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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 2018)
Page 12 March 28, 2018 MCS Still in Business O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $50.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $50.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area and Hallway Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $30.00 Heavily Soiled Area: $10.00 each area (Requiring Pre-Spray) Area/Oriental Rug Cleaning Regular Area Rugs $25.00 Minimum Wool Oriental Rugs $40.00 Minimum UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $70.00 Loveseat: $50.00 Sectional: $110 - $140 Chair or Recliner: $25.00 - $50.00 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Remember the Truth about the Alamo Correcting a distorted history o sCar h. b layton Like a million other kids in America with their eyes glued to black and white television, I sat watching Walt Dis- ney’s version of the Battle of the Alamo on a Saturday evening in February 1955. What we saw was the popular actor Fess Parker portraying a heroic Davy Crockett on the ram- parts of the famous old Spanish mission battling Mexican sol- diers in the defense of freedom. What I did not know at the time was that the history sur- rounding this battle, and the role of Americans in the early history of the Mexican republic, was be- ing extremely distorted. Walt Disney never told us that slavery was the reason for the battle and the ultimate creation of the Republic of Texas, which lat- er became the state of Texas. On September 16, 1829, the Afro-Mexican president of Mex- ico, Vicente Guerrero, signed a decree outlawing slavery in that nation at a time when the south- ern United States was deeply in by thrall to slave labor. While most of Mexico wel- comed the emancipation de- cree, its northern region, known as “Texas,” was largely populated with Ameri- can Southerners who had moved west in search of more fertile land where their slaves could produce cotton. To accommodate the “Texican” slaveholders, Texas was exempted from the decree for one year. But after the peri- od of exemption ended in 1830, the Texicans refused to free their slaves and the Mexican govern- ment demanded that they comply with the law or face military in- tervention. While military intervention did not occur for another six years, several violent conflicts broke out in the interim between Texicans and the Mexican gov- ernment, some escalating to the use of arms. Finally, in 1836 Gen. Anto- nio López de Santa Anna led an army north from Mexico City to put down what had grown to be a Texas insurrection and freeing slaves along the way. Determined to resist Mexi- co’s intention to free their slaves, Davy Crocket and roughly 200 other Texicans gathered at the Al- amo in San Antonio to block San- ta Anna’s advancing army. Santa Anna laid siege to the Alamo, and after 13 days, it fell. While the “heroes” of the Alamo were under siege in San Antonio, Sam Houston and oth- er Texicans were less than 200 miles away drafting a constitu- tion for the hoped-for indepen- dent Republic of Texas. That constitution contained the fol- lowing guarantees that chattel slavery would be protected in Texas: “…[N]or shall Congress have power to emancipate slaves; nor shall any slave-holder be allowed to emancipate his or her slave or slaves, without the consent of Congress...” The Texas constitution estab- lished additional racist policies by stating: “No free person of African de- scent, either in whole or in part, shall be permitted to reside per- manently in the Republic, with- out the consent of Congress...” Weeks after their defeat at the Alamo, the slaveholding Texi- cans got what they wanted when they defeated Gen. Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto and forced him, as a prisoner, to sign the Treaty of Velasco. That treaty recognized Texas as a republic, independent of Mexico, but it also stated in part: “[A]ll private property includ- ing… negro slaves… that may have been captured by … the Mexican army or may have taken refuge in the said army … shall be restored to the Commander of the Texican army…” The Mexican government re- fused to recognize the Treaty of Velasco and consequently did not return any slaves. But Texas con- tinued as a slaveholding republic and later as one of the slavehold- ing states of the United States. Twenty-five years after the Battle of the Alamo, Texas, along with 10 other slaveholding states, tried to revolt against the United States as it had with Mexico. Today, whenever we hear cries of “Remember the Alamo,” we should ignore Disney’s false im- age of Davy Crockett bravely wielding his musket as a club in defense of freedom while being swarmed by Santa Anna’s troops. Instead, we should remember that Crockett and those by his side were fighting in defense of slav- ery, not freedom. Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practic- es law in Virginia.
