Contested Empire ― Rethinking the Texas Revolution

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.

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 isUnfinished 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, isHistoric Texas from the Air.