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Alamo, The - THE ALAMO
Franciscan missionaries chose a site west of the San Antonio River to establish Mission San Antonio de Valero. Moved twice, the mission's final location (then in the town of Bejar now known as the city of San Antonio) was established in 1724. A church (today the best-known "face" of the Alamo) was ...
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Alamo, The - GOLIAD MASSACRE
Two weeks after the Alamo fell James Fannin, who had refused to reinforce the Alamo defenders because of his own developing situation with the Mexican army at Goliad, was in serious trouble. He and his men (who possessed rifles, 500 spare muskets and nine brass cannon) lost the Battle of Coleto. The...
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Alamo, The - TENSIONS IN TEXAS
Vicente Guerrero, Mexico's president at the time, freed all slaves on September 15, 1829, although Texians obtained an exemption from the national emancipation law. Guerrero's unpopular decree was never put into operation, and he ended up losing his job and his life. As Anglos poured into the Texas...
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Alamo, The - THE ALAMO BATTLE
Thousands of Mexican troops surrounded the Alamo fortress. Santa Anna knew where the defenders' fortifications were located since his commander of engineers had drawn them on their official battle map. The drawing also depicts the town and military presidio of San Antonio (known as Bejar [or Bexar] ...
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Alamo, The - REMEMBER THE ALAMO
Immediately after the Texas Constitutional Convention unanimously declared the territory's independence from Mexico, Sam Houston (who signed a treaty with the Cherokee in 1836) became the commander-in-chief of Texas military forces. (The link depicts his original letter of appointment.) Houston wast...
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Alex and Emma - ON TIME
With Anna's help, the novel took shape. Always more practical than her future husband, Anna gave Dostoevsky good advice. Stellovsky didn't want the book on time - he wanted unfettered rights to all Fyodor's work for the next decade. Would the publisher anxiously await the manuscript - or - would he ...
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Alex and Emma - THE REAL EMMA
With less than a month to go before The Gambler was due, Dostoevsky worked on one novel during the day and another (Crime and Punishment) at night. His personal gambling experiences, and his tumultuous relationship with Polina, provided him with the substance of his new story. But it took a fictiona...
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Alex and Emma - TRAGEDIES
Only a catastrophe could pull Dostoevsky away from the roulette table. Even losing the advance (for his unwritten novel) to the Bad Homburg casino was not enough to make him go home. But when he learned that Maria was dying, he returned to Russia. During the winter of 1863-1864, Dostoevsky worked o...
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Alex and Emma - USED AND RECOMMENDED SOURCES
A "primary source" is the best place to get first-hand information. A person who experiences an event, and gives an account of it, is a source of primary information. Maps, photographs, drawings, videotapes, diaries, letters, manuscripts and other similar items can be primary sources. Someone who i...
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Alex and Emma - SAVED BY STENOGRAPHY
No one, least of all Stellovsky, believed Dostoevsky could write a complete book and deliver the polished manuscript in thirty days. Not wanting to give the author a way out, the publisher refused to grant an extension of time. Friends offered to write parts of the new story, but Dostoevsky decline...
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