Introduction
The study of historical events is of particular value for understanding such aspects as the formation of society, the influence of the past on the present, and awareness of the experience of ancestors. However, almost any historical event is accompanied by a sufficiently large number of fiction and myths that can interfere with the narration of actual events. The writer James Crisp in his work “Sleeping the Alamo,” sets out to destroy these assumptions uniquely and excitingly. Thus, in his work, the author does not provide a description of the events of the Texas Revolution. This essay provides a study of “Sleeping the Alamo,” its main characters, the importance of this work for the history of the American West, and how the author distinguishes between history and myth.
Discussion
First of all, it is necessary to understand the work by James Crisp’s “Sleeping the Alamo” is about. Therefore, this story makes an attempt to provide knowledge about the actual events of the Texas Revolution, which were obscured by racist views and political correctness. The book begins with the author’s personal recollections about his experience of living and growing up in Texas and how it affected his personality and perception of the world. Crisp states that “the meaning of that identity was shaped by the constant invocation of “our” heroic struggle for freedom from a British oppressor—“Remember the Alamo!”1. The author also provides a brief chronology of the events of the revolution, which contribute to a deeper understanding of the stories described. With the help of once-forgotten and ignored documents, the author provides the reader with a description of the brutality and violence that flourished in revolutionary times.
Of particular importance for the work under study are the characters involved in it. The main “heroes” of this book are the direct participants of the events, eyewitnesses, whose memories were obtained from historical papers. With their help, the author makes the events more real and tangible in order to emphasize the need to disseminate reliable information about the events of the Texas Revolution. Hence, in “The Alamo,” readers are presented with several main protagonists at once, the story of each of which has a special meaning and value. It is worth noting that the book is based on real documents, books, and dates that make narratives more believable.
The book by Crisp has a particularly practical significance for the history of the American West. This is because “The Alamo” focuses on destroying possible myths that have been formed regarding the Texas Revolution2. The difference in the scope of censorship and adherence to social norms and principles contributed to the formation of this situation. Therefore, historical facts were often influenced by racism, and many accurate cruel historical data were hidden from individuals. Moreover, political correctness, which has been developed within the framework of modern realities, would not allow speaking openly about what really happened to people of color. The author notes that “society was so deeply segregated I did not speak to an African American my age until I was in college”3. This was one of the primary motivators in realizing the importance of spreading knowledge about the events that took place during the Texas Revolution.
Particular attention should be paid to how James Crisp explains and illustrates the difference between “history” and “myth” in his book “Sleeping the Alamo.” Thus, the author clearly distinguishes these concepts based on various previously mentioned sources. One of them is, for example, a diary written by Enrique de la Peña, which describes the execution of Davy Crockett in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of the Alamo (). However, these kinds of sources may not always be considered the most reliable since there is no substantial evidence for most of them.
Consequently, there may be a situation where they can become the direct cause of the myth since they may raise more questions than answers during research. Moreover, the book directly indicates which of the above is reliable information and which is refuted and considered fiction or myth. It is worth noting that sources of false information can be both personal and state records, various books, and papers; the importance lies in what information they provide.
Furthermore, regarding resources, the author of the book provides his personal prejudices and opinions regarding their reliability; thus, it is emphasized that Crisp “was also beginning to suspect that many historians had projected onto the past their assumptions about racial antagonism in the present”4. In his other works, the author emphasized that the study of the Texas revolution was necessary to gain an understanding of what really happened in those years5. Crisp, in his book, also explores that the formation and emergence of myths are influenced mainly by imagery created by literary authors. Henceforth, they provide readers with a unique representation of a distorted reality that needs to be corrected.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this work investigated the book by James Crisp called “Sleeping the Alamo,” which had a special significance for the history of the American West. This fact is since it provided valuable information about events that took place during the Texas Revolution. Moreover, the work was based on multiple sources that contributed to the limitation of myths built around this critically important historical event.
Bibliography
Crisp, James E. “Coming to Terms with the Texas Revolution in the Pages of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 125, no. 4 (2022): 442-458.
Crisp, James E. Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett’s Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Pearson, Byron E., Bruce C. Brasington, and Timothy P. Bowman. ““I Don’t Want to be a Historian! I Just Want to be a History Teacher!” A West Texas Historical Methods Odyssey.” Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 44, no. 1 (2019): 28-56.
Footnotes
- Crisp, James E. Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett’s Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Pearson, Byron E., Bruce C. Brasington, and Timothy P. Bowman. ““I Don’t Want to be a Historian! I Just Want to be a History Teacher!” A West Texas Historical Methods Odyssey.” Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 44, no. 1 (2019): 28-56.
- Crisp, James E. Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett’s Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Crisp, James E. Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett’s Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Crisp, James E. “Coming to Terms with the Texas Revolution in the Pages of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 125, no. 4 (2022): 442-458.