Texas history is more than just history. It’s filled with myth— and amnesia—that provides a permission structure which fuels conservative politics. It also has a powerful influence on the nation as a whole. In his book Texas: An American History, Benjamin Heber Johnson shines new light on Texas history—while seeking to balance the dark chapters of Texas history and not letting them overshadow the achievements of the lone star state.
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World War II concluded with Japan's unconditional surrender after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What led to President Truman's order to deploy this new weapon? Was the first and only wartime use of nuclear bombs justified? -
Lone Star Beer has marketed itself as a Texas tradition dating to 1884, but a new book argues the familiar brand grew from two distinct San Antonio breweries operating in different eras. -
New generations of Americans are taking to the street in protest, demanding change and accountability. And they are discovering what protestors of the 1960s and '70s found out— protesting is hard, frustrating and requires sacrifice. But protest songs can help. Songs demanding freedom and justice go back generations and are also being composed today. We hear from Stephen Stacks about his new book The Resounding Revolution: Freedom Song After 1968. -
Mission Indians in Spanish Texas helped the American Revolutionary cause by using their skills as vaqueros to drive longhorn cattle to Spanish Louisiana to help feed Spanish troops fighting the British. -
A coalition of four LGBTQ+ groups launched a project to digitize and preserve photos from the community. -
As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, historian Robert G. Parkinson reminds us that the founding document also contains 27 grievances to King George that demand attention. -
“Pass the Politics Pappy” explores the remarkable political rise of W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, a flour salesman who used his popular radio show and catchy slogans to rocket into becoming Texas Governor and then U.S. Senator in the late 1930s and 1940s. Part 2 of the series focuses on O'Daniel's time as governor and delivered very little on his grand promises. Ultimately O’Daniel’s story serves as a cautionary tale of media-driven political populism. -
This week on Texas Matters — The story of Texas that we typically hear is one with a conservative bias.But there are parts of Texas history that reflect a more progressive vein of the state’s identity. Stories of the fence cutters, the great cowboy strike and the struggle against the power of big business. The new book "The Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South" challenges the common view of Texas history. -
The book "Los Adaes, the First Capital of Spanish Texas" explores the colonial history of this all-but-forgotten Spanish fort and mission. -
The history of the Mayan civilization seemed to be lost forever when Spanish explorers first saw the ruins of the ancient cities in Mexico and Central America. Today with recent decipherment of their writings the story of the Maya can now be told from their perspective.
