When I hear the names Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Barret Travis, Santa Anna and the state of Texas along with a whisper of  John Wayne, of course I think of the Alamo.  The story of the freedom fighters' bravery, courage and deaths as they fought to win independence from Mexico is legendary. But, how much of what we think we know is true?

A fascinating new book entitled, "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth," examines what really happened, and explores how the heroic myth came about. Authors Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford, have written a provocative tale that not only speaks to the truth, but also looks at the surprising reasons the fight for independence began in the first place.

In one of the most controversial findings, the authors explain that the battle for the independence of Texas began, at least in part, because of Mexico's anti-slavery stance. Plantation owners from the south had already settled in the region, bringing their slaves with them. Ending slavery would have brought an abrupt end to the plantation owners' lucrative cotton trade, and resulted in financial ruin.

I won't give you any more spoilers, but I highly recommend reading "Forget the Alamo." ​
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To learn more, listen to this Politics and Prose discussion with the authors:

This Fresh Air podcast covers many of the more fascinating aspects of the book as well:
"Forget the Alamo" Author Says We Have the Texas Origin Story All Wrong"

Do you plan to read "Forget the Alamo?" Let me know in the comments. 

Stay tuned for more. 

Guest Post by Kristine Schwartzman

Written after the event by Clarina Nichols in a letter to a friend, those chilling words struck fear into both Nichols' heart and, most terrifyingly in the heart of runaway slave, Caroline hiding with another freedom-seeker in Nichols' Kansas home. 

As they waited in hiding for morning, creeping in slippered feet, whispering and drinking coffee, Nichols hid her own fear in apparent cheerfulness. In her words, she was "really in a tremor of indignation and fear; fear of a prolonged incarceration of the poor victim of oppression and indignation at the government that protected and the manhood that stayed its hand from “breaking the bonds and telling the oppressed go free.”"

At 7:00 in the morning, Nichols got word that the slave hunters rode out of town without their "quarry." When night fell Caroline and her fellow runaway found safe conveyance to Leavenworth for the next leg of their journey north. 

I accidentally came across Clarina Nichols name as I browsed books at PaperBackSwap.com.  The title "Revolutionary Heart: The Life of Clarina Nichols and the Pioneering Crusade for Women's Rights" intrigued me. Clarina Nichols? Who was THAT? 

Written by Diane Eickhoff, the book indeed describes a "revolutionary heart." A woman who was not only a women's rights advocate who worked alongside her more famous counterparts, but also a woman who fell in love with the West, settled in "Bleeding Kansas" and became an integral part of the Underground Railroad. 

Nancy Kendall talks about Kansas in her journal:

"For number of years and in mean time kansas was being settled and it (editor's note: "it" refers to slavery) was a little of a stir to keep it out of Kassas but they S Succeeded in keepping it out and in later years they had quite a work on the Under Ground Rail Road for about two years there*"

Clarina Nichols was instrumental in keeping Kansas a free state. She was a divorced mother, a journalist, lecturer, women's rights activist and Underground Railroad participant.  It's time Clarina Nichols got her due.

* Transcribed with original spelling, wording and punctuation.
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