How Texas' history and mythology drive talk of secession
Newsy
The Civil War largely adjudicated the idea of state secession — but Texas' history has fueled recent talks of breaking away again.
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott introduced his fellow governor from Tennessee this week at a border press conference, his words made reference to a bedrock piece of Lone State lore.
"Now, I'm going to turn it over to Bill Lee, the governor of the great state of Tennessee — a state, by the way, that from the very beginning of Texas history has always been here for the great state of Texas," said Abbott.
The introduction was a nod to Texas' widely held creation story including the Tennessee volunteers who rushed to defend the Alamo from Mexican troops in 1836 — the outsiders who answered the call to help the fiercely independent Anglo White settlers secede from what they viewed as a controlling Mexico.
"The people who are proudest about Texas, I find, are the ones whose identities are completely caught up in the mythology. And they don't know how to separate them," said Chris Tomlinson, author and columnist.
Understanding the psyche of Texas is useful in understanding the state's posture in immigration matters and its courtroom clashes with the federal government over policing the border.
