Read this and learn about the not-so-hidden historical truth of the Alamo.

Specifically, in a newly-published book titled, “Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth ,” co-authors Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford  paint a historically accurate picture of the Alamo story with plans to present their work last Thursday on the online platform of the Bullock Texas History Museum located here in Austin, Texas. 

Given that Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan are on the museum's board, they exercised their power and forced the director to cancel this event.  

The rub is that the less-than-flattering, albeit factual and credible, interpretation of Texas history that the battle of the Alamo was motivated in great part to preserve the institution of slavery. To understand this part of our history, one has to know that this land, that later became "Texas," once belonged to Mexico and that Mexico had abolished slavery back in 1829. For greater insight, read this post to my blog back in 2014: Vicente Guerrero, Mexico’s First Afro-Indian President.

The irony is that Texas republicans decry "de-platforming" which is something they just did with these book authors and scheduled presenters, Burrough and Tomlinson, while promoting legislation that they term, the “social media censorship bill” (Senate Bill 12). SB 12 is one of the governor's priorities that failed during the regular session, however, it will resurface in the special legislative session that begins this week. 

The truth of the matter is that they want to continue whitewashing history with a falsely patriotic and triumphalist view of history that preserves the myth of "Texas exceptionalism," that either erases or rationalizes the truths of our state and nation's atrocious history of slavery, conquest, and colonization of which the story of the Alamo is clearly emblematic.

-Angela Valenzuela

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick admits he told state museum to cancel 'Forget the Alamo' book event

Taylor Goldenstein, Jeremy Blackman, Austin Bureau

July 2, 2021Updated: July 3, 2021 9:48 a.m.

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, from front, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and General Land 

Commissioner George P. Bush ascend the stairs to unveil the 18-Pound cannon as state and local 

officials gathered for the unveiling of a new outdoor "18-Pounder Losoya House Exhibit" in Alamo 

Plaza on Friday, April 16, 2021. Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff Photographer

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday acknowledged putting pressure on the state’s 

history museum to shut down a virtual discussion of “Forget the Alamo,” a 

book that critically re-examines the storied history of the Texas landmark.

“As a member of the Preservation Board, I told staff to cancel this event as 

soon as I found out about it,” the Republican and former conservative radio 

host wrote on Twitter.

Patrick said that “this fact-free rewriting of TX history has no place 

@BullockMuseum.”

On Thursday, with little explanation, the Bullock Texas State History Museum 

in Austin abruptly pulled out of an event scheduled for that night on “Forget 

the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth,” which was published 

last month.

The authors decried the move as state censorship.

The Bullock museum is operated by the State Preservation Board, which is 

chaired by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Patrick and House Speaker Dade 

Phelan, R-Beaumont, serve as co-chairs.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, from left, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and General Land 

Commissioner George P. Bush stand beside 18-pound cannon in a new outdoor "18-Pounder 

Losoya House Exhibit" in Alamo Plaza as state and local officials gathered for the unveiling on 

Friday, April 16, 2021. Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff Photographer

FOR BACKGROUND: Texas history museum pulls out of event on book 

re-examining Alamo ‘myth’

Patrick “thinks he has the right to force his myths on others and can’t handle 

the truth,” Chris Tomlinson, one of the book’s authors and a columnist for 

the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News, said in a tweet. 

“Historians have been teaching these facts for a decade.”

The controversy appears to have sparked greater interest in the book, as it 

rose to the 28th best-selling book on Amazon as of Saturday morning; 

Tomlinson said its previous high ranking was 168th.

“Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth” was written by Bryan Burrough, Chris

Tomlinson, Jason Stanford and published in June 2021. Penguin Press-handout.

Tomlinson and one of his two co-authors, Bryan Burrough, were to discuss 

their book in an online “Craft of Writing” event moderated by Becka Oliver, 

executive director of the Writers’ League of Texas.

Margaret Koch, director of the Bullock, said Friday that the authors could have 

gone ahead with the event but decided not to.

The museum’s role “was primarily that of co-host,” Koch said in a statement. “

Although the Bullock withdrew from the event and notified the 198 pre-registered 

participants, the Writers’ League of Texas was prepared to continue the event on 

their own platform and gave the book’s authors the opportunity to do so. The 

authors declined to continue, and because they did so, the Writers’ League of 

Texas canceled the event.”

Tomlinson said they had no choice but to cancel because the event was organized 

using the Bullock’s online platform. “We did not have time to readvertise the 

event to move to another platform,” Tomlinson wrote in a Facebook post.

“De-platforming is what conservatives cry about when white supremacist groups

are kicked off social media. They say it’s un-American. Well, that is precisely 

what they did to us,” he wrote.

Burrough said in a tweet Friday: “I’ve worked all over the world for 35-plus 

years and I had to return to Texas to get my first government censorship and 

actual death threats.”

In the book, Tomlinson, Burrough and Jason Stanford assert that the 

common narrative about the Battle of the Alamo — that 180 Texan rebels 

died defending the state in its war for independence from Mexico — overlooks 

the fact that it was waged in part to preserve slavery.

Patrick and other Texas Republicans disagree with that premise and have 

described it as an attempt to politicize the state’s history.

The book has also riled conservatives by questioning the authenticity of 

Alamo artifacts collected by rock star Phil Collins.

Collins donated the items to the state in 2014, providing an early impetus

for an ambitious plan to renovate Alamo Plaza to enhance its appeal as a 

tourist attraction. State officials agreed to build a museum at the site to 

showcase the Collins collection.

The new book says documentation is lacking to show that many of the items 

Collins acquired, including a knife supposedly owned by Alamo defender Jim 

Bowie, played any role in the 1836 battle or were ever at the site.

The public-private project to renovate Alamo Plaza also envisioned relocating 

the Cenotaph, a 1930s monument to the Alamo defenders. It would have 

been moved a few hundred feet south of its current location in the plaza.

When the proposal went before the Texas Historical Commission last year, 

Patrick spoke forcefully against it, and the commission denied a permit for 

the relocation.

Patrick also took issue with elements of the Alamo project that sought to 

call attention to earlier phases of the site’s history and the imprint left by 

indigenous peoples. He said the project would “erase history” and that the 

primary focus should be on the 1836 battle — “the most important 13 days 

in the history of Texas and Western civilization.”

More recently, Patrick has derided the proposed relocation of the Cenotaph 

as an instance of “cancel culture.”

The irony was not lost on Patrick’s critics, who noted that the lieutenant 

governor has supported a “social media censorship bill.”

Senate Bill 12, sponsored by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would 

have required tech companies to disclose their policies for removing content 

and to allow appeals of those decisions. The bill passed the Senate but died 

in the House.

Patrick had identified it as a priority bill last session, and Abbott has said 

he will again put it on the agenda for the special legislative session set to 

begin July 8.

About an hour before the scheduled start of the “Forget the Alamo” event, 

Patrick sent out an email in support of the bill with the subject line: 

“In Texas, we treasure our right to free speech.”

jeremy.blackman@chron.com

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com