Texas: A Compact History

by Archie P. McDonald

Overview

Texas "a whole other country"-a slogan that promotes tourism as much within the Lone Star State as elsewhere-is familiar to native Texans and those adopted sons and daughters who "got here just as quickly as they could." Texas is as varied as East Texas timberland, hundreds of miles of seashore, prairies of the Central and High Plains, and the dry desert of far West Texas. When traveling abroad and asked, "Where are you from?" residents of forty-nine of the United States usually respond, "the USA." Nearly every citizen of the Lone Star State will answer "Texas!" The world encourages such chauvinism. Mass media celebrates and exploits Texas and Texans in television and motion pictures about the Alamo, Texas Rangers, the oil industry, and athletics, to name only a few genre. Texans' pride in their distinctiveness increases when their state is paraded-or satired-and they consciously "pass it on" to succeeding generations. But what does it mean to be a Texan? How did Texas come to be as it is? Texas: A Compact History provides answers to such questions about Texans and Texas. It tells the story of Texas history and provides thoughtful interpretations about the state's development, all with the general reader in mind-in a brief, easily read narrative. ARCHIE P. McDONALD is the author of numerous books dealing with various aspects of Texas history, including Back Then: Simple Pleasures and Everyday Heroes (State House Press, 2005)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933337159
Publisher:	State House/McWhiney Foundation Press
Publication date:	02/06/2007
Pages:	254
Sales rank:	621,850
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

ARCHIE P. McDONALD is the author of numerous books dealing with various aspects of Texas history, including Back Then: Simple Pleasures and Everyday Heroes (State House Press, 2005)

Table of Contents

A Whole Other Country     9
Indians in Texas     19
Spain and Texas     25
Colonial Texas     40
Texas Revolution     53
Republic of Texas     71
Statehood     86
Civil War     101
Reconstruction and Indian Wars     116
Economical and Social Changes     136
The New Century     154
Depression and War     173
Texas at Mid-Century     189
Political Shift     208
Modern Texas     225
Index     231

Editorial Reviews

Texas: A Compact History is a fabulous book for anyone studying the United States and Texas. . . . McDonald's book gives enough details without getting bogged down in minutia.

Eclectic Homeschool Online

An easy-to-follow guide, especially ideal for browsing prior to traveling to Texas for buisiness or pleasure . . . Enthusiastically recommended for anyone who wants to quickly familiarize themselves with Texas history.

Midwest Book Review

While most Texans think bigger is better, in the case of McDonald's book, that isn't necessarily the case. If what you want is a quick rundown about a subject . . . you'll find the basic facts here . . . McDonald's book offers a quick look at Texas, with concise entries and easy-to-find headings, as well as a top-notch index.

BookBeat

McDonald's Compact History ought to be required reading for anyone who questions why this state and its people truly are unique.

Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel