David Crockett

Davy Crockett, American frontiersman and politician, became a folk hero during his own life time. Crockett grew up on the eastern frontier and later used his knowledge of it in his political campaigns. Although he is known rarely as a hunter and a soldier, Crockett also worked for land for settlers and a banking system for Tennessee (Wallis, 288).

David Crockett, the son of John Crockett and Rebecca Crockett, was born on August 17, 1786, in East Tennessee (Wallis, 102). He was the fifth of nine children. Crockett's father put him to work driving cattle to Virginia when he was only at the age of twelve years old. After running away from home, Crockett traveled throughout Virginia. He thought since he didn't have a good education he would have a rough time traveling in the woods by himself. In 1806 Crockett married a younger girl named Mary Finely and became a farmer. David Crockett decided to move to Franklin County, Tennessee in 1813 because the land was not good where he was at (Wallis, 130). In 1815 Crockett's first wife died, and he married Elizabeth Patton. A couple years later while traveling through Alabama with some people who lived close to him, he caught malaria, a disease that causes chills and fever, and was left along the road to die. He got better and went back to his family. They were surprised to see him alive because a couple days before he was announced dead in the newspaper.

In 1817 Crockett and his family moved to Lawrence County, Tennessee. He worked as a justice of the peace and later served as county commissioner. In 1818 he was elected lieutenant colonel of the local military, and became a great leader. In 1821 he ran for a seat in the state legislature. During the campaign Crockett realized that the army was weak and small and he needed to help make them bigger and stronger so they would be able to take on any opponent that they were fighting again. Therefore, he gave speeches with stories that helped lead to his election. Having grown up with the poor settlers, Crockett served as their spokesman so he could help them improve their life styles. He proposed bills to reduce taxes and to settle land claims. In 1823 Crockett was elected to the Tennessee legislature. In 1825 Crockett ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress but was defeated. He ran again and won in 1827 and was reelected in 1829. Crockett did not agree with President Andrew Jackson's point of view. He took a stand against the president on several issues, including Native American removal and land policy. In 1831 when Crockett ran for a third term, he was defeated. Two years later he regained his seat by a narrow margin. In 1834 he published his autobiography, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee. Then, another defeat in 1835 marked the end of his congressional career.

In 1835 Crockett and some close friends headed into Texas looking for new land. By January 1836 he had joined the Texas