We've all heard of the Texas Rangers: an undoubted icon of the American West.

In this week’s instalment of our Frontier series, we’ll be exploring the history of lawmen famed for riding across a violent and uncertain landscape. But how much of their reputation reflects the realities of the frontier, and how much was shaped by legend? Were the Rangers truly defenders of order in a lawless land, or agents of expansion whose actions came at a devastating cost to neighbouring Indigenous and Mexican communities?

To help take us through this story, we welcome Ben Johnson, professor of history at Loyola University Chicago, onto the show. Ben is the author of numerous works, including ‘Texas: An American History,’ and ‘Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans.’

Check out more of Ben's work: https://refusingtoforget.org/the-history/

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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