Interpreting Texas

"Like most passionate nations, Texas has its own history based on, but not limited by, facts." --John Steinbeck kofiwidget2.init('Buy me a Ko-fi?', '#7bb9e3', 'F1F8K9XQ');kofiwidget2.draw(); Follow me on Wordpress

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Dorie Miller Hero of Pearl Harbor

Doris “Dorie” Miller was born in Waco, Texas in 1919. He was unable to finish high school, but helped around the family farm until just before his 20th birthday. He then enlisted with the Navy as a Messman, one of the few positions open to African-Americans.

On December 7th, 1941, Miller was a Messman Third Class serving on the USS West Virginia. He was a ship’s cook, with minimal combat training and no gunnery training, as the military was still segregated and African-Americans were not trained on the heavy guns.

When the bombs began dropping on Pearl Harbor, Miller ran to the deck of the ship and began assisting moving the wounded, including the captain of the ship. He then jumped on one of the anti-aircraft guns on deck and proceeded to try to shoot the Japanese planes down until ordered to abandon ship, at which point he continued to help move wounded soldiers from the ship.

Miller was hailed as the “Number One Hero” for African-Americans and considered one of the first American heroes of WWII. He was awarded the Navy Cross and after a massive community campaign, went on a war bond tour.

Miller returned to service on the Liscome Bay, where he died when the ship was lost at the battle of Makin Island. Bonus: Admiral Nimitz, a native of Fredericksburg, Texas and CINCPAC during WWII, pinning the Navy Cross on Dorie Miller.

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Doris Miller is getting an aircraft carrier named after him!

The U.S.'s Next Aircraft Carrier Named After Doris Miller, Hero of Pearl Harbor

Miller heroically fought back against the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.

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Dorie Miller

Despite having no combat training, Dorie Miller became one of the first US heroes of World War II.

December 7, 1941 Dorie Miller shows extreme bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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Three Black Seminole Scouts at the Pecos River

Three men were more than enough – if they were the right three men.

November is Native American Heritage Month, so we’re celebrating some of our Native American Texans!

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Sam Rayburn

Mr. Sam was the longest serving US Speaker of the House and guided Texas and the US through some very troubled times.

November 16, 1961 Sam Rayburn dies.

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Posts about veterans written by interpretingtexas

November 11th marks the armistice at the end of WWI and a day that we celebrate our Veterans past and present. Read up on some of the stories from the Texas veterans of our past and, to our present Texas veterans, thank you for your service!

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Angelina

The only county in Texas named after a woman is named for Angelina, a Caddo woman who served as translator and guide for Spanish missionaries.

November is Native American Heritage Month, so we’re celebrating some of our Texas Native Americans!

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Hortense Sparks Ward

She campaigned for women’s rights and passed the bar before women could vote. She also became the first female Chief Justice in the entire country.

November 5, 1944 Hortense Sparks Ward dies.

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Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes: Billionaire, Filmmaker, Aviator, Eccentric

November 2, 1947 Howard Hughes wooden plane, the Spruce Goose, takes its first flight.

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442nd Regimental Combat Team

The 442nd was the most decorated unit in WWII. Made up of Japanese-Americans, their motto was “Go for Broke.”

October 30, 1944 The 442nd reaches the “Lost Battalion.”

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Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr.

The father of LBJ, Samuel Johnson inspired his son’s love for politics while fighting to keep the family out of poverty.

October 23, 1937 Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr., father of LBJ, dies.

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The St. Louis Star and Times, Missouri, June 20, 1931

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Relevant as we once again hit record highs.

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Choctaw Code Talkers

Less famous than the Windtalkers from WWII, the Choctaw who served in WWI planted the seeds that would become the Native American Code Talkers.

October 16, 1918 The Choctaw Code Talkers are used for the first time.

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Edgewood ISD v. Kirby

Parents knew their schools were suffering while others prospered and decided to level the playing field.

Hispanic Heritage Month is ending, but there’s still plenty of stories about how Hispanics have helped drive this state forward.

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Killed during the action for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor, he became this first Mexican-American to have a US Navy ship named after him.

