Contested Empire

Rethinking the Texas Revolution

Edited by Sam W. Haynes and Gerald D. Saxon

Introduction by Gregg Cantrell

Contributions by Eric Schlereth, Sam W. Haynes, Miguel Soto, Will Fowler and Amy S. Greenberg

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Texas History

Texana

Western History

To a large degree, the story of Texas’ secession from Mexico has been undertaken by scholars of the state. Early twentieth century historians of the revolutionary period, most notably Eugene Barker and William Binkley, characterized the conflict as a clash of two opposing cultures, yet their exclusive focus on the region served to reinforce popular notions of a unique Texas past.

Disconnected from a broader historiography, scholars have been left to ponder the most arcane details of the revolutionary narrative—such as the circumstances of David Crockett’s death and whether William Barret Travis really did draw a line in the sand.

In Contested Empire: Rethinking the Texas Revolution, five distinguished scholars take a broader, transnational approach to the 1835–36 conflict. The result of the 48th Annual Walter Prescott Webb Memorial Lectures, held at the University of Texas at Arlington in March, 2013, these essays explore the origins and consequences of the events that gave birth to the Texas Republic in ways that extend beyond the borders of the Lone Star State.

Walter Prescott Webb Memorial Lectures, published for the University of Texas at Arlington by Texas A&M University Press

About the Author

SAM W. HAYNES is a professor of history and director of the Center for Greater Southwestern Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. His most recent book is Unfinished Revolution: The Early American Republic in a British World. GERALD D. SAXON is an associate professor of history at the University of Texas at Arlington. His most recent book, which he coauthored, is Historic Texas from the Air.

Reviews

"Those who attended the Walter Prescott Webb Lectures at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2013 were treated to a genuine intellectual feast, and those who read the revised and polished versions of those lectures in Contested Empire will reap an even richer reward. Through their varied transnational perspectives, these innovative scholars from three nations (or four, if one counts Texas) bring new meaning, resonance, and indeed brilliance to the historiography of the Texas Revolution."—James E. Crisp

"The lively and insightful essays in this volume connect the people and events of the Texas Revolution to the ways they experienced the world. They take the mythologized accounts of the war and provide deeper significance and relevance to American, Mexican and World history. The outside-in perspectives on Texas History of the essays tell new stories, making the war meaningful to current and future generations." — Raul Ramos

"A valuable addition to the historiography of the Texas Revolution." — The Chronicles of Oklahoma

“The essays contained in Contested Empire effectively place the Texas Revolution into the broader contexts of early American and Mexican histories. The result is a fascinating, novel approach that adds yet another layer of depth to the understanding of this important conflict. As such, this volume will likely appeal to a broader audience of American and Mexican historians than is usually reached by works of Texana”—The Journal of Southern History

“These essays, taken together, deliver a fresh assessment of the events of 1835-36”—Great Plains Quarterly

Published by Texas A&M University Press