A New History of Old Texas
Explore the history of early Texas as you’ve never heard it before. The most recent season ("Lipan Apocalypse") unveils the legacy of the Lipan Apaches on modern Texas. Season 6 recounts the outsized impact of José Francisco Ruíz on the state's history. Season 5 traces the roots of Texans' unique psychology - their "Texanity" - to the technological innovations that shaped its people. Season 4 relates the largely unknown story of the Republic of the Rio Grande. Season 3 tells the remarkable tale of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his journey across the North American continent. Season 2 covers the Battle of Medina, the largest, bloodiest battle in Texas history...and the narrowing search for the battlefield itself! And Season 1 traces the identity of modern-day Texas to the first 160 years or so of San Antonio's history. -- As seen and heard on Texas Standard, KSAT12, Texas Public Radio, the San Antonio Express-News, the San Antonio Report, the Austin Chronicle, and more! --
A New History of Old Texas
Season 5: The Engines of Texanity
Intro to Brandon Seale's podcast on the Engines of Texas History.
I've come to worry that "History" (capital-H) focuses too much on individuals and ideologies. Individuals and ideologies can move history, no doubt…but just as often, I’ve come to believe, they ride historical waves, rather than make them.
Every now and then, however, some invention, some innovation, or just some change in how technology is used comes along and moves history forward with a momentum of its own, subtler perhaps but far more powerful than any person or political ideology.
Such “engines” of history concentrate resources behind them and focus the human mind in front of them like nothing else. They change how people see the world and their place in it. The stories of these "engines," then, are the reasons why we see ourselves the way that we do.
This is what I want to explore this season: no politicians, no ideologies, just the ten engines that most meaningfully propelled Texas history forward and the ten innovations that most profoundly shaped our psychology as Texans… our collective “Texanity” as I call it.
Cover art by David Moore, www.illustrationonline.com
www.BrandonSeale.com