Los Brazos de Dios

Historians have long believed that the "frontier" shaped Texas plantation society, but in this detailed examination of Texas's most important plantation region, the author asserts that the dominant influence was not the frontier but the Mexican Republic. The Lower Brazos Rivery Valley--the only slave society to take root under Mexican sovereignty--made replication of eastern plantation culture extremely difficult and complicated. By tracing the synthesis of cultures, races, and politics in the region, the author reveals a distinct variant of southern slavery--a borderland plantation society.