Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday called for the president of the Alamo Trust, which manages the historic site, to resign over views she expressed in a doctoral dissertation in 2023 suggesting she disagrees with Republican leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese writings are incompatible with the telling of the history of the battle of the Alamo,\u201d Patrick, a Republican, wrote in an Oct. 23 letter to the Alamo Trust\u2019s board of directors about President and CEO Kate Rogers. \u201cI believe her judgment is now placed in serious question and makes clear she has a totally different view of how the history of the Alamo should be told.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the excerpt of her dissertation that Patrick posted on social media, Rogers described the competing politics of Republican state leaders, who want the 1836 battle to be the primary focus of the Alamo\u2019s redevelopment, and of local officials from Bexar County and the City of San Antonio, who have pushed for the project to \u201ctell the full story of the site including its beginning as a home to Indigenous people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, I would love to see the Alamo become a beacon for historical reconciliation and a place that brings people together versus tearing them apart,\u201d wrote Rogers, who was serving as the Alamo Trust\u2019s executive director at the time, \u201cbut politically that may not be possible at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added, \u201cfor all these reasons, I had to be very careful with my study and its implications as it could have negative consequences\u201d for the Alamo project, \u201cas well as my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her EdD dissertation, which examined the role of historic sites and museums in supporting social studies instruction in K-12 classrooms, Rogers also described the \u201cconservative agenda\u201d of the 2023 legislative session. She noted bills that \u201cban educators from teaching Critical Race Theory,\u201d and \u201cprohibited the discussion of slavery.\u201d And she discussed the book, \u201cForget the Alamo,\u201d which argued that maintaining chattel slavery was a primary motivator in the Texas fight for independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps the biggest dilemma for me as a researcher had to do with my own political views and my current environment,\u201d Rogers wrote. \u201cPhilosophically, I do not believe it is the role of politicians to determine what professional educators can or should teach in the classroom. Instead, teachers should be afforded the autonomy to make those decisions based on their own expertise as well as the needs of their students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick\u2019s call for Rogers\u2019 ouster marks the latest flashpoint in a long-running debate over how the story of the Alamo should be presented. Republican state leaders have largely demanded the site remain focused on the 13-day siege and legendary 1836 Battle of the Alamo, rejecting broader narratives that address the Indigenous people of the area and consider the role slavery played in the Texas Revolution.<\/p>\n
In response to a request for comment, Rogers said she was not authorized to say anything and did not say if she would resign. The Alamo Trust did not immediately return a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Patrick\u2019s push for Rogers\u2019 resignation is the latest effort by Republican state leaders to oust people from their jobs or schools over perceived differences in political ideology. A handful of professors, administrators and students at public universities in Texas have been fired or expelled over the past few months after conservative lawmakers seized on evidence that they had mocked the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk or discussed LGBTQ issues in classroom settings.<\/p>\n
The roughly $500 million restoration and expansion of the Alamo includes a new museum and visitor center, which is slated to open in 2027 and include eight galleries that cover the history of the Alamo from its Indigenous context through the Battle of the Alamo and its legacy in Texas.<\/p>\n
In 2015, the General Land Office \u2014 which oversees the Alamo \u2014 Bexar County and the City of San Antonio agreed to a set of \u201cguiding principles\u201d that include telling \u201cthe entire history of the Alamo area\u201d and embracing \u201cthe continuum of history to foster understanding and healing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his letter to the board, Patrick wrote that, \u201cof course the entire story of the Alamo will be told, but the overriding emphasis must be on the \u201813 Days of Glory,\u2019 as nearly 200 men gave their lives to defend liberty and freedom for Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that he would \u201ccontinue to defend the Alamo today against a rewrite of history.\u201d<\/p>\n