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this video is brought to you by
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captivating history
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the story of davy crockett sits at the
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intersection of american mythology and
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historical fact
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a very real man crockett even served in
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the united states house of
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representatives however his achievements
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on the expanding western frontier truly
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set his reputation apart
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myths did not emerge on their own
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crockett was well aware of the
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usefulness of his reputation as a quaint
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yet brave frontiersman
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when he ran for national office his
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campaign speeches were filled with
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homespun wisdom and rural metaphors
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the image he cultivated was so evocative
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that legends rose around him while he
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was still alive davey came from a poor
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french huguenot family
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davy's grandparents had immigrated to
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ireland and changed the family name from
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the crocotanie to crockett it's a good
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thing they did it is hard to imagine
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davey successfully fostering his rural
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hunter image with such an aristocratic
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sounding french name
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his father john crockett was born in
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virginia
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he fought in the revolutionary war and
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was involved in the battle of kings
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mountain
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davey was born in 1786 in greene county
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north carolina today it is part of
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tennessee but at the time the area was
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within the jurisdiction of north
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carolina
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john ran a grist mill but it was
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destroyed in a flood along with family
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home
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in 1795 he was forced to declare
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bankruptcy
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the poverty his family experienced was
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so severe that john indentured his son
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to a man named jacob seiler
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growing in the backwoods little davey
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had almost no formal education
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it didn't help that he was a wild child
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and was often truant when enrolled in
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school
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so instead he received 100 days worth of
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tutoring from an educated neighbor
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john tried to force the boy into school
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but davey was headstrong he went off to
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make his way in the world
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as a young man crockett worked as an
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extra farmhand or engaged in driving
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cattle
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finally however he returned to the
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family home and helped his father pay
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off the family debts
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there was nothing conventional about
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davy crockett
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his love life illustrates this fact
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one of his many jobs was on the property
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of john kennedy there he fell in love
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with kennedy's niece amy summer it was
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just one problem she was engaged to mary
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kennedy's son
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the undeterred crockett convinced one of
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the wedding guests to marry him but she
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married someone else instead davey ended
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up marrying another woman polly finley
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against the wishes of her family
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they had three children one of whom
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followed his father to represent
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tennessee in the house of
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representatives
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unfortunately polly died in 1815 he then
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married elizabeth patton a local widow
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and had three more children with her
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like many notable figures of the late
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18th and early 19th centuries crockett
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entered public life through military
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service
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in 1813 creek warriors stormed fort mims
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in a modern day alabama and slaughtered
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almost all of its inhabitants
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the incident was used to rally support
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for the creek war a complex conflict
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that pitted factions of the creek tribe
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against each other
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american troops supported the lower
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creeks who were under the command of
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andrew jackson
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meanwhile the red stick creeks were
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aided by the british and spanish
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crockett joined the tennessee militia
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and participated in the fighting however
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he later remarked that he felt more
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comfortable hunting game in alabama than
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fighting native americans
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nonetheless he remained an enlisted man
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and continued to serve under jackson's
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command
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but eventually croc get tired of
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military life and paid a poor laborer to
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take his place in active duty until his
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official release in 1815
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while crockett's military career was
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somewhat flawed it inspired him to
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engage in further public service
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he was soon appointed commissioner and
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helped establish the boundaries of the
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newly established lawrence county
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tennessee
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this was just the start of his rapid
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rise in local politics
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in 1817 crockett was appointed justice
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of the peace
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the following year he won the role of
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lieutenant colonel of the 57th regiment
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of tennessee militia
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after a few years of focusing on
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successful business ventures davey
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returned to public office in 1821
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he represented lawrence and hickman
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counties in the tennessee general
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assembly
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in general his preferences were informed
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by john crockett's difficulties in
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providing for his family on the
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tennessee frontier
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crockett adopted populist policies and
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opposed high tax burdens for the poor
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needless to say these policies won him
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the fierce loyalty of many smaller
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landowners and agricultural workers in
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lawrence and hickman counties and
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throughout the state however davey's
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political tendencies also want him some
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powerful enemies
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they would eventually prove to be his
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political undoing
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remarkably crockett rose from the
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backwoods to a prominent role on the
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national stage nonetheless his political
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career was anything but a
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straightforward success
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he ran for a seat in the house of
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representatives several times
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davey lost his first election in 1825
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however he won twice in a row in 1827
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and two years later
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in 1831 the determined campaigner lost
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to william fitzgerald however crockett
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made a comeback and narrowly defeated
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fitzgerald in 1833 before finally being
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ousted in the 1835 elections after a
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painful defeat to adam huntsman
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while davey proved an able public
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servant he also spent a good deal of
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effort on self-promotion
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he wrote books and gave speeches
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promoting his image as a wild yet
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lovable frontiersman
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in 1834 crockett published an
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autobiography titled a narrative of the
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life of david crockett written by
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himself
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however the title was misleading the
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book was completed with the assistance
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of political ally thomas chilton u.s
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representative for kentucky
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the book focused on crockett's life on
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the frontier it played down his
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political career as well as his many
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successful business ventures
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though quite popular in tennessee
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crockett's political ambitions were
