Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans [Hardcover]

Dr. Benjamin Heber Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003 | Series: The Lamar Series in Western History

In "Revolution in Texas", Benjamin Johnson tells the little-known story of one of the most intense and protracted episodes of racial violence in United States history. In 1915, against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, the uprising that would become known as the "Plan de San Diego" began with a series of raids by ethnic Mexicans on ranches and railroads. Local violence quickly erupted into a regional rebellion. In response, vigilante groups and the Texas Rangers staged an even bloodier counterinsurgency, culminating in forcible relocations and mass executions. Faced with the overwhelming forces arrayed against it, the uprising eventually collapsed. But, as Johnson demonstrates, the rebellion resonated for decades in American history. Convinced of the futility of using force to protect themselves against racial discrimination and economic oppression, many Mexican Americans elected to seek protection as American citizens with equal access to rights and protections under the US Constitution.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Benjamin Johnson's study of the Plan de San Diego uprising is a clear, absorbing analysis of a bloody but little-known revolt along a border that's been troubled ever since it was a border. By looking both backward and forward from the Plan de San Diego, the book does much to explain why Mexican-American identity is the complex fate we know it to be today." Larry McMurtry "An eye-opening account of a time when the Mexican Revolution came to the United States, when conflicting ethnic and national loyalties produced ghastly violence, deep bitterness, and a happier ending than anyone involved could have hoped for." H.W. Brands, author of The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream

From the Back Cover

"Benjamin Johnson's study of the Plan de San Diego uprising is a clear, absorbing analysis of a bloody but little-known revolt along a border that's been troubled ever since it was a border. By looking both backward and forward from the Plan de San Diego, the book does much to explain why Mexican-American identity is the complex fate we know it to be today."-Larry McMurtry; "An eye-opening account of a time when the Mexican Revolution came to the United States, when conflicting ethnic and national loyalties produced ghastly violence, deep bitterness, and a happier ending than anyone involved could have hoped for."-H.W. Brands, author of The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300094256
• ISBN-13: 978-0300094251
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,620,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Land, Violence, and Power, August 4, 2005

By 

Rose Martin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans (Hardcover)

The events surrounding the Plan of San Diego are well described and analyzed by Johnson. This is one of the best histories published regarding Latinos in Texas. He does an excellent job of joining the available archival information with previously published research. A must read for anyone who wants to know more about Texas history. This is not just a story about ethnic differences, its a story about land, violence, and power.

I first heard about the Plan of San Diego at a Hispanic genealogy conference in Texas about 20 years ago. A now famous academic had given a talk at the conference -- we had a long conversation afterwards and he told me about the event in South Texas. I was shocked, thinking I knew so much about Texas history and did not know about the Plan, Luis de la Rosa and of course the 5,000 or so that were killed in retaliation for the insurrection.

Johnson did a great job of presenting this part of lost history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad, Sad Story, October 11, 2008

By 

E G Lopez "E G Lopez, author Sirena, at www.s... (Albuquerque, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans (The Lamar Series in Western History) (Paperback)

Where to begin? What a sad, depressing tale. So it took the lynching of 5000 Mexican-Americans down below the Nueces River in Texas in 1915 to turn Mexicans into Americans? Somehow seems like there could have been a better way. It's easy to forget, reading history, that these were real people, with real lives, with real families, real loved ones who mourned them. It's easy to forget from the vantage of our secure, modern cocoons just how cheap life can be where the lust for money and power is involved. Human history is a tale of blood and carnage and American history is no exception. A must read for those who seek insight into important issues facing our nation today.

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much more than border history. . ., February 5, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans (Hardcover)

Ben Johnson's study of the Plan de San Diego uprising is so much more than just border history. It touches on international relations, military strategy, identity politics, historiography, demographics, labor history, and how the Texas Rangers got their name. Far more than a 9 year old like me should care about when I could be reading Harry Potter. But he makes the story compelling and relevant. This seemingly isolated movement suggests a great deal about contemporary ethnic and national conflicts around the world. So rush to your local library to borrow this book!