Baylor's Texas Collection to Host Paper Republic Author James Bevill
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Visual lecture details history of coin and currency used to finance the Texas Revolution
The Texas Collection at Baylor University will host James P. Bevill, author of the award-winning book The Paper Republic, who will speak about the epic struggle for money, credit and independence in the Republic of Texas, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in Bennett Auditorium on the Baylor campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Bevill will tell the little-known story of financing the Texas Revolution and the sovereign nation of Texas (1835-1845). A gifted storyteller, Bevill's powerful 50-minute visual presentation relays the history of Texas from an economic point of view rather than a political one.
Following his lecture, Bevill will be available to sign copies of his book during a brief reception.
Although the stirring story of the Texas revolution has been told many times from a military standpoint, Bevill's Paper Republic takes the reader on a tour of the financial instruments issued to fund the Texian war machine. He combines a detailed numismatic history of each piece of coin and currency used in the Republic with the stories of the colorful individuals and the creative credit schemes that made it possible for Texas to first survive and later flourish.
As Bevill reveals the history of each piece of paper, he explores the personalities involved, clarifies the roles in the new government, and reveals the inner workings of a precarious financial system. The issuance of promissory notes kept the revolutionary government afloat until the dramatic funding of a lifesaving loan from land speculators in New Orleans in April 1836. The paper promises chronicled in The Paper Republic create a verifiable trail of many of the most significant people and events in Texas history: visionary kings, obsessive dictators, crooked politicians, counterfeiters, printers, Texas Presidents, treasury officials and forgotten heroes.
For Texans, numismatists and everyone in the financial industry, The Paper Republic offers an essential understanding about the role money plays in government and history and tells the real story behind a debt crisis eerily similar to the headlines today.
Bevill's book was named as the 2010 winner of the Summerfield G. Roberts literary award by the Sons of the Republic of Texas, and was named as the Best Specialized Book on U.S. Paper Money by the Numismatic Literary Guild at the ANA's World's Fair of Money in Boston, August 2009. He is a frequent lecturer on financial topics. He lives in Houston, Texas with his wife, Jodie.
For more information, call The Texas Collection at (254) 710-1268.
About Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, classified with "high research activity" by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Baylor provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students, blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating Texas university. Located in Waco, it welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions.
About The Texas Collection
The Texas Collection is Baylor University's oldest special collections library and serves as the University Archive that collects, preserves, and provides access to materials on the history, heritage and culture of Texas. Visit https://www.baylor.edu/lib/texas/.
Media contact: Lori Fogleman, director of media communications, (254) 710-6275