Dr. Sam W. Haynes presented a lecture on “Unbecoming Southern: The Roots of Texas Exceptionalism.”
Many Texas historians have argued that the bitter experience of the Civil War prompted white Texans in later years to downplay their southern roots. In an effort to disassociate the state from the trauma of the Lost Cause, they tailored their historical memory to give greater emphasis to the region’s frontier heritage. In so doing, they laid claim to an artificial brand of exceptionalism, constructing an elaborate and ennobling mythology around the exploits of Anglo-Texans in their conflicts with Mexicans and Native Americans. However, Anglo-Texan men and women sought to craft a new identity for the state in strikingly different ways. This lecture will examine efforts to rebrand Texas in the early twentieth century, emphasizing the gendered dimensions of a process in which women’s organizations, such as the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and male business leaders offered their own distinct interpretations of the state’s past.
Sam W. Haynes is a professor of History and director of the Center for Greater Southwestern Studies at UT-Arlington. Specializing in Jacksonian America, 19th century Texas, and the American Southwest, he is the author of three books, including Unfinished Revolution: 
The Early American Republic in a British World, a study of nineteenth century American attitudes toward Great Britain, and James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse. He is the editor of an anthology of essays, Contested Empire: Rethinking the Texas Revolution, which was published last month by Texas A&M University Press. His current book project examines Anglo, Mexican, and Native American conflict in Texas during the early nineteenth century.
This lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.