Scott Rhee's Reviews > Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth

Sadly, what I know about the Alamo comes almost exclusively from Brian Kilmeade’s book “Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers”, a book that I actually enjoyed, despite the fact that it was written by Kilmeade, a FOX News anchor who has said and done some boneheaded things in his career.

The fact that Kilmeade’s book—-and what Texans have been, and are still, taught about the Alamo in schools—-is mostly horseshit shouldn’t be surprising, given what we know about Kilmeade and Texas. And the United States, for that matter.

History is wonderful and exciting, but you couldn’t tell that from listening in on an average American middle school or high school history class. Mostly, it’s the sound of crickets or students snoring. The teachers aren’t necessarily to blame, either, as there are so many factors—-outdated textbooks, lousy content standards, more class time devoted to standardized testing than actual learning—-that make history so boring for kids. We are basically raising a nation of children to not give a shit about history, which is not only shameful but dangerous.

Thankfully, there are historians out there who still give a damn. Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford have collaborated on one of the best history books I have read in a while, “Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth”. It’s a lightening-rod title, and it’s meant to be.

Much of this book may not resonate too strongly with anyone who is not a history buff or from Texas, as it is almost exclusively an issue that affects only Texas historians and academics, but it has repercussions for all Americans and encompasses a lot of hot-button issues such as the rise of white supremacy, political correctness, and critical race theory.

It’s more than a book of history. To be clear, this book is actually more historiography than history. Historiography is the study of the way history is told and the different methodologies through the years that have shaped history. It is the way history is interpreted and revised through the lens of any particular era.

For example, for many decades following the famous 1836 battle at the Alamo Mission near what is now San Antonio, TX, Texans considered the fallen defenders (estimated between 180-260 men) against an army of roughly 1800 Mexican soldiers to be heroes. Indeed, the Hero mythology surrounding men like Sam Houston, William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett elevated them to almost God-like status, and any criticism of them was akin to sacrilege.

Now, historical revisionists are looking at these so-called “heroes” in a different light and pointing out that much of their “heroic” actions they are known for probably didn’t actually happen and was based solely on fictional accounts in popular novels, movies, and TV shows. Much like the events of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ, a lot of what we think we know about the event was simply not historically accurate.

There is also the strong element of racism in the Alamo’s historiography, as many Texans of a certain generation grew up calling Mexicans “murderers” in much the same way that ignorant Christians still brand Jews as “Christ’s murderers”. In truth, the cruelty and viciousness of the Mexican army was, in many ways, exaggerated tenfold, simply to create a narrative in which Mexicans were the villains of a story where, truthfully, there were no actual heroes or villains.

And, of course, there is the over-arching shadow of slavery that covers this entire story, a shadow which has—-up until recently—-been all but erased from much of Texan’s knowledge of the Alamo. That early Texans engaged in a violent revolution against Mexico primarily over the right to own slaves is still an important piece of information that tends to get glossed over in Texas school books.

Historical revisionists have, in the past couple decades, tried to set the record straight, but they are getting major push-back from a largely conservative right-wing contingent who deride the revisionists as leftists who are taking “political correctness” too far.

The good news is that many more voices are being heard that lend a different and fresh viewpoint to the story of the Alamo. More Mexicans, blacks, Native Americans, and women are entering the story, none of which take away from the importance of the event. If anything, their voices simply add more depth to a story that has always been slightly one-sided.

“Forget the Alamo” is a must-read for anyone who loves history. It’s also a must-read for anyone who has a hard time accepting the “official story”. True history often shows itself when enough people dig deep to find the actual story.