“A timely state history that sheds light on today’s national political and cultural landscapes. . . Johnson persuasively argues that understanding the history of Texas, a state full of contradictions and surprises, is essential for understanding the “history of the United States.”

A compelling account of a complicated, conflicted, and cantankerous state.”
— Kirkus Reviews

What Others Are Saying

  • “Authored by one of the best historians in the United States, this book’s brilliantly conceived and beautifully written chapters will reshape public conversations, classroom discussions, and popular understandings of Texas’s deep, varied, and contested past.”

    Stephen Pitti, Yale University

  • “Texas is a big place with a complicated history, and Ben Johnson brings to life the stories of Texas in all its diversity. This book is for anyone who believes that an inclusive history of Texas matters.”

    Rebecca Sharpless, Texas Christian University

  • “Writing about the ‘good times’ of the past is easy. More difficult and challenging is writing about the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly.’ Ben Johnson does all three in his sweeping, elegantly written historical overview that features diverse voices and forgotten episodes to disrupt popular Texas myths and stereotypes. Johnson shows that the history of Texas is, indeed, an American history.”

    David Montejano, author of Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836–1986

In The News

New Books Network Interview

Listen to Dr. Johnson’s interview with Dr. Stephen R. Hausmann of New Books Network as they discuss Texas: An American History.

Upcoming events.