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April 10, 2017

David Crockett: The Man, The Legend

Born in 1786 in Greene County, Tennessee, David (Davy) Crockett was a pioneer and politician. Crockett spent his youth in the backwoods of America where many of the stories of his manliness were born. While serving with General Andrew Jackson in 1813 in the campaign against the Creek Indians, Crockett developed an admiration for Jackson that translated into his subsequent interest to follow Jackson into politics. Between 1821 and 1825, he served as a member of the Tennessee state legislature. After his stent in the state legislature, he became a U.S. Congressman in 1827, where he stayed until he was defeated for reelection in 1835. He then moved to Texas. While he is not best known for his political career, he is best known for being an expert frontiersman, and for his heroic last stand during the Battle of the Alamo between the Texians and the Mexicans in 1836. Crockett’s actions at the Alamo is what has etched his name in history and kept the legends of his heroic exploits alive for nearly 200 years.1

During his time as a Congressman, he kept to his roots and used them to gain votes. Instead of dressing as a politician, he appealed to those that grew up in the backwoods of Tennessee, by wearing buckskin shirts and carrying a twist of tobacco in one pocket and a flask in the other. This factored into his fourteen years that he spend in government, as well as the time that he spent with Andrew Jackson.2 He was able to appeal to his fellow backwoodsmen as well as to those of the higher society, which were skills he had also learned from his time with Jackson.

Painting of David Crockett and the Alamo Defenders, by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk | Courtesy of Wiki Images

He was already a legend among many of those he met, especially the stories that spread from his youth in Tennessee to his part in the Creek Indian campaign. For many, he was the equivalent of a movie star; when he and close to a dozen other men rode into San Antonio de Bexar in 1836, all eyes fell on him and his Tennessee Mounted Volunteers, known as Crockett’s Band. While declining all attempts to be given formal command, he proclaimed that he would hold the rank of a private during his short time in Texas.3

At dawn on March 6, 1836, after thirteen days of siege, the Mexican Army stormed the gates of the Alamo. Much mystery still surrounds the exact circumstances of Crockett’s death, whether he died at the gates, shot in the chaos of battle, or, the more popular theory, that he was captured and executed by the Mexican Army at the end of battle, there is one thing that many can agree on: David Crockett will forever be immortalized in Texas as the hero of the Alamo, and in his home state of Tennessee, not only for his actions at the Alamo, but also for his political career for the State of Tennessee.

 

  1. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, January 2016, s.v. “Crockett, Davy.”
  2. Michael Willis, “David Crockett: The Lion of the West,” Kirkus Reviews Vol. 79, (May 2011): 320.
  3. Bob Palmquist, “A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee,” Wild West Vol.29, (February 2017): 4.

Tags from the story

Davy Crockett

The Alamo

Recent Comments

Alyssa Valdez

I thought this was a very interesting article! I thought your article was very well organized and very straightforward. Growing up in Texas, you learn a lot about Davy Crockett while in middle school and I believe you got all the key points about his life. I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into your research.

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10/04/2017

8:17 am

Lianna Ybarra

I liked your article; it was very straightforward and didn’t stray from Crockett’s bio. I thought he was originally from Texas so it was interesting to learn that he is originally from Tennessee and was involved with politics. I am born and raised in San Antonio so his name definitely isn’t a new one to me. The Battle of the Alamo is one of the first things you learn in history in school along with the endless field trips to the Alamo so it’s really cool to see where the actual battle was fought and where he was. I do wish though that we knew exactly how we died.

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11/04/2017

8:17 am

Luke Trevino

Wow, I really liked this article. I found it very informative and very well researched. I knew of Dave Crockett as being the man at the Alamo to make that stand against the Mexican Army. I did not know that he had a political career of any sort. I also didn’t know that he was a friend of Andrew Jackson. Overall, it was a very good article.

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12/04/2017

8:17 am

Alyssa Vela

This was a really interesting article! I could tell that a lot of research was put into writing this article. The structure was great, and your transitions made it easy to read which was great considering all of the information that was put into it. I heard a lot about Davy Crockett when I was younger, and it was great reading about something I already had background knowledge of. Learning more about his political career was interesting as well! Overall a great article! I look forward to reading more of your work!

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12/04/2017

8:17 am

Aimee Trevino

I liked your article! I liked how you set it up and had it organized. It went into detail in a chronological and logical order. I always thought he was from Texas, so to read that he is actually originally from Tennessee is interesting. It is funny to see that he actually had some political career. Overall, really well written and I enjoyed reading your article.

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12/04/2017

8:17 am

Mario De Leon

This was a great read! I have heard the name, Davy Crockett, but I thought he was from Texas and really never knew why he was so famous. I think that is because I am not from Texas and don’t know the story of the Alamo very well. I find it funny that he had a political career that nobody really talks about.

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12/04/2017

8:17 am

Bailey Rider

This was a cool article to read! It was interesting to learn about such a famous person from Texas history even though he was originally from Tennessee. I remember when I was in elementary school, we did a play over the Alamo and Davy Crockett was one of the main characters. Your article was well written and had a good flow. Thanks for the article!

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13/04/2017

8:17 am

Steven Clinton

Great article, Davy Crockett was a man-made legend. Through his heroic actions in traversing the new frontier and his stand at the Alamo, he has become forever etched in American and especially Texas history. It’s interesting how the rugged Davy Crockett establish himself in politics in his early life. Overall this was a great article; I really enjoyed your writing style. Keep up the work!

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13/04/2017

8:17 am

Tyler Sleeter

Great article about a man that was more legend than hero. I knew a bit about Crockett’s background as a politician and his fighting at the Alamo. I remember that there used to be that plaque at the Alamo saying that Davy Crockett died at that spot. I think that many of the stories we are often told about him are altered from the facts, like his ‘coon skin cap and the huge bear he killed with his bare hands. I have always found it admirable that he came all the way to San Antonio from Tennessee to support a little outpost against the Mexican Army.

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14/04/2017

8:17 am

Irene Astran

If ever you want to extend your knowledge of David Crockett I would suggest that you read a book called White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg. It provides some interesting insight on how Crockett advocated for the poor white, working class people. He definitely used his skill as a frontiersman and his history growing up in the backwoods to elevate his platform.

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14/04/2017

8:17 am

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