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Sarah Jackson

Sarah Jackson, A Child’s History of Texas (Austin: Eakin Press, 1974). Mary Ann Patterson, illustrator.

Sarah Jackson, A Child’s History of Texas (Austin: Eakin Press, 1999). Scott Arbuckle, illustrator.

As its title makes clear, this book is intended for children. The cartoon illustrations within take up more space than the relatively simplistic text. The book covers the human history of Texas from its earliest inhabitants up to the modern age, and devotes relatively little space to the Civil War. Indeed, while much space is given to the Texas Revolution, the Civil War seems rather glossed-over, forming, at least from this book’s point of view, a small chapter in an illustrious history of Texas. The book focuses much more on early exploration and modern points of pride, such as natural beauty and leading industries. The book, which was published in Austin, seems designed to inform young Texans about their state and foster their pride for it . A Child’s History of Texas was published in two editions, and while the text and content is very similar across them, the presentation is quite different. Therefore, I will describe both of them in turn.

The first edition was published in 1974. The illustrations are simplistic, mere black-and-white outlines, perhaps encouraging its use as a coloring book, although the book itself does not explicitly suggest that use. The illustrations are dispersed unevenly, sometimes appearing below or above a chunk of text, between two chunks of text, on either side, or taking up a whole page with a title or caption offered.

Since the second edition was published in 1999, I hazard a guess that Jackson may have taken it upon herself to seek a new illustrator to revise her work in response the the 150th anniversary of Texas’ statehood (1845-1995). While the text has changed little, this edition is much more organized. No longer could it be used as a coloring book; the illustrations are quite complete already. Each page is presented with a colored illustration at the top, a bit of text below it, and a smaller black-and-white illustration at the bottom. The illustrations are rather cartoonish but not simplistic; I find they supplement the minimal text quite a bit. For instance, while the text on the page titled “Battles in Texas” (transcribed below) gives no mention of the hardship of the war, the illustration below it shows two bedraggled men carrying a fallen comrade on a stretcher to a hospital tent, out of which a doctor leans, shouting “Next!” as if these horrible sights have become commonplace to him. A cannonball flies towards the men even as they carry their comrade to aid. Therefore, I think the illustrator deserves ample credit for cleverness, sometimes even subversiveness, in conveying what the text does not.

The Civil War, as mentioned above, receives relatively little attention in the book. The reasons behind the war are completely neglected, and Texas is explained as having joined the South because of heritage ties. It seems taken for granted that the child reader would already know a bit about the war, or could talk it over with parents or a teacher. Reconstruction is defined as a “period of hardship,” but is not dwelt on beyond this mention. Because they were brief, I went ahead and transcribed the pages having to do with the Civil War. The “Battles in Texas” segment is the only part of the book that mentions Dowling.

The changes I noted between the two editions were mainly editorial, simply changing wording. No significant change in tone or the way the information is presented occurred in the new edition. However, I did note a correction: the first edition claims that “on March 16, 1861, a special convention convened and voted to secede,” while the second edition gives the date as March 5. The first edition gives the number of men in the Davis Guards as 47, while the second edition does not mention the number (perhaps the author did not want to grapple with discrepancies that arise when defining the exact number).

FIRST EDITION

Page 52: Under the text transcribed below is a picture of two soldiers in full uniform, standing at attention with their rifles held before them, staring each other down.

THE CIVIL WAR

As war clouds gathered over the nation, Texas’ heritage and kinship lay with the South. Texas joined the Union as the 28th state. When she withdrew to join the Confederacy, she was the 7th state to do so.

Governor Sam Houston did not want Texas to leave the Union. On March 16, 1861, a special convention convened and voted to secede. Because he would not sign an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Houston had to step down as Governor. Edward Clark became Governor in his place.

Page 53: Sam Houston sits at a desk, his pen poised over a document and his hand thoughtfully on his chin, while his wife has her hands on his shoulders, evidently trying to comfort him. The caption reads SAM HOUSTON’S MOMENT OF DECISION. MARCH 16, 1861

Page 54: Beneath the text (transcribed below) is an illustration of cannons lined up, with the silhouette of a cavalryman in the distance.