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ultimately thwarted by andrew jackson
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and his supporters
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indeed jackson was a strong presence in
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tennessee politics
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after cementing his military reputation
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the future president was also one of the
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founders of memphis
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the rift with the jacksonians commenced
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in 1821 when the tennessee politician
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supported whig william carroll for
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governor over edward ward
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in the short term the gamble paid off
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carol won the election and rewarded
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crockett for his support
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however jackson did not forget the snub
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from his former subordinate
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the rift deepened further in 1823 when
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he ran against jackson's nephew in law
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william edward butler for the tennessee
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general assembly and won
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but crockett had no idea how powerful an
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enemy he had made or how deeply jackson
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held the grudge
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in 1824 jackson first ran for president
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although he won a plurality of the
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popular vote and the electoral college
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the whig john quincy adams won the
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presidency
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however if crockett thought he had
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dodged a bullet he was sorely mistaken
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jackson easily defeated adams in 1828
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the upstart representative insisted on
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the rights of settlers squatting on
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government claimed land in western
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tennessee
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however due to his opposition to jackson
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the tennessee politician was generally
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supported by the whig party
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crockett also opposed the president and
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the military by taking a bold stand to
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close the west point academy
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he believed that it provided an unfair
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avenue to power for the scions of rich
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and powerful families
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perhaps the most commendable step davey
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took in his political career was his
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opposition to the indian removal act of
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1830 which was sponsored by president
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jackson
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davey was the only member of the
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tennessee delegation to oppose the
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measure
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although the cherokees were deeply
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grateful for the lawmakers support many
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tennessee constituents were appalled by
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this vote
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it contributed heavily to his defeat in
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1831
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after losing the disappointed former
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congressman was unsure of his next move
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the claims of texas applying for
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statehood captured crockett's
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imagination
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he told his friends that if the
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jacksonian martin van buren won the 1836
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elections he would head to texas and
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lead a revolution in the territory
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when the little magician captured the
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white house davey lived up to his
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promise
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as he told a reporter
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i told the people of my district that i
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would serve them as faithfully as i had
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done but if not they might go to hell
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and i would go to texas
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crockett was a popular and charismatic
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figure and used his appeal to gather
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volunteers for the texting cause
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finally he went with some supporters to
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give a speech at the madison county
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courthouse
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hundreds of curious onlookers heard his
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words in favor of texan independence
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in early 1836 crockett arrived in texas
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and pledged allegiance to the
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provisional texas government
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he signed an oath with the other
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volunteers that read i have taken the
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oath of government and have enrolled my
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name as a volunteer and will set out for
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the rio grande in a few days with the
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volunteers from the united states
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on february 8th he arrived at the alamo
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mission in san antonio
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the alamo at that time was an essential
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feature in the military plans of the
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budding texas republic
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what had started as a spanish mission
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had become a fortified barracks as
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locals battled to maintain their
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security against roving bands of apache
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in 1821 the complex was transferred from
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spain to mexico
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however in 1835 texas rebels seized the
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fortress from the mexican forces and
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turned it into a stronghold
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two weeks after davey's arrival at the
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alamo a mexican army led by antonio
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lopez de santa anna arrived on the scene
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the surprised garrison found itself
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under siege by the large and powerful
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force
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santa ana's forces found themselves
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under fierce fire from the defenders
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however they drew even closer under the
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cover of an artillery barrage crockett
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and his men proved to be a formidable
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enemy
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he lit his soldiers into the four
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positions which the mexican soldiers had
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established in nearby huts
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through close fighting and the support
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of grapeshop from within the alamo they
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drove the enemy from the forward
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positions
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davey was involved in another
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temporarily successful counter-attack
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despite the best efforts of the
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defenders they were doomed
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with their pleas for reinforcements
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mostly ignored it was only a matter of
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time
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after a 13-day fight and after santa ana
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ordered the advance the battle of the
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alamo lasted a mere 90 minutes
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crockett was killed in the battle
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some claimed that he was killed in a
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heroic last stand while another version
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holds that he surrendered to the mexican
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troops and was executed either way davey
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died that day and his corpse was burned
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alongside the other defenders of the
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position
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the exact burial spot for his ashes
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remains unknown
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as the main celebrity casualty of the
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siege crockett became an icon of the
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successful struggle for texan
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independence
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the figure of davey in his trademark
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coonskin cap a fashion choice often
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adopted by frontier hunters such as
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crockett was emulated by impressionable
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american children for more than a
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century
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the legend of crockett as the ultimate
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rugged frontier settler has a powerful
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hold on the national psyche davy grew up
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on the frontier and hunted so there was
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a grain of truth to that image
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however he was also a clever man who
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carefully cultivated that image to reap
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the rewards in politics and business
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thus it is more than fitting that
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crockett died struggling to expand the
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vast american frontier while helping to
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create the lone star state
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nonetheless the dramatic manner of the
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congressman's death powerfully
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solidified his posthumous reputation
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to learn more about davy crockett check
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out our book
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davey crockett a captivating guide to
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the american folk hero who fought in the
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war of 1812 and the texas revolution
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it's available as an e-book paperback
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and audiobook
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also grab your free mythology bundle
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ebook while it's still available all
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links are in the description
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