This episode centers on Forget the Alamo and challenges the deeply rooted mythology surrounding Texas independence and the Alamo.

Rather than a heroic last stand against the forces of Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Alamo is discussed as a moment of mistrust and miscalculation. Many inside the mission were warned by fellow Mexicans that Santa Anna was advancing, yet chose not to believe them. That decision, more than a grand defense of liberty, led to martyrdom that was later mythologized.

The conversation reframes Texas independence not as a parallel to the Boston Tea Party, but as an economic project. At its core, independence was driven by the desire to preserve slavery, embed racial hierarchy into law, and protect a cotton based economy that depended on dehumanized labor. Cotton was becoming a global commodity, Texas land was uniquely suited for plantation agriculture, and slavery was essential to that model. The mythology that followed helped settlers morally justify profiting from stolen land and enslaved people.

The episode also explores how history is curated, not just lived. We discuss the roles of Clara Driscoll and Adina De Zavala, whose efforts saved the Alamo but reflected competing visions of which stories deserved preservation. That tension mirrors earlier political fractures, including the fallout involving Lorenzo de Zavala following Article 9 of the Texas Constitution, which formalized racial exclusion and severed ties with Mexican citizens who once belonged to the land.

Ultimately, the episode argues that the Alamo myth endures because it obscures uncomfortable truths. Texas was founded less on freedom and more on protecting slavery, racial hierarchy, and economic power. These realities continue to shape identity, politics, and belonging today.

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