CIVIL WAR BATTLES IN TEXAS

The Civil War battles fought in Texas were the result of Union efforts to blockade trade and gain control of the seaports.

Galveston was captured in Oct. 1862. Efforts under General John B. Magruder in November succeeded in recapturing the city. Under the leadership of Dick Dowling, 47 men called the Davis Guards turned back 5,000 Union soldiers attempting to attack Beaumont and Houston.

Page 55: This page is an illustration of the Battle of Sabine Pass. On the water, a Union gunboat labeled “U. S. S. Clifton” seems to be spurting an inordinate amount of fire and smoke from its smokestacks. On a hill in the distance, the fort can barely be seen, with two smoking cannons peeking out. Splashes in the water and other explosions indicate the action. The caption reads: BATTLE  OF SABINE PASS. DOWLING’S MEN HELD OFF 5,000 UNION SOLDIERS.

Page 56: This page shows an illustration of a locomotive on railroad tracks in the upper left corner, roughly below the title but above the text. At the bottom is a map of Texas with labels and some illustrations to point out centers of industry such as lumber, cattle, and cotton.

TEXAS – A LEADER IN INDUSTRY

After the surrender of the South in 1865, Texas again found her place as a state in the United States. There was a period of struggle known as Reconstruction. But the state moved steadily toward the economic gains and prosperity that makes Texas a leader in the nation. Much of the regained strength was based on the railroad.

SECOND EDITION

(Note that the radical difference in page numbers is due not to a reduction in text content, but a condensation of illustrations, allowing for a shorter and more tightly-organized package overall.)

Page 35: The colored illustration for this page shows a full-body portrait of a CSA soldier on one side and a Union soldier on the other. Between them is an image of who we can assume to be Sam Houston, who we glimpse through a window, leaning over a writing desk and looking uncertainly at a document (doubtless his “oath of allegiance” which he ultimately refused to sign). Framing him are two flags, acting as curtains: the Union flag on one side, and the Stars and Bars on the other. The black-and-white illustration at the bottom shows people of assorted ages and walks of life lining up in front of a recruitment officer’s desk.

The Civil War

Texas had joined the Union as the twenty-eighth state. As war clouds gathered over the nation in the 1860s, Texas’ heritage and kinship lay with the Southern states. When the state withdrew from the Union to join the Confederacy, Texas was the seventh state to do so.

Sam Houston, at this time serving as governor, did not want Texas to leave the Union. On March 5, 1861, a special convention gathered and voted to secede (or withdraw) from the Union. Because he would not sign an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Houston had to step down as governor. Edward Clark became governor in his place.

Page 36: The colored illustration shows the Battle of Sabine Pass. We can see into the fort, where men fire cannons or carry things; everyone seems busy. On the river, Union gunboats are firing their own cannons and smoking from being struck. The bottom illustration shows two men carrying a fallen comrade on a stretcher into a doctor’s tent, while a cannonball flies towards them. The doctor leans out and calls “Next!”

Battles in Texas

The Civil War battles fought in Texas were the result of Union efforts to blockade trade and gain control of the seaports.

Galveston was captured in October 1862. Efforts led by Gen. John B. Magruder in November succeeded in recapturing the city. In the Battle of Sabine Pass, under the leadership of Dick Dowling, the Davis Guards turned back 5,000 Union soldiers attempting to attack Beaumont and Houston.

Page 37: The top illustration shows people standing at a train station, admiring an impressive new locomotive. The bottom picture displays men working to build a railroad.

On the Road to Recovery

After the surrender of the South in 1865, Texas again found her place as a state in the United States. There was a period of struggle known as Reconstruction. But the state moved steadily toward prosperity. Texas gradually became a leader in the nation’s economy.

Much of the regained strength of the state’s economy began with the development of the rail-road.

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