Chapter 1

Sammy the chameleon was super excited to move into her new home in Texas! Sammy had never been to Texas before but she had heard lots about it in her history class back home.

As Sammy and her family were unpacking their things into their new house, Arnold the Armadillo, their new neighbor came over to help! Sammy couldn't wait for her new friend to tell her all about Texas.

Hi! I'm Sammy!!

Howdy! I'm Arnold!!

Chapter 2

"So?" Sammy asked, "How did Texas gain it's independence?" "That's a long story" said Arnold. "It all started a long long time ago."

The Texans were tired of the way the Mexican leader, Santa Anna, was running the place so they decided to seek independence. After a series of clashes with the Mexican Governement, the revolution began in 1835!

This cannon right here is what started the first battle of the revolution!

The Battle of Gonzales was where the first shots of the revolution were fired. It is also known as the "come and take it" Battle. The Mexican troops were sent by general Santa Anna, to take back the cannon they gifted Texas.

After the Battle of Gonzales came the Battle of Goliad. The Mexican troops attack the Texan troops by surprise, but they ended up loosing. Texas was able to gain support from the US through this battle.

And they still beat them!

"Here's The Alamo!". The Alamo was one of the most memorable battles. Its here legends like James Bowie, and David Crockett were at. After holding off against the Mexican troops for 13 days, when at night the Mexican troops scaled the walls and attacked the men.

"Sammy this is after the last battle. The battle of San Jacinto was over within 18 MINUTES!! Houston and his troops attacked the Mexican troops while they were resting. Santa Anna would try to escape but they didn't let him . And under this tree they signed the Velasco treaty which ended the war.

Discussion Questions

• What was the reason for the Texas revolution?
• Why do you think the Mexican commander wanted the cannon back?
• Why do you think the troops at the Alamo didn't back down?
• Why do you think that the US offered to help Texas?
• Who was the commander for Texas?
• 
  

Chapter 3

Sammy and Arnold finished unpacking and decided to go for a walk. While they were walking Sammy asked Arnold, "What is the political culture like in Texas?" Arnold replied, "That's a great question! I'll tell you all about it!"

"Political culture is a group of broadly shared beliefs and attitudes about how the government should function and how politics should operate!"

"Texas has a special and unique style of political culture. It is known as a traditionalistic individualistic political culture. This means that deference is shown to political elites and hard work and self interest are valued as core virtues in the economic life of the state" explained Arnold." "Oh I think I'm starting to understand!" exclaimed Sammy.

" In Texas, the taxes are kept low, social services are minimized, and business leaders have a large voice in how the state operates to promote these values!

"Over time, these values have not changed much because Texas is known as a one party state. This means that most of the leaders in Texas all belong to the same political party."

"Thanks Arnold!" said Sammy. "I think I understand the political culture of Texas much better now!" The pair then set off so Sammy could learn more about Texas.

Discussion Questions

1. How does the political culture of Texas effect the economy of Texas?
2. What are the main values of Texas Tradtionalistic Individualistic political culture? Do you agree with these values? Why or why not?
3. How do you think Texas being a one party state affects the political culture of Texas? The economy?

Chapter 4

As Sammy and Arnold continued on their journey, Sammy asked, "Hey, what is the Texas miracle?"

"Glad you asked Sammy" said Arnold.

"The Texas miracle was the idea that Texas had a great miracle time period of Great Recession when the Texas economy boosted while the rest of the u.s floundered."

"While gov. Rick Perry bragged about the amount of jobs created in Texas between 2008-2012 was greater than the rest of the nation combined. Liberals stated that George Mitchell an oilman in the Houston area was the one who really created the jobs because of his pioneering in oil and natural gas fracturing."