Texas Looks to Its Future to Guide Its Past
As Texans come to terms with their state’s history, they are less concerned with previous misdeeds than with potential achievements.
In Texas, one of these flags is more ubiquitous.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Texans think very highly of Texas. This has always been the case, at least in my experience, but during a recent trip to Austin I noticed a deeper development: Texans are beginning to come to terms with their state’s history — and they are less concerned about past misdeeds than about future achievements.
The relevant “monument” in Austin at the moment is Tesla’s new headquarters and factory, called Giga Texas, which is still under construction. When complete, it is promised to be almost one mile long, and it is already so big it is difficult to see all at once. Meanwhile, about 90 miles southwest and almost 200 years into the past, plans are proceeding for a $400 million renovation of the Alamo site, even though the project would disrupt older burial sites, including for indigenous peoples. That too is Texas at work.