Segment from Border Crossings

The Fear of “Mexicanization”

Historian Greg Downs tells Brian about an anxiety about “Mexicanization” that ran through Reconstruction-Era politics, as Americans saw disturbing political parallels with their southern neighbor.

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

The Great Texas “Cart War”

Historian Larry Knight discusses the 1857 “Cart War” between Anglo- and Mexican-Americans in Texas, and the questions it raised about American identity.

00:05:27

Birth of a Trade War

Brian talks with historian Gabriela Soto Laveaga about the Mexican origins of the birth control pill, and the trade dispute with the U.S. it generated.

00:10:09

Comanches as Kingmakers

Ed talks with historian Brian DeLay about the two-front war Mexico faced in its 1840s conflict with the United States – fighting both the U.S. Army and Comanches across its northern territory.

00:11:00

Being in the Borderlands

The hosts consider the significance of the U.S.-Mexico border for different generations of Americans, and especially those living on the ground in the borderlands.

00:03:02

Listener Call 1

The hosts talk with a listener asking about border disputes between the U.S. and Mexico.

00:04:38

Listener Call 2

The hosts chat with another listener about the lack of attention to the Mexican phase of Southwestern U.S. history.

00:05:05

The Fear of “Mexicanization”

Historian Greg Downs tells Brian about an anxiety about “Mexicanization” that ran through Reconstruction-Era politics, as Americans saw disturbing political parallels with their southern neighbor.

00:09:22