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The Real Yellow Rose Of Texas
Some
historians respond with outrage.
Denise McVea's new novel Making
Myth Of Emily: Emily West de Zavala and the Yellow Rose of Texas
Legend is causing a
real stir amongst Texas history communities and that's before the
book has even been released for sale to the general public.
According to legend The Yellow
Rose Of Texas was none other than Emily West, a fair-skinned black woman
who helped Texas win its independence from Mexico whenshe distracted
Mexican general Antonio Lopez Santa on the San Jacinto battlefield during
the Texas Revolution in April of 1836.
Historians have often described Emily as a servant, slave or in some
cases a prostitute and her method of distraction as seduction.
Denise McVea however presents research in her new book that shows that
the mixed-race wife of the vice president of Texas in 1836, Emily West
de Zavala was the real inspiration for the Yellow Rose Of Texas legend
and refutes any claims that Emily sexually distracted the Mexican general.
The first such book of its kind regarding the legend, Making Myth of Emily states that the legend arose because of efforts to hide Emily West de Zavala’s racial identity.
Many Texas historians and history buffs
have responded to Denise's research with outrage. For several weeks some
men have posted increasingly hysterical messages to a popular Alamo history
site, trying to convince people not to read the book. But, the strategy
may be backfiring. According to Denise, sales of the book have exploded
since the men began posting to the website.
In an excerpt from the book Denise States: This book will reveal a complex,
perplexing world behind the Yellow Rose of Texas legend and, I believe,
will show how Texas historians’ racial sensibilities, dating from
the 1800s to the present, created a woman who did not exist and changed
the race of one who did.
To read an excerpt click here:
To learn more about Making Myth of Emily, click here:
To visit the Yellow Rose of Texas thread at the
Alamo Site forum, click here:
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