BOOK REVIEW : After the Revolution by Cole Altom by Robert Evans
Every Texan worth their salt knows that Texas fought a war of independence to become its own republic . That Texans were a sovereign people for roughly a decade created a romantic and in some ways charming narrative about the rugged individualism of those who live here that , for better or worse , ignores an inconvenient truth : that many if not most of the founders agitated for annexation and were happy to be absorbed by the United States . The benefits of doing so were simply too great to forgo .
Mythology is thus one of the great hallmarks of the Lone Star State , one that Texans are more than happy to indulge . If outsiders think of us as hardy frontiersmen , big , brash do-it-yourselfers who get in fistfights with horses at our local watering holes , who are we to correct them ? To be sure , there ’ s reason for the romance even today . Aside from Texas ’ wild past and the promise of its future , independent-minded folks from around the country are drawn here for its nonexistent state income tax , its business-friendly regulations , its lax gun laws , and probably another dozen qualities these cultural carpetbaggers find appealing .
But no matter how rooted in reality the myth may have once been , the cold logic of political necessity tends to trump romantic idealism , even here . It reminds me of when my fellow Texans talk about the idea of secession . Even in 2023 , it comes up more than I expect . They argue that Texas has a large and diverse enough economy to hold its own against the rest of the world , enough energy resources to sustain itself through sudden and sometimes violent swings in temperature , enough arable land to feeds its nearly 30 million people , and enough firepower to repel invaders .
It ’ s a sexy but ultimately far-fetched idea . Assuming Texas legislators are equal to the task , let ’ s consider their to-do list the minute they elect to remove us from the union . Every federal law in the state , governing
10 Big Bend Real Estate Guide • November 2023