On
Monday, November 3rd, The Clements Center & DeGolyer Library
cordially
invite you to
a
reception at 5:30, lecture at 6:00, and book-signing at 7:00
in
honor of
Randolph
B. “Mike” Campbell
Regents
Professor of History, University of North Texas
Texans
and Their History in the New Millennium
Texana
Room, DeGolyer Library
6404 Hilltop Lane & McFarlin Blvd.; Parking at Airline Garage, at Daniel & Airline
Historians
often speak of discovering a "usable past," a history that explains
the present and offers suggestions for the future. What is the "usable past" of Texas as it enters the
twenty-first century? Randolph B.
Campbell's new book, Gone to Texas: A
History of the Lone Star State, offers a distinct point of view on this
question. The author will discuss
the primary themes in his book and answer questions from the audience.
Gone
to Texas
engagingly tells the story of the Lone Star State, from the arrival of humans in
the Panhandle more than 10,000 years ago to the opening of the twenty-first
century. Focusing on the state's successive waves of immigrants, the book offers
an inclusive view of the vast array of Texans who, often in conflict with each
other and always in a struggle with the land, created a history and an idea of
Texas.
Striking
a balance between revisionist and traditional approaches to history, author
Randolph B. Campbell tells the stories of the colorful individuals and events
that shaped the history of Texas, giving equal treatment to the lives of men
like Sam Houston and to women and minorities in Texas's history. Organized
chronologically, the text focuses on five main themes: Texas as a
"forgotten" province of the Spanish empire that was only protected
when some other nation threatened to occupy it; the interpretation of the Texas
Revolution as a clash between two disparate cultures rather than as a
deliberate, pre-conceived plan by the U.S. to steal the province from Mexico;
the identification of Texas as a Southern rather than Western state in terms of
its demographic, cultural, economic, and political influences and development;
Texas's distinction not as a "unique" state but rather as the
exaggerated embodiment of traditional American ideals and emotions such as
individualism, personal liberty, and violence; and the two-hundred-year-old
history of Texas as a destination for immigrants seeking new opportunities.
(Oxford University Press)
This
event is free and open to the public but seating is limited so please call
Directions and maps to sites frequently used for Clements Center events at SMU.
Visitor Parking at SMU.
Last updated September 5, 2003.