A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory

A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory

by RandyRoberts (Author), JamesOlson (Author)

Synopsis

San Antonio Texas, 1836. A Mexican army led by Santa Anna attacks a small fort called the Alamo. Disputes still rage over what exactly happened and why. In a combination of historic and cultural analysis, historians Randy Roberts and James S. Olson blend a narrative of the battle, told from both an Anglo and Mexican perspective. They draw from a wide range of sources, including documents from Mexican military archives and pages from the famous diary of Jose Enrique de la Pena. The events of the Alamo pose a few questions: Did Davy Crockett really die a hero, or did he surrender before a summary execution? And why have Americans built a shrine for an event that lasted just 90 minutes, and inflated it into one of the country's biggest tourist attractions? A full explanation of the San Antonio encounter requires a peeling back of many layers. Roberts and Olson retell the story of a great American myth, and show how and why it endures.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 20 Aug 2001

ISBN 10: 0684835444
ISBN 13: 9780684835440

Media Reviews
John S. D. Eisenhower author of Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott Randy Roberts and James Olson have produced a fresh kind of history. Besides recounting the actual battle at the Alamo they provide background for the event and study the way that incident has affected modern attitudes, including movies and television...highly entertaining.
Author Bio
Randy Roberts is professor of history at Purdue University. He is the author of Papa Jack: Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes and the co author (with James Olson) of John Wayne: American. Both books are published by The Free Press. He lives in Lafayette, Indiana. James S. Olson is professor of history at Sam Houston State University. He is the author of many books, including The Ethinic Dimension in American History. He lives in Huntsville, Texas.