History is never just about the past. It is a powerful resource used to shape public space, communities and relationships of power. In Narratives, Uses of History, and Power in Gonzales, Texas, 1900–1940, Anne Magnussen explores how a confrontation in 1835 between American immigrants and the Mexican army evolved from local history into the famous and powerful “Come and Take It” narrative used to promote business ambitions, define community values, and establish ethnoracial and social hierarchies.

Drawing on a rich array of sources—from newspapers, census records, maps, monuments, and organizational archives—Magnussen reveals how Anglo-Texans, Mexican-Texans, African-Texans, and German-Texans negotiated power, belonging, and identity in a rapidly changing society. As Gonzales confronted industrialization, immigration, racial segregation, economic crisis, and the Texas Centennial, historical narratives became tools for both inclusion and exclusion, legitimacy and resistance.

Far more than a local history, this book offers a case study of how communities use the past to shape their futures. It illuminates the complex relationships among memory, heritage, race, place, and power in Texas and the United States, while providing fresh insights into how historical narratives emerge, compete, and challenge each other over time.

Anne Magnussen is Associate Professor at the Center for American Studies, Department of Culture and Language, University of Southern Denmark.