Murphy tells of “a time when our nation was young and raw and only beginning to take on the shape and character we know today.” Texas was a foreign country in 1836, a state controlled by Mexico. Anglo foreigners were receiving 4,428 acres of land for 30 dollars and could live on it tax free for ten years. Slavery was forbidden and newcomers had to join the Catholic Church and become citizens of Mexico. As thousands of Americans arrived, General Santa Anna came to see them as invaders rather than as settlers and sought to stop their immigration, setting into motion the Texas War for Independence. The story focuses on the Alamo’s famous role as Texas rebels fought for independence and carries on through the later victory of Sam Houston’s forces. Eventually, Mexico lost 40 percent of its territory to the US. This is history writing at its finest—lively prose, sidebars, profiles of key players, an abundance of archival photographs, engravings, paintings, and maps, and an N.C. Wyeth painting gracing the cover. Readers learn something of the thrill of history: what questions led to the research, what questions remain, what voices can be brought to life to tell the tale. Though an archival land-grant map is included, a map more clearly delineating the boundaries of Mexico, Texas, and the US at the time would be helpful. No footnotes are included, but the author’s note and annotated bibliography are excellent and will serve researchers well. Essential for library collections and a good bet for the classroom. (index, list of those inside) (Nonfiction. 10+)
