
Texas Rangers were villains who: -slaughtered Indians -oppressed Tejano population of TX In short, the purpose of the Rangers was to guarantee the Anglo domination of Texas
Ben Franklin Quote:
"If we don't hang together, we shall surely hang separately!"
Conclusion of Texas Ranger Historiography
1. Clearly, historians disagree over how to view the Rangers 2. Some historians are Traditionalists, Revisionists, and Middle 3. Remember what Dr. Pieter Geyl said: "History is an argument without end"
Examples of Revisionist Interpretation
1. Dr. Julian Samora - taught at the University of Notre Dame 1979: wrote "Gunpowder Justice: A Reassessment of the Texas Rangers 2. Dr. Gary Clayton Anderson - taught at the University of Oklahoma 2005: wrote "The Conquest of Texas" (Texas was "ethnically cleansed" of Indian population by the Rangers.) -cover is very visual; Indian being x-ed out
Traditionalist view on Rangers examples
1. Dr. Walter Prescott Webb - taught at UT Austin 1935: wrote "The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense" (still in print) 2. Sam and Andrew Wyly - 2012: wrote "Texas Got It Right"
First reason of how Davy Crockett died
1. Enrique Esparza (12 yr old Tejano boy) eyewitness; Davy Crockett died fighting; went down swinging "fought to his last breath"
2 major results of Texas Revolution
1. TX militarily won its independence from Mexico: creates its own nation: Republic of Texas (18836-Dec. 1845) 2. Gave US lots of Texas heroes: Sam Houston, William B. Travis, Davy Crockett, John Henry Moore
3 different courses of action for Tejanos
1. some tejanos: neutral 2. some tejanos: stay loyal to Mexico 3. some tejanos: sided w Anglo-Texas in rebelling against mexico
Second reason of how Davy Crockett died
2. Mexican Lt. De la Pena; eyewitness; A handful of Texans: captured, DC among those. General Santa Anna: ordered them tortured and then executed. Hacked to death with swords
2012 - Sam and Andrew Wyly
2nd example of TX boosterism
British POV
Founding Fathers were dangerous TRAITORS (treason) who broke up the British Empire!
Traditional American POV
Founding fathers were BRAVE and HEROIC individuals who broke away from an overbearing government (Great Britain) and created the greatest nation on Earth, the United States of America!
Revisionist POV
Founding fathers were HYPOCRITES who talked about such great concepts as equality, liberty, justice.... BUT -they owned AA slaves -treated women (of all color) as 2nd class citizens -destroyed Indians
Dr. Stephen Jaffy
Harvard Professor who wrote "Who Were the Founding Fathers? 200 years of Reinventing American History"
Texas Ranger Historiography Thesis
Historians strongly disagree over how to interpret the Rangers. Scholars tend to fall into 1 of 3 schools of thought: Traditionalism, Revisionism, Middle Ground Approach
Dilemma: Tejanos
How did the Tejano population respond the Revolution? not one unified response, there were responses
When BDT Capital Partners (based in Chicago) purchased Whataburger from the Dobson family in _____________, this upset many ____________________, who viewed Whataburger as __________________.
June 2019; state residents; uniquely Texan
Middle Ground Approach Example
Mike Cox - journalist for Austin American Statesman 2000-2001 Texas Almanac wrote: "The Texas Rangers: From Horses to Helicopters" ("Sometimes the Rangers were overly prone tot shoot first and ask questions later. But history shows that they were right more than they were wrong")
US Historiographical Debate
Thesis: Scholars disagree over how to interpret the Founding Fathers. (Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton...) Q: Over the years, how have historians portrayed the FF?
Jackie Kennedy
beautiful, fashion - conscious, stylish, popular wore pink Chanel outfit = symbolic!
PS are important because they are the
building blocks of history books. You cannot write history without PS
Juan Seguin
chose to side with Anglo-Texans. one of Sam Houston's officers; fought bravely at the Battle of San Jacinto Seguin: town 40 miles from San Antonio
Death of Davy Crockett for certain:
died in San Antonio at the Alamo on 3/6/1836
Middle Ground Approach
emphasizes both positive and negative aspects of Ranger history: both criticizes and praises
TX Boosterism
enthusiastic promotion of TX!
Boosterism
enthusiastic promotion of a person, place, organization, idea/cause
explanation of Davy Crockett boosterism
from TN frontiersman pro hunter (bears) politician (US congressman) ran for re-election: Lost! "You may all go to Hell - I'm going to TX!" For Crockett, TX represented opportunity! Crocket loves what he sees; falls in love with TX writes a letter to his family in TN "Texas is the garden spot of the world" ---------> 1. land/soil/fertile, productive gardens ---------> 2. Biblical reference. Garden of Eden perfect, paradise, heaven on Earth *Texas is the new Eden
Primary source (strict):
is a source based on firsthand/eyewitness testimony
Primary source (broad):
is a source dating from the period that you are studying
John Henry Moore (1800-1880)
moved to Texas from Tennessee. A Southern slaveowner, he fought Indians and took part in the Texas Revolution. Moore is most famous for designing the "come and take it" flag at the Battle of Gonzales in Oct. 1835. He is buried near La Grange, TX.
Challenge of writing history
often times, primary sources contradict each other. Which PS do you trust?
PTSD:
post traumatic stress disorder -a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock
How was Jackie's outfit symbolic
pre-assassination = beauty and power post-assassination (gore) = tragedy and unfulfilled potential of the JFK presidency
Unfortunately we do no know how Crockett died bc
the PS offer contradictory accounts
Ethnic Cleansing
the elimination of an ethnic group from a region either through death or deportation (forced removal)
Reassess
to rethink; to re-evaluate, to re-examine, to revise
Explanation of Sam and Andrew Wyly
wrote "Texas Got It Right" a. has a fascinating past b. TX has a bright and optimistic future c. In short, TX is the place to be Focus: successful TX companies. -Half Price Books- Dallas, 1972 2 hippies cofounded HPB Patricia Anderson and Ken Gjemre Descendants still own HPB today -4 key principles ---------> sell books at a discount ---------> extend the life of books ---------> nature/conservation ---------> promote literacy motto: "waste not and read a lot"
