Alamo In Blood And Memory

Everyone knows what the Alamo is and most know the story of it, how the Texans, led by William Travis, James Bowie, and Davie Crocket, had to try and fend off the Mexican soldiers led by Santa Anna. Being outnumbered all the Texans rebels had to fight for was for the pride of Texas and that is what they did and from that some famous myths about certain things were created during the fight like Travis’s line in the sand or Davie Crockets willingness to fight to the death. Randy Roberts and James S. Olson are able to relate the well-known story of the Alamo to the readers and really get into both the Mexican and American perspectives. In “A Line in the Sand the Alamo in Blood and Memory”, Roberts and Olson are able to separate what really happened

The authors do an excellent job showing that while the Texans were outnumbered and everything was going against them they still fought because they feared they would be ruled with a dictator and would not have freedom like they already had. They felt like this because the Santa Anna led Mexican army fought by force, the soldiers were forced to fight. That is the definition of tyranny and the Texans wanted no part of that, William Travis even expressed their mindset in a letter saying, “VICTORY or DEATH.’’ (127). What the reader sees later is that the battle of the Alamo was not just a loss to the Mexican Army, it was really a wakeup call for everyone to realize that Santa Anna was ruthless and should be accounted for. For example Santa recalled to his men of Congress’s December 1835 edict “that the insurgents were all pirates worthy of extermination,” (153). Randy Roberts and James S. Olson both combine to explain the power that this battle had on America. For instance, the most powerful figure in America, the president Lyndon Johnson, had left the White House with “a legion of Texas politicians who remembered the Alamo as if it were recent history” (294). Everything about the Battle of the Alamo influenced so much later on in America, the authors’ even point out that people heard the story many times, watched plays about it, and even acted out the battle in games they would play as children. This thesis and idea was greatly enhanced when Walt Disney and John Wayne both got involved and now the battle was getting displayed cinematically to America. America seen the braveness of the Texan rebels and now their bravery was instilled into them