Spying the Alamo: Davey Crockett’s Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution is more about the issue of racism than it is about history itself. The writer does do several good points and gives historical certification to endorse up his points such as the journal of Jose` Enrique de la Pena. However. the book has a batch of sentiment mixed in with fact. Crisp does non acquire an overview of the conflict of the Alamo from both sides but takes his sentiment from the Mexican point of view and the point of view of a German soldier.
There is merely adequate fact to confound a individual who has non studied the history of the Alamo. Attention needs to be given to the few subsisters of the Alamo on the Texas side. The whole first chapter of this book is devoted to the author’s childhood and racism during the civil rights motion which has nil at all to make with the Alamo. This being said. I would non read this book once more due to so many factors that thin towards the author’s ain sentiment. The Alamo was a turning point in the history of Texas in its pursuit to go free and independent of Mexico.
Crisp does convey this point up and so turns it towards it being a racial war between Mexicans and Anglo-saxons. The Alamo conflict began February 23. 1836 and lasted 13 yearss until March 6. 1836. Chip shows the history in the most portion through the eyes of a Mexican soldier. de la Pena. Harmonizing to de la Pena’s recount of the conflict. the Alamo was a shame due to Santa Anna’s absolutism and deficiency of compassion. There were seven sureties taken. including Davey Crockett. and they were instantly executed. harmonizing to de la Pena.
Historians have debated over this since the war ended. Crisp in his book is supporting his point of position alternatively of giving complete factual grounds. This argument in this peculiar book is over whether Davey Crockett made a last base or over whether or non he was captured. Crisp so goes into how the word picture of Davey Crockett has led to the misunderstanding that the battle was one of Anglo-Saxon’s against Mexican’s when in fact many of the Texan’s lost in this conflict were of Mexican beginning. Crisp besides states there were no subsisters.
There were no grownup Caucasian male subsisters ( it is questionable as to whether a slave named Joe was Travis’ slave or the slave of a cook in Santa Anna’s ground forces ) . The histories of the females and kids who survived the Alamo are ne’er mentioned in Crisp book. Most of the historic histories were that of Mexican descent and a German named Herman Ehrenberg. This in itself makes the credibleness of this work questionable. When Crisp is non seeking to force racism in this book he is supporting his point of position against another historiographer who wrote a book to support Davey Crockett and his base at the Alamo.
The other historiographer is Bill Groneman who wrote Death of a fable: The Myth and Mystery Surrounding the Death of Davey Crockett. In order to authenticate this book on historical fact the histories of all certification on the Alamo must be taken into history. including that of the subsisters. The different paperss that Crisp uses to support his point of position he even has to theorize on the interlingual rendition of the words from Spanish or German to English.
Crisp has done a batch of research to endorse up his point of position but the mere fact that there are disagreements in linguistic communication and that none of the Alamo subsisters were even mentioned gives a broad border for mistake and credibleness. There needs to be a batch more research on the narrative from both sides of the battle before a decision can be drawn. In decision. this book would non be recommended as an reliable historical piece of literature. The beginning and terminal of the book is based entirely in racism evading the worlds of what happened at the Alamo and why it happened.
Crisp is supporting his ain research instead than holding a all-around historical book based on facts from all sides and he uses historical paperss where there is a linguistic communication barrier and hence the interlingual rendition is done with guess. Crisp says in the book that there were no subsisters of the Alamo when there were known subsisters who did in fact do interviews and saw the slaughter firsthand. This is non a recommended book to read for position on what happened at the Alamo.
