American Experience (TV Series) Remember the Alamo (2004) User Reviews

George Fisher

[maxa · 7/10 · 8 August 2012]

One small part is missing. Ending part with George Fisher (originally named Đorđe Šagić/Ђорђе Шагић) he drew borders with Mexico! In Texas history he is in top 3! He came from Serbia. Fisher later was in charge of a customs house at the far north end of Galveston Bay, succeeding the very unpopular John Davis Bradburn in this post. Fisher demanded that all ships landing at the mouth of the Brazos River pay their customs duties to him at Anahuac. This was a great hardship to area boat captains due to the great distances between that port and other Texas seaports. Fisher was forced to resign his post in early 1832 after a military confrontation with Texian settlers. Later that year, Fisher began publishing the liberal newspaper in Matamoros. On October 13, 1835, Fisher and José Antonio Mexía organized a movement in New Orleans to attack Tampico to instigate a revolt among the eastern states of Mexico. In 1837, he became a commission agent in Houston and served as justice of the peace in 1839. Fisher was admitted to the bar in 1840 and was elected to the Houston city council. In 1843 he became a major in the Texas militia. He traveled to Panama in 1850 and on to California in 1851. He served in various civic and administrative posts in San Francisco from 1860 to 1870. Soon after retiring, he was appointed by the King of Greece as Consul for that nation. Fisher was married four times. He died in San Francisco on June 11, 1873.

The Texas war for Independence from the Tejano perspective.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 5 October 2011]

Despite the title, this episode is NOT just about the Alamo. In fact, little of it is until late in the film--but even then, it's just a small part of the show. It's more re-examination about the creation of the Republic of Texas--starting from the early days when it was settled by whites and Tejanos and culminating with independence. So how does it look at this war for independence differently? Well, history books tend to ignore or underplay the role Tejanos played in the revolt. These Mexicans living in Texas were some of the biggest patriots of this struggle, though they often go unmentioned. The greatest was José Antonio Navarro--one of the founding fathers of Texas. Sadly, despite his and the sacrifices of others, many faced discrimination after the war ended.

Like so many episodes of "The American Experience", this is expertly crafted and very engaging. And, I appreciated how Navarro and his people got their due.