October 12, 1996 The USS Gonzalez is commissioned.

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The Capitol Boycott

The current Capitol in Austin has stood for more than 130 years and has seen its share of controversies, including one before it was officially opened. The construction of the Capitol sparked a boycott and a national conversation on the use of contract labor.  

The Texas Capitol under construction, c. 1887. Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, PICA 18008. [source] 

How to Build a Capitol with No Money In the late 1800s, Texas was out growing its Capitol, but had little ready cash. When the 1876 Constitution was written, an article was included that set aside 3 million acres in the Texas Panhandle to be used to fund the new Capitol. However, it lay unused until a fire destroyed the Capitol in 1881. At that point, the legislature found some investors, calling themselves the Capitol Syndicate, who agreed to take the land in trade for constructing the Capitol. By 1885, the Capitol Syndicate realized that the land was not nearly as profitable as they had hoped and they needed a way to bring down the cost of construction. The legislature agreed to let them use convict labor from Texas prisons.

Black Convict Laborers shaping granite near the Marble Falls quarry, c. 1885. Austin History Center, Austin Public Library,  PICA 06358 [source] 

Black Convict Labor The 1880s were well into the Jim Crow era in Texas. One of the hallmarks of the Jim Crow era were laws that disproportionately punished African Americans and a justice system that did not really care if African Americans brought before the court were innocent or guilty. This led to a large population of incarcerated African American men, and it was these men that were leased to the Capitol Syndicate for work on the new capitol. Much of the South was using convict labor to replace the enslaved labor that had been used prior to the Civil War, sometimes with African  Americans forced to work the same plantations they had formerly been  enslaved at. The Capitol syndicate paid $0.65 per day per convict to the state to cover room and board. These men were used as stone cutters for the limestone and granite and constructed the railroad to take the granite to the building site. The local mason's union was not happy.

A group of the Scottish Stonemasons brought to Texas to break the boycott, c. 1886. Austin History Center, Austin Public Library,  C00194 [source] 

The Boycott The masons in Texas decided to boycott the Capitol building project. They felt that the use of unskilled convict labor denigrated their profession and depressed their wages. A notice circulated in Austin saying "Granite cutters of America, show this Great-I-Am, Gus Wilkie, and his Chicago syndicate, that free men will not submit to the introduction of slavery into our trade under the guise of contract convict labor, and that you will not teach convicts our trade to enrich these schemers, who care for nothing but the almighty dollar, and now seek to degrade our trade to fill their own pockets." The masons refused to work on the Capitol unless they stopped using convict labor to quarry the stone. The subcontractor, Gus Wilkie, refused. However, the project still needed skilled masons. Wilkie sent George Berry to Scotland and to recruit stonemasons to bring back to Texas. The local masons caught wind of this and jumped into action. A law had been passed in 1885 forbidding bringing in immigrants to perform contract labor and Wilkie was about to break it. They sent union representatives to meet Berry in New York and he was brought before US District Attorney, who questioned him about the 86 men and could find no proof of wrong doing and release him. Meanwhile, the union representatives talked with the workers and found that each had a contract from Berry, in clear violation of law. Many of these workers refused to continue with the project and helped to provide the proof the US District Attorney needed. However, another boat of 62 men were on their way from Scotland, headed for Galveston. Union representatives were sent to meet the men in New York and Galveston, but the Scottish masons were unloaded in Virginia, then sent the rest of the way to Austin by rail. In July 1886, the US District Attorney filed charges against Gus Wilkie and the members of the Capitol syndicate, but, while the case wound its way through the courts, the work on the capitol continued apace, with the Scottish masons overseeing the African American convict laborers.

Continuing the Fight It took several years for the lawsuit to finally bear fruit, and it wasn't necessarily the fruit the masons had wanted. Only Gus Wilkie was charged for the illegal strike breakers, and he was fined $1,000 per worker - for a total of $64,000. Wilkie appealed the decision to President Harrison and, despite the pleas of the union, Harrison reduced the fine to $8,000. The US National Union exacted their own payment, requiring Wilkie to pay them $500 before they would allow union masons to work on any project he was involved in, while the International Union required $500 to remove his name from blacklisting. But during that time, the case sparked a national debate on contract labor. Meanwhile, convict labor is still widely used in Texas, though opponents continue to lobby strongly against its use, or, if it is used, for a fair wage and good working conditions for the workers.

