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The article presents news relevant to the Texas State Historical Association (THSA) as of October 2005. THSA assistant director Doug Barnett announced his resignation effective June 1, 2005. The 110th annual meeting of the TSHA will be held in Austin, Texas on March 2-4, 2006 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. The John W. Stormont Lectures on South Texas will be held on February 2-3, 2006 at the Victoria College in Victoria, Texas.

It will also argue that the Jewish men who ventured into Mexican and Republic-era Texas were not irrelevant to Texas Jewish history; in fact, they were important trailblazers on the frontier and filled similar positions as Jews who settled on frontiers in earlier times. Early Texas Jewish Settlers, 1830-1845: Were They Really Jewish, and if so, Who Were They? Furthermore, through letters, the presence of Jews in early Texas contributed to the dissemination of information about Jewish life in Texas because these men maintained contact with Jews and Jewish communities elsewhere. Similarly, Jews found frontier Texas an appealing place to live, and the Jewish men and women who came to early Texas were no less Jewish than the men and women who first ventured into Spain or Poland.2 Most Jewish migrants to North America gained a new freedom. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the experiences of Tejano farm laborers in South Texas after World War II. It discusses the exploitation of Mexican workers by agribusiness companies in the rise of corporate farming. However, the author provides a personal perspective, recounting their own experiences growing up on small farms that operated under a different labor structure. They highlight the presence of beneficent farm units where workers were treated fairly and considered part of the community. The article acknowledges the abuses in the larger agricultural system but aims to shed light on alternative experiences in the region. [Extracted from the article]

The article talks about the American labor organization Knights of Labor and the third-party movement in Texas. Topics include Knights of Labor's involvement in political activity in Texas; their role in Populism; and their demands such as labor reform, monetary reform, and reform in land-ownership policies. It is noted that Knights of Labor that boosted the Populist movement closed down by the end of the movement.

The article discusses the relationship between the U.S. Army and the San Antonio, Texas, historic site known as the Alamo between 1846 and 1877. The article examines the U.S. Army's role at the Alamo following Texas statehood in 1845, the history of military occupations of the Alamo, and the written and drawn records of the Alamo by former U.S. Army sergeant Edward Everett. It also discusses improvements to the Alamo made by former U.S. Army brevet major Edwin Burr Babbitt, the Alamo as a quartermaster depot storehouse, and the relationship between the Alamo and the city of San Antonio.

The article discusses the French philosopher Étienne Cabet's efforts to create the Icaria colony in Texas based on the philosophy of utopian socialism in the 1840s, primarily for members of the Icarian movement. An overview of the Welsh social reformer Robert Owen's efforts to establish a colony in Texas is provided. An overview the businessman W.S. Peters, including his sale of land to Cabet, is also provided. The relationship between the French government and Cabet, including in regard to his ability to maintain a utopian colony in Texas, is discussed.

The article discusses the Treue der Union Monument in Comfort, Texas, which commemorates the Nueces River Affair of 1862 during the U.S. Civil War in which several German Unionists fleeing from Texas to Mexico were killed. The author explores several myths about the monument's uniqueness, examining claims that it is the only Union monument in the U.S. South, that it is the oldest monument of its kind, and that it is the only one with a German inscription. The strength of pro-Union sentiment in Comfort is also assessed.

An essay is presented on the development of Confederate nationalism in Texas. Emphasis is given to how Texans interpreted memories of events in their recent history to sanction ideas of secession leading to the U.S. Civil War. The author considers how the collective memory of revolution, nationalism and independence led to a romanticization of the past. Other topics include the opposition of Unionists such as Sam Houston, national destiny, and the legacy of the American Revolution.

The article discusses conflicting historical accounts regarding a battle between Texas Rangers and Comanche Indians at Mule Creek near the Pease River in Texas and the recapturing of kidnapped woman Cynthia Ann Parker. Parker had previously been abducted by Comanches and had become a member of the tribe. The battle occurred after Comanche Indians allegedly attacked settlements near Fort Worth, Texas. The author notes that Lawrence Sullivan Ross, who led the Texas Rangers during the battle, changed his account of the battle to promote his political career and that the reputation of Comanche Indian Peta Nocona grew due to reports of the battle.

The article chronicles the life and work of Jasper Newton Preston, an architect of late 19th-century Texas. He designed several courthouses, hotels and residences, commercial buildings and functional eleemosynary campuses in Texas. He exhibited a frontier mentality both in his design work and in his own personal history. His family heritage had deep roots and a history of service in New York, with Revolutionary War and War of 1812 veterans and state assemblymen among his ancestors.

The article examines the opposition to secession by North Texas Senator James Webb Throckmorton, including a framework for understanding Unionism in the state during the late 1850s. Throckmorton is known for his desire to preserve Anglo superiority in the northern counties of the state, his adherence to political conservatism and commitment to the economic development of North Texas.

The article provides information about the Cart War in 1850s in San Antonio, Texas. There were six cart attacks that happened, the fourth attack killed Antonio Delgado, one of the most known citizen in San Antonio. It was a violent, short- lived event that occurred between San Antonio and the Gulf Coast at Lavaca.

The article presents information about the development, politics and rural-urban fringe in North Texas. The rural-urban fringe initiates the transformation of the countryside of farmland and woodland into a poorly planned suburbia. There were signs in the developer camp that change the form and function of housing developments. Some on the mixed-use function with commercial and residential structures. Automobile was de-emphasized while public space was allotted to new projects.

The article profiles Isaac Watts Burton, a teacher, soldier, legislator and lawyer from Texas. He was born at Cherokee Corners in Clarke County, Georgia in 1806. Because of his accomplishments at the Academy of Richmond County, he was accepted into the class of 1822 at West Point but officially dismissed on May 25, 1823. Several years later, he was appointed captain of a company in the Corps of Ranger in 1835. He also served in the Congress of the Republic of Texas and at the Horse Marines, a Texas ranger company. In January 1843, Burton died at the age of 37.

The article focuses on the land speculation and conflicts regarding the asserted claims to an area known as Greer County in Texas. This conflict occurred between the U.S. federal government and the Texas government. The court ruled in favor of the federal government, extinguishing would-be Texas authority over this sizable territory and clearing the way for its inclusion in Oklahoma. The Texas government then issued land grants to veterans of the Texas Revolution for a share of the state's public domain.

Presents news briefs about the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) as of January 2005. Profile of TSHA interim director J.C. Martin; Selection of senator Kay Bailey Hutchison as speaker during the 109th annual meeting of TSHA; Bailey Carroll Award to be given by TSHA.

Recounts the events that transpired during the Texas Labor Movement from 1870 to 1920. Factors that have kept wages and working conditions better in the U.S. than in Europe years before the movement began; Role of the depressions and labor-management turmoil on the disappearance of laissez-faire governments; Collaboration between the labor force and its agrarian allies to push for the state's political economy to adopt reforms on legislation.

Reports on the political domination of the Democratic Party in Texas during the early eighteen nineties. Success of an Independent political coalition of businessmen, white and black laborers, and leaders of a proto-Populist movement in the Dallas City elections between 1887 and 1893; Frustration of state and local Democrats regarding the control of the Independent Party in Dallas politics; Colluded to use state legislative and judicial power to overthrow the Independent city regime and replace it with a Democratic one.

The article provides information about the UTOPIA, a computer program, created by the University of Texas that provides gateway to the public to its museums, art galleries and faculty research in Austin. The program aims to make the knowledge, art and collections of the University available to the people in remote areas. UTOPIA offers videos on different parts of campus.