On Border Security…
Conservative Figures to Speak at a 3-day Border Security Rally This Weekend in McAllen I hadn’t planned to post again so soon after the last post, but I came across this and had to address it. “The ‘We Stand America’ rally is planned for Friday through Sunday and is being hosted by several conservative, anti-illegal…
The Calm Before the Federal Storm
The late 1850s saw the Chinese government attempting to intervene in the treatment of Chinese immigrants in the Western states. American officials weren’t unresponsive, but the American consul in Kwangtung differentiated between the “coolie trade” and “voluntary emigration of Chinese adventurers.” He opined that regulations regarding voluntary labor could be addressed in future treaties, but…
Well, I am back
In many ways, I am like a toddler. I am cranky without a nap; I prefer to eat with my fingers. I eat rice with a spoon. I always yell “cow” when I see one from a car. Squirrels and shiny objects will always distract me. But mostly, I thrive on patterns and routine, all…
A Brief Jeremiad
“The world is a vampireSent to drainSecret destroyersHold you up to the flamesAnd what do I getFor my pain?Betrayed desiresAnd a piece of the game.” “Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cageDespite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cageThen someone will say, “What is…
California dips its big fat white toe into the nativist pool
This is why history is so fascinating to me. The connections between people, events, or places is often surprising. When I first started looking at the men who patrolled the border with Mexico before the Border Patrol, I had no idea that the story would begin in earnest in California, more than 500 miles…
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
So why all the hullabaloo about wanting the southern borderlands and much of the West anyway? Didn’t the U.S. already have enough land for everyone to become the yeoman farmer of Thomas Jefferson’s dreams? Probably, but as far-fetched as it may sound, the land owned by the United States and “acquired” from Native Americans…
Meet Some Texas Rangers
Ok, I know what you are saying. “Sure looks like you are romanticizing the Texas Rangers, there, Jim.” I’m not. I promise. But to understand the Rangers, you have to understand how they are remembered, how they are memorialized. The primary resource for all things Texas Ranger is the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in…
The Texas Rangers
This is probably a good point to note that much of this blog will be broad outlines and will not go into any real depth. There is so much more to the Texas Rangers than what I am about to say, but I really just need to you to understand who they were and how…
Behind the Title
Defining America at the Border: The Line Riders of the Mexican Border District, 1892-1924 is the title of my dissertation, a title that historian David Wrobel had a strong hand in developing. I can’t use the same title for my book (rules is rules), but it is a title that perfectly sums up the overall…
So why am I doing this?
That is a fair question. Since you made it this far I suppose you deserve an explanation. While I am certainly here for everyone’s amusement, there is a more specific reason for this blog. I am a historian of the Gilded Age/ Progressive Era (with a smattering of the Reconstruction). My work focuses on how…
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Defining America at its Border 