Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett was a respected, but unremarkable, frontier politician, who was killed in the struggle for Texas independence from Mexico. Due to tall tales of his heroic feats as a frontiersman, Crockett became a legend in his own time and a central character in American folklore.

Political career

David Crockett was born in a cabin in Tennessee in 1786. As a young man, he enlisted twice with the Tennessee militia (an army made up of trained civilians rather than professional soldiers) commanded by General Andrew Jackson (1767–1845). He fought in the Creek War (1813–14).

Later, Crockett began a career in politics. He served as a justice of the peace and a Tennessee state legislator before becoming a Democratic congressman from Tennessee in 1827. He served two terms and lost the election for a third term in 1831. Two years later, he ran again and won, returning to Congress to serve a third term.

Early death

After losing his battle for reelection to a fourth term in 1835, Crockett moved to east Texas in search of a new home. At the age of forty-nine, he participated in the defense of the Alamo , a mission converted into a fort by Anglo-American (non-Mexican) soldiers in Texas's war of independence with Mexico. Mexican forces killed Crockett and all of the two hundred other defenders of the Alamo in March 1836.

The folk hero

During his lifetime, Crockett's frontier drawl and his tendency to tell folksy stories always drew the attention of journalists. As a politician, he told exaggerated stories about his feats as an Indian fighter and bear hunter to gain votes. He wrote an autobiography in 1834 full of these tall tales. In the 1830s, publishers released dozens of Davy Crockett books. Filled with coarse language and remarkable (and almost certainly untrue) exploits, the books were popular. The myth of the heroic frontiersman continued to grow even after his death. Hollywood discovered the tall tales, resulting in many popular movies and television shows, keeping the legend of Davy Crockett alive.