Introduction
The book A Line in the Sand was written by James Olson and Randy Roberts. The title of the book depicts a war or battle through the wording of “in blood”. Meanwhile, the wording “and memory” suggests the remembrance of the battle in the minds of people. The book tries to address the causes of the battle in Alamo and the significance of the events that occurred afterwards in the minds of people. It starts its tale from early March 1836 where a Mexican army goes to a mission called the Alamo under the leadership of General Antonio Lopez. This Mexican general is a man who yearns for absolute power and thinks of himself as a reincarnate of Napoleon. The book further delves into the accuracy of fictions of the line in the sand, Crockett’s death fight and the perception of Mexicans as brutal murderers.
The book A Line in Sand is written by two authors. One of them is James Olson, who got his BA 1967 from Brigham University, an MA in 1969 and PhD in1972 from State University. In 1966 he was a nominee author for the academic and Pulitzer Prize. He is also a Distinguished History professor in Sam Houston University in Texas where he started as an assistant professor in the university but rose to the ranks he is now. Moreover, He has co-authored with Randy Roberts before in a book related to this one called American. The other author of the book The Alamo is Randy Roberts. Randy has specialized in the history of modern America and pop culture. He is also biographer who has won awards, and who researches on popular culture, with much context being current American History. Moreover, Randy is a Distinguished History Professor at Purdue University. These authors interests in modern history gives a unique perspective on the battle of Alamo and other modern day things like patriotism, presidents and popular culture.
Thesis of the Book
The thesis of the book is that it accounts for the ongoing conflict between the factual and fictional parts of the legend hence making the Alamo the focal point of defining the wider struggle of America’s past. The authors bring out the consequences of the battle of Alamo as being more than just the death of Texans. One of these consequences is that of awakening people to the serious threat of the army of Mexico hence rallying people (Texans) against it. In the later years, the Alamo battle has given Texas a history to relate to and heroic figures to distinguish with as is depicted in American films and television. However, the patriotic fiction that exists in the movies differs from the factual cries of the rallies against the battle. The authors also scrutinize the men who fought the battle itself. They examine what the battle meant to the fighters and their thoughts on what they were fighting for. A good example is that of Antonio who felt inspired by Napoleon and considered himself a reincarnation of him. General Antonio thought he was fighting for the empire of Mexico hence squashed the rebellious Texans. Meanwhile, Crockett and several others believed they were fighting against oppression and tyranny hence believed they were being patriots. Crockett is seen to be the most controversial figure in the history since the authors could not find a definitive account of his last hours. The authors also bring out the idea that the Texas Revolution was motivated by conflicting individual rights and political freedom, something that recent scholars disagree with as they base the war on racism and ethnicity.
Methodology
The chronological organization of the book is divided into two. First it deals with the battle itself in terms of its causes, events leading to the battle, its participants, their agendas and perceptions, and lastly the aftermath. The authors here give the battle facts. Next it deals with the meaning given to the event by Americans. Here the author tries to sort out the contradicting information about the battle. The authors therefore provide a balanced analysis of the battle and provide careful portraits of key characters. General Antonio is characterized as being hungry for absolute power and strong supporter of Napoleon. Meanwhile Crocket, Travis and others are brought out as highly marketed characters of films. John Wayne’s place has generated lots of American text punditry and TV. As for the Cold War viewers, Crocket is seen as the symbol for justice, sacrifice and truth for a noble cause. The authors also argue that most popular believes about the battle is historically suspected, but plays a crucial role in the concept of William Travis and his counterparts in the defense for liberty. The authors have also checked with useful sources to provide a detailed analysis to those that find the Alamo history interesting as well as its meaning to the people of America. Therefore both popular and scholar appeals have been catered for. The authors are biased in detailing about the battle in the sense that they gave much information regarding key characters like Davy Crockett and John Wayne but not as much about the battle. The main event of battle was thus not adequately captured.
Conclusion
This book teaches that history keeps changing and being rewritten since the authors had to consult several books to come up with one conclusive masterpiece. It also teaches that historical interpretations differ based on those passing information for example the American film makers tell it from a heroes point of view, while historians would concentrate on the actual events and personalities of participants. Meanwhile, it is also clear that some historical events are more remembered than others due to the impact they had in a place and due to the uniqueness of their occurrence. Factors most remembered involve powerful armies, lost lives and emerged heroes. All in all history helps to reflect back at a time when powerful events took place and shaped the course of modern life for good.