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One of the first Europeans to reach Texas, Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked on the Texas coast and spent almost a decade in Texas, learning from the Native Americans. When he finally made it back to …

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, so we’re celebrating some of our Hispanic Texans!

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The Battle of Gonzales

The Come and Take It flag. Some variations show the star and cannon as outlines. [source]

Lead Up to the Battle The Texas Revolution began with a bang, but not much of a battle. In 1831, the Mexican army had loaned the townspeople of Gonzales a cannon to protect themselves against Native Americans. It wasn't much, just a foot long signal cannon, but the townspeople came to think of it as their own, despite agreeing to give it back if ever the Mexican army asked for it. In 1835, Northern Mexico and the Yucatan revolted against President Santa Anna, who had suspended the 1824 Constitution and declared himself president for life. Colonel Ugartechea, stationed in San Antonio de Bexár (modern San Antonio, Texas), saw the whole situation and thought that he should retrieve the cannon, just in case the townspeople decided to join in the general revolt. In September of 1835, he sent a few men to request the return of the cannon. The alcalde refused and sent the men back empty handed. Ugartechea decided stronger measures were needed and, on September 27th, 100 dragoons left San Antonio de Bexár bound for Gonzales.

All Over But the Shooting The townspeople of Gonzales had buried the cannon after they had sent Ugartechea's men packing, but as word came of the approaching dragoons, they hurriedly dug it up and mounted it on a wooden carriage. The dragoons arrived near Gonzales on the 29th, but the townspeople sent 18 men to block the nearest river crossing. They told the soldiers that the alcalde was away and they would have to wait until he returned, so the soldiers made camp on the far side of the river. Meanwhile, the townspeople called for reinforcements and were able to gather about 150 men. John Henry Moore was elected commander of the hastily assembled militia. On October 1st, a Coushatta scout told the Mexican commander, Castañeda, that the men were gathering and he decided to move his men further up the river to try to find another place to cross. That night the Texans crossed the river and headed north to the Mexican camp. On the morning of October 2nd, they fired the cannon at the Mexican soldiers, who quickly retreated. Castañeda asked for a parley and the Texans, though initially suspicious, agreed. Moore explained that they were not loyal to Santa Anna's dictatorship, but rather to the Constitution of 1824. Castañeda expressed his sympathies for their position but, despite the Texans' offer for him to join them, said that he was honor-bound to carry out his orders. The commanders returned to their camps as the Texans hoisted a flag bearing a star and cannon on a white background with the words "Come and Take It" underneath. The Texans again fired on the Mexican troops and Castañeda quickly retreated, telling Ugartechea, "since the orders from your Lordship were for me to withdraw without compromising the honor of Mexican arms, I did so." The Texas Revolution, not yet a war for independence, had begun.

The cannon in the Gonzales Memorial Museum, one contender for the Come and Take It cannon. By Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 3.0, [source] 

The Come and Take It Cannon The cannon that had sparked the revolution was taken on to Goliad, and then moved with the army on its march to San Antonio de Bexár, but its fate is uncertain. One report says that the cannon's cart couldn't keep up with the army on the march to San Antonio and it was abandoned, buried along the banks of a creek near Gonzales. In 1936 (conveniently, during the Texas Centennial), a cannon was unearth after a flood. The Smithsonian confirmed that the cannon had been buried for an extended time and was of a type of small swivel cannon that was common in 1836. That cannon is now in a museum in Gonzales. However, other historians claim that the cannon was taken to the Alamo and captured by the Mexican army after its fall. Then, it was melted down with the other cannons when the Mexican army retreated. Though it was only fired twice at the battle of Gonzales, and its location is uncertain, the Come and Take It Cannon will continue to loom large in the Texan imagination.