Dr. W.H. Brands, University Professor, University of Texas at Austin. In addition to teaching classes at the University of Texas, he has also taught at Vanderbilt University and at Austin Community College. He is the author of many journal articles and longer works, including his latest work: Lone Star Nation: How a Ragged Army of Volunteers Won the Battle for Texas Independence —and Changed America . Doubleday, 2004.

Dr. Caroline Castillo Crimm, De León: A Tejano Family History, Austin : University of Texas Press, 2004, currently Professor of history at Sam Houston University, Huntsville, Texas where she teaches a variety of  history courses.

Dr. Stephen L. Hardin, professor of history at The Victoria College in Victoria, Texas. He is an inductee of the prestigious Texas Institute of Letters, a member of Western Writers of America, and was a historical advisor for the John Lee Hancock film The Alamo.

Dr. Raul Ramos, scholar of Hispanic history and author of Beyond the Alamo: Forging Mexican Ethnicity in San Antonio, 1821-1861, University of North Carolina Press, 2008. Currently professor of history at University of Houston, Houston, Texas where he teaches courses in Texas; the Spanish Borderlands; and Colonial Mexico.

Dr. Richard Bruce Winders, Historian and Curator, the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas. He has taught classes in U. S. History, 19th Century Social/Political History, Civil War & Reconstruction, Old South, Jacksonian Era, Borderlands, Military History, Texas History, and Mexican History at Texas Christian University.

Western historians have long valued the significance of the Alamo and its place in both Texas history and the history of American western expansion, but the landmark and the issues it represents have farther reaching implications that faculty workshops on the Alamo grounds will explore. Faculty from a variety of disciplines will have the opportunity to explore five central themes:

1. Spanish exploration and Mexican settlements – The Alamo began its existence as a symbol of Spanish religious and political expansion into the area. Faculty workshop participants will have the opportunity to probe the issues of Spanish colonial expansion and the development of a Texan-Mexican culture. They will also consider how culture and political clashes between the Hispanic and Anglo-American populations in Texas led to the revolution and continue to have implications for contemporary America.
2. American expansion and the role of individualism in the formation of the American character – with its transformation from Catholic mission church to military “last-stand,” the Alamo site offers faculty a unique opportunity to explore not only the events of the battle, but the aftermath and the far reaching political and historical implications in terms of American individualism and American expansionism of the mid-19^th century.
3. Social issues of the 19^th century and frontier cross-cultural conflict – by examining the Alamo defenders and other individuals involved in the Texas revolution, faculty will explore major elements of American western social and political history, including slavery, the role of women, and family life on the southwestern frontier. Faculty will also be able to examine the art and music of the period.
4. Frontier architecture and the importance of historical preservation – The story of the Alamo ’s preservation in the 20^th century is as compelling as the story of its fall in the battle of 1836. Faculty will study with preservation scholars as they consider the importance of saving historical sites for the education of future generations. With this understanding, faculty will be able to weave historical preservation and civic responsibility more concretely into classroom scholarship.
5. The Alamo in popular culture and the use of historical events as subjects for popular media – Often today’s student learns historical lessons from Hollywood or television instead of from primary historical sources, and the events of the battle for the Alamo have been depicted numerous times in literature, modern film, and television. Participants will have the chance to work with Alamo scholars, expert in the relationship between historical content and modern media.

For more information visit the CCHA website www.ccha-assoc.org. If you have additional questions, please contact:

David Berry, (973) 877-3577, or contact

Project Director Dr. Carole Lester, 972-238-6110