Sam Houston and the American Southwest

Library of American Biography

by Randolph B. Campbell, Oscar Handlin

Houston was a restless man from early boyhood to old age. He moved about as his family had, unable to strike roots anywhere, unwilling to accept conditions as they were. He envied the wild liberty of the red men among whom he sometimes lived and remained a homeless exile for much of his life. His life exemplified an American type that had long fascinated Europeans. The place in which he would untimately make his mark was all but empty when he first arrived. The great Southwest had abundant space, few people - much potential and little actuality. Populated by only scattered bands of roving Indians, it developed slowly. It existed under teh nominal sovereignty of Spain and later of Mexico before obtaining its independence. But is had neither enjoyed the benefits nor suffered from the hardships of tight governmental control. Remote from the centers of power, population, and authority, Texas lingered on largely undeveloped. It was therefore open to incursions from the United States by restless settlers like Houston. An influx of settlers from the United States, whether authorized or not, created significant friction that sometimes erupted into violence. Disputes sprang up from differences in language, religious belief, outlook and interests. A clash of cultures between the remote Mexican government and the heedless, headstrong American settlers culminated in revolt and Texan independence. Houston played a pivotal role in the events that unfolded and Campbell tells his story.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, College

178 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

About the author

Randolph B. Campbell is Regents' Professor of History at the University of North Texas. He earned his BA (1961), MA (1963), and Ph.D. (1966) from the University of Virginia.

Reviews

[SpookySqueeek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The low review for this isn't really fair. The thing is, it's not the kind of book I'd normally read, it was assigned for history class. I think if you enjoy American history, of specifically Texas history this is a great book.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super good source for casual historians. My only thing is that the author was like, very obviously a huge fan of Sam Houston and made absolutely no effort to conceal it or cast Houston in an unfavorable light.

[Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short but informative read about one of Texas History's important figures. Houston lived a very eventful and interesting life, and so it may be worthwhile to learn about the namesake of the 4th largest city in the U.S. I couldn't quite get into it, unfortunately.

[Shane Westfall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of the American West is often overshadowed by the romantic mythology surrounding the era. It would be hard to ignore the influence of Sam Houston on many aspects of American history from Tennessee to Washington and of course, his adopted home of Texas. Campbell seems to fall into the trap of many biographers and veer off the course of serious historian, presenting us instead with an easy to read novel presenting his hero as larger than life.
The life of Sam Houston does lend itself to glorification rather easily. Many of the events he was involved in do seem larger than life, yet Houston was by all accounts a complex and controversial man. Campbell seems content to gloss over his flaws. As he states in his hasty conclusion, “Sam Houston’s personal shortcomings, especially his years of heavy drinking, became legendary during his lifetime, but strengths of character and mind more than compensated for his weakness.” This leaves the reader with a very incomplete picture of Houston. Campbell presents Houston as the perennial comeback kid yet brushes over his responsibility for his constant falls, leaving an image of a man inexplicably persecuted.
The New Western History movement may have many flaws in its approach. It can at times strive so hard to focus of the overlooked aspects of existing historiography that is misses the big picture. Campbell’s volume, however illustrates the need for a more inclusive approach. The Mexicans in his story are presented as simplistic foes to be vanquished by our hero. His wives are similarly presented as cardboard Hollywood cutouts. Women have been ignored often in history due to a lack of primary resources. There is more than enough information regarding Margaret Lea to fill in the story a bit, yet despite listing William Seale’s biography of her in his source notes, he leaves her to play the role of the angel who descends to save Sam’s soul and sobriety.
Perhaps Campbell’s most significant contribution to Western historiography with this volume is regarding the debate of what to do with Texas. Texans cling do their place in Western history, despite the geographic realities of being a Southern state. As the author describes the early Anglo settlement of the state, one can certainly feel Turner’s frontier thesis at work. There was the classic Turnerian frontier line and our story revolves around the events that surround these men as they attempt to change the land while conquering the Spanish/Mexicans and controlling the restless natives. He later describes the struggle Texans and Houston face with later uprisings by Native Americans bringing to mind what Ty Cashion points out, “The very un-southern tradition of fighting Plains Indians was already established by the time the state’s Republic era ended.” ,
Campbell does a wonderful job of presenting the achievements of this pivotal figure in American history. He succeeds in making this story an easy to read page-turner, drawing the reader in to the events at hand. Where he fails is presenting only one side of a controversial man involved in complex events. One should expect more from a biography. It should inform the reader of multiple sides of the man and the issues. Despite being compelling to read, Campbell comes across as a modern Stuart N. Lake presenting us with a cross between a movie script and propaganda. He does however strengthen the case for the place Texas holds in Western History earning the volume some place in Western Historiography

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Sam Houston and the American Southwest for two reasons: 1. I’m still working on my personal project of reading and learning more about the literature and history of my state. 2. My wife owned this book when we married, and somehow, as books do, the image of its cover just kept hanging around in the back of my mind until I’d read it. So, I read it and really enjoyed it quite a bit.

Growing up in Texas, I was, of course, exposed to some basic facts about Houston’s personal history and his achievements, and these were delivered with an obviously hagiographical slant. I enjoyed this biography because it went beyond the mere outline of history to which I’d previously been exposed and really filled in some of the gaps that have existed in my knowledge of Houston and of Texas’s founding. Also, I was pleased that, even though Campbell clearly admires Houston, his Houston is no mythic Texas legend but is a real person, grounded in reality.

I guess the main pleasure of the book is that Houston does stand out for being a remarkable person. The book could have been subtitled “The Sane Texan.” Over and over--as Houston has to keep Texan hotheads from invading Mexico, has to hold off politicians from executing Santa Anna (and thereby eliminating their one bit of leverage), has to try to protect Indian interests from the settlers who would always ignore them, has to try to keep the United States and Texas out of the Civil War--Houston comes across as being a person of rare honesty, modesty, foresightedness, and integrity. The other leaders of early Texas, certainly, come across in this book as mean-spirited and bumbling fools compared to Houston.

The limitation of this biography is certainly its narrow scope. Sam Houston and the Southwest is obviously intended to serve the purpose of introducing student readers (I’d expect high school students and college undergraduates) to Houston in an accessible way. It is, therefore, short and focuses on his political, rather than his personal, life. I thought that the book was competently written for its purpose, and I think that I will be searching out a fuller biography of Houston in the future.

[Howard Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good survey of Houston's life including his early life in Tennessee, his transition to Texas, and his participation in the struggles for independence from Mexico and eventual annexation with the United States. Trivia: Houston is the only person to serve as Governors of two U.S. states (Tennessee and Texas).

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear, readable, straightforward biography, but one without much methodological interest and the author's fawning over Houston grows tiresome. Still a good intro to Texas independence, annexation and Houston himself.

[Madison]

good story about Sam Houston's life. I like him.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for class, but it was not that bad.