DNA, Historical Evidence and The Settlement of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews in Colonial Texas

The Lone Star state has long been a symbol of the American West, complete with cowboys, Native Americans, buffalo, cattle drives and the Alamo. Using DNA and genealogical analysis, together with historical documents, this article shows that both the original Spanish settlers and the later “Anglo” arrivals were primarily of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewish descent. These findings challenge traditional narratives of “how the West was won”, as well as the prevailing ideology of Anglo-American culture.

Through A Xenophobic Lens

At the turn of the twentieth century, social theories developed in both the U.S. and Europe suggested that those at the top, or those most well endowed with good genetics, would stay that way, while those with poor genetics had little hope of changing their circumstances. Degeneration theory, as this concept was called when it took root in the United States from the late 1890s, before it had evolved to formally become eugenics in the 1910s, and beyond. While eugenics offices opened in Berlin in 1905, in England in 1907-08, and in the United States in 1910, there were many forms of it, including degeneration theory. What bound all the theories together was the notion of biology and heredity. Westerns like Martyrs of the Alamo became a vehicle to explore these concerns because they inundated everyday Americans with illustrations of national identity. Films like these often mixed fantasy with ideology. This is clearly evident in W. Christy Cabanne’s anti-Mexican sentiment in Martyrs of the Alamo. Examining Cabanne’s film through the lens of degeneracy theory provides a greater understanding of American social concerns in the 1910s. These concerns, characterized by xenophobic depictions of immigrants, particularly Mexicans, culminated in the linking of immigrant bodies and disease with heredity and genetics, namely through theories of degeneration . Cabanne’s Martyrs of the Alamo suggests, through the reproduction of the conflict surrounding the Alamo Mission, that the alternative to “race suicide” is a fantasy of American heroism, collectivism, and cultural exclusion. (SS and TZCS)

Victoria o muerte: Música para los últimos momentos de El Álamo en el cine

La defensa y batalla de El Álamo en 1836 supone uno de los grandes acontecimientos de la Historia americana, hito fundacional sobre el que el cine se interesó desde sus primeros momentos, y que ha conocido diversas interpretaciones a lo largo de un siglo (1911-2004). Los momentos más dramáticos fueron las horas previas a la batalla final, tras trece días de asedio de las tropas del general Santa Anna a los texanos, y la propia batalla. El tratamiento musical que los diferentes compositores de la partitura de cada película han dado a estos momentos ha variado en función de diversos factores. En este artículo analizamos la música de las escenas relativas al día previo a la batalla y al asalto final, abordando especialmente el toque de degüello empleado por cada uno, su importancia en el conjunto de la partitura, sus posibles referentes, su estructura y el carácter del tema. Para ello diseñamos unas tablas de análisis de contenido categorial, que nos permiten comparar las seis películas estudiadas y llegar a las conclusiones. The defense and the battle of The Alamo in 1836 is one of the greatest events of American History. Film writers, directors and producers were interested in it since the early days, so there are several adaptations from 1911 to 2004. The most dramatic moments were the hours before the battle after thirteen days of siege of the Santa Anna’s troops, and the final assault. According to different factors, each film composer has written a personal version of the music for these scenes. In this paper we analyze the musical treatment applied to the scenes of the previous day and of final assault, highlighting the different versions of the deguello, its importance inside the score, its sources, structure and character. For to do this, we use tables of categorical content which let us to compare the six films we studied and to reach the conclusions.