Davy Crockett

David Crockett, also known as Davy Crockett was born to John and Rebecca Hawkins Crockett on August 17, 1786 in a cabin near Limestone, eastern Tennessee. Hailing from a modest background, Davy never really felt the urge or passion for education. When his father forced him to go to school at 13, he found himself away from the responsibilities of family pressure as a result of fear of revenge or punishment after ending up in a quarrel with classmates. His interest rather lied in hunting that had eagerly fascinated him to insist going on hunting with his older brothers and learning to shoot with a rifle at the age of eight.

Soon Davy started to wander as a woodsman for the next three years, however returned home as he turned sixteen to help his father pay off his debt to John Kennedy.

Davy was a renowned American Frontiersman, bear hunter, sharpshooter, soldier and legislator and hence became a folk hero with long spread folk tales. Crockett had earned his folk legend title as a result of the exaggerated context that had developed as a proceeding to his reputation as a Frontiersman. Later, he managed to use these exaggerations and the popularity as its outcome, as a means of publicity to acquire votes during his political campaigns.

Anyway, his passion for hunting, or as a stunt to portray it so as to keep up with his image to gain attention, was evidently seen from the coon-skin hat he had fondly made a part of his usual attire. By 1813, Crockett had joined the United States army and was posted under Andrew Jackson (who later became the President of the United States of America). His military career started off with a massacre of Creek Indians as a revenge to their attacks in the southeast. Crockett served the army till 1821 and later moved to take on his role as an active legislator representing Tennessee in the US Congress from 1827 to 1831 and from 1833 to 1835; prior to his position in the Congress, Davy had progressively looked after Tennessee's legislature affairs from 1821 to 1822 and from 1823 to 1824.

Prior to his death in 1836, Davy published his famous autobiography titled "A Narrative of life of David Crockett of the state of Tennessee"in 1834. Interestingly, Davy joined the National Republican party and opposed President Andrew Jackson and his policies, most notably his resistance against the Indian Removal Act.

Following his loss in Congress election as result of his opposition to President Andrew, Crockett moved to the state of Texas with his second wife Elizabeth Patton, a widow he had married in 1815 after the death of his first wife, to take part in defending Texas against Mexicans. He along with 200 fellow Texas volunteers tried to defend Texas against thousands of Mexican soldiers under the command of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna; however the Texans could only put up a wall of defence for 13 days before being washed out and hence David Crockett died on March 6, 1836.

David Crockett is known as 'King of Wild Frontier' for his reputation as a valiant hero. His famous quotes include "Always be sure you are right, then go ahead"as published in almanacs.

His masonic apron, that he left with the Weakly Lodge in Tennessee before leaving for Texas serves as a reminder to his association with Freemasonry that he had adopted while serving in the US House of Representatives. Notable public memorandums after him include a 5 cent stamp issued by the US Postal Service in 1967 and his statue at Lawranceburg, Public Square.

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