San Antonio, TX
Texas and pride. Those two words go together like steak and chili. Or rice and refried beans. But what exactly gives Texas that sense of pride? And more importantly, how does that play into being an American?
That was one of the things we set out to discover in San Antonio-home of the Alamo. Surrounded on all four sides by hotels, souvenir shops, and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the Alamo is the symbol for Texas pride.
In 1836, 162 Texans stood tall against Santa Anna’s Mexican army. They held down the Alamo for 13 days, fighting only for pride. They could have fled. Instead, they chose to die for Texas.
“Remember the Alamo” became the battle cry as Texas defeated Mexico and claimed their independence.
Of course, it’s important to remember that’s the story the Alamo tells us. It doesn’t mention how several Texans were possibly killed on the grounds outside the Alamo-running for their lives. And they don’t say anything about how slavery was a central issue in the conflict between abolitionist Mexico and slave-heavy Texas.
(We’ve seen several other glaring omissions on this trip as well-the lack of any Lewinski reference at the Clinton Library, and no details on Elvis’ death at Graceland.)
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