“You will remember this battle! Each minute! Each second! Until the day that you die! But that is for tomorrow, gentlemen. For today, Remember the Alamo!”
Sam Houston – 1836
Heroes are remembered with tributes and dedications on an annual basis to celebrate the deeds, actions and sacrifices that they may have performed for the benefit of others and those who followed afterwards. A small Spanish Mission located in South Central Texas and the sacrifices made there have been memorialized by the Texas educational system. Middle schools and high schools have had a required curriculum known as “Texas History” for decades without any dispute until now. The Texas Board of Education is at odds with the centerpiece of the Lone Star State’s history, the Alamo and particularly with a letter written by Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis.
Multiple board-nominated committees, made up mostly of educators, met this year as part of a broader effort to streamline curriculum standards across subject areas. The board made a preliminary vote on whether to accept changes to the social studies curriculum. One issue is the Travis Letter and some of the language used.
On February 24, 1836, William Barret Travis, Commander of the Texan rebels in the Alamo, wrote a plea for help as they were surrounded by enemy forces under Mexican dictator Santa Anna. Addressed to “The People of Texas and All Americans in the world” and signed “Victory or Death” – this letter is known as one of the most stirring documents in American history.
At issue is the word, “Americans” and that that it may be considered offensive and racist. The Board of Education would like to re-write the letter replacing “Americans” with the phrase, “people of diverse backgrounds,” which many Texas historians say would change the meaning and reason why the letter was written.
“These are the most famous words in all of Texas history,” U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Houston, told the board after reading an excerpt from Travis’ letter, “I cannot fathom any possible way that one can teach Texas history without teaching William Barrett Travis’ plea to the people of Texas and all Americans and the world.”
Lt. Col. Travis was aware, as well as the other defenders of the Alamo, which included Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, that help would not arrive in time and they would surely die. Nonetheless, they would hold as long as they could so that Sam Houston could gather support and have the fighting force to defeat Santa Anna to achieve independence from Mexico.
Despite the objections of many Texas historians a compromise was voted on. The new curriculum standard with the restored language now reads that students must learn about the siege of the Alamo, including Travis’ letter and “the heroism of the diverse defenders who gave their lives there.”
Not an easy pill for Texans, who are proud of their heritage, to swallow but some comfort can be taken with the fact that the William B. Travis February 24 “Victory or Death” letter is permanently housed in the Texas State Archives and Library Building in Austin, Texas.
We must never forget the sacrifices that these brave souls gave in the building of this great nation. William B. Travis understood the importance of this in his letter, “I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch – If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country.”
Psalm 23:4 NKJV — Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
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Photo: Texas Flag – Archive / File
Photo: The Alamo – Courtesy of Reimagine the Alamo