Beyond the Alamo: Forging Mexican Ethnicity in San Antonio, 1821-1861

by Raul A. Ramos and Ral A. Ramos

Introducing a new model for the transnational history of the United States, Raul Ramos places Mexican Americans at the center of the Texas creation story. He focuses on Mexican-Texan, or Tejano,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807832073
• ISBN13: 9780807832073
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Re-Thinking Texas History and American History

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the United States, Mexico or Texas. Dr. Ramos traces the history of San Antonio, Texas from a Spanish colonial outpost, through Mexican independence, Anglo colonization, secession from Mexico, annexation by the United States all the wa up to the threshold of the Civil War. Along the way, he asks who were the residents of San Antonio and how did they view the events surrounding them. The history raises interesting questions about what the terms "Mexican," "Texan," and "American" mean. In unpacking the complex meaning of these words, Dr. Ramos challenges some of our most basic notions about Texas and US history. This history raises interesting questions about the current debate over immigation by raising such qustions as: Who ar the immigrants? What is a border between to multicultural nations? How does ethnicity get defined and does that definition change over time. Dr. Ramos' style is clear and chronological and this book is suitable for the academic or lay reader.