Date of Award
8-1948
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Degree Discipline
History
Abstract
Many factors and forces are involved in the development of the Modern City. The Modern age is a city age. Within its environs are concentrations of skills, finance and business techniques. Commercial and industrial polices are determined within its confines. The blueprint of the economy is mapped and projected into the surrounding areas. In this study the problem is to determine the economic factors and forces that made and modified the institutions of the San Antonio Area.
San Antonio has a unique and strategic location. It is on the edge of the Great Plains. The topography, rainfall and water supply were different from that of the East. The Easterners had a forest background. The traditions, laws, weapons, and the general approach to current problems were different. In this environment the influence of geopgaphy had charted a new approach. Modification, transformation of old traditions did not suffice. New approaches were necessitated.
San Antonio was the outpost of the Spanish-Mexican civilization. The Westward Movement of the Anglo-American projected into this area. The result was a conflict involving three ethnic groups: the Indian, Spanish-Mexicans and the Anglo-American. The Spanish-Mexicans were in the Far Southwest. The line of occupation rested on the Rio Grande River. The Indians were the undisputed possessors of the "Plains". The Anglo-Americans were in Texas. The conflict was inevitable.
Regional jealously was stimulated by trade rivalries between the cities. San Antonio was detached. During the colonization era the settlements were scattered. The Brazos, and Colorado valleys became productive and prosperous. Galveston was the chief port of Call. Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou was the head of navigation. Santa Anna destroyed Harrisburg. Houston sprang up. The merchants of Galveston, Houston and San Antonio vied with each other for trade, commerce and business.
Committee Chair/Advisor
George R. Woolfolk
Publisher
Prairie View A&M College
Rights
© 2021 Prairie View A & M University
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Date of Digitization
9-10-2021
Contributing Institution
John B Coleman Library
City of Publication
Prairie View
MIME Type
Application/PDF
Recommended Citation
Blanks, C. M. (1948). San Antonio the Inland Gate. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/395