This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected.
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This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. For more than 150 years, the story of David Crockett has captured our imaginations and inspired us to celebrate his image in song, story, and cinema. here to tell the story of Davy Crockett, is Roger McGrath, author of Gunfighters, Hahuman, and Vigilantes. And he's also a frequent contributor on the History Channel documentaries and a regular contributor here on Our American Stories.
Take it away, McGrath. One of the truly iconic figures of the American frontier is David Crockett. He was a legend in his own lifetime.
Now he certainly had tales spun about him that were hyperbolic or entirely fictional. But that was only because his real life rise from backwoodsman to congressman and his extraordinary adventures were heroic and quintessentially American. Yeah. He stood as a symbol of the new American, the man of the West and the future of the new republic. He lived at the dawn of the age called manifest destiny.
The time of an expanding America that is moving west. Crockett is born just 10 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in a log cabin in Greene County, Tennessee. On August 17th, September 1786. David Crockett is a third generation frontiersman. and becomes the fifth of John and Rebecca Crockett's nine children.
David's father, John, is one of the famous over mountain men who fights in the pivotal American victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. But while he is away fighting during the American Revolution, John's parents are slaughtered by Cherokee. who ally themselves with the British. take advantage of the war to raid and pillage. One of John's brothers is badly wounded in the attack and left for dead.
And another is taken captive by the Cherokee and made a slave for 17 years.
Okay. Born into this rugged, patriotic environment of pioneering mountain folk, Davy learns marksmanship at a young age. Both for hunting and for protection against marauding Indians. Here's Crockett biographer Buddy Levy. Crockett came from a tradition of woodsmen, and he would have learned from his father and his uncles how to hunt.
He learned how to track. He learned how to identify sign, scat, broken twigs. He also learned rough and tumble fighting from his older brothers. Here's historians Stephen Hardin and David Eisenbach. Crockett's a jokester.
He's remarkably funny. Yeah. He's affable. People like him.
Well, Tennessee at the time was still the American frontier. You got wild animals, you got fights, and it was in this world where there's no kind of solid established law that David Crockett, you know, begins the process of becoming the myth. By the time Davey is 12, His father bounds him out to a perfect stranger to travel 400 miles on foot in a cattle drive to the eastern seaboard with no arrangements for his eventual return home. Three months of intensive labor pass before Davey travels alone. in snow and on foot.
back to his mountain home. where his family runs a tavern. But Davey is in for a surprise. His parents' decide he will benefit from formal schooling. He isn't thrilled with Confinement in a classroom.
But his father is paying for it.
So Davy accepts the inevitable. I went four days and had just begun to learn my letters a little. When I had an unfortunate fallen out with a boy much larger and older than myself. Davy Crockett. David begins playing hookie from school.
But after a week the schoolmaster contacts John Crockett. Davy now thinks he'll be whipped. By both the schoolmaster and his own father. My father told me he would whip me if I didn't start immediately to the school. Finding me rather too slow about starting, he gathered about a two-year-old hickory stick and broke after me.
I put out with all my might, and soon we were both up to our top speed. But mind me, not on the schoolhouse road, for I was trying to get as far t'other way as possible. Davy Crockett, 1834. Davy doesn't stop running and is soon on another cattle drive. to the eastern seaboard.
For the next two years, he has more adventures than most people have in a lifetime. David returns home. just shy of his 15th birthday. Here's Crockett historians Gary Foreman and Paul Hutton. David has well reached the age of puberty.
And his growth is enormous. He has grown several inches. He's changed his features. And he is now a young man. He's no longer the little boy that ran away from home.
When Davey got back, To the tavern. It was nighttime and the evening meal was being served to the herders and teamsters. He moved unannounced into the tavern and sat down amidst the other men.
So he got inside the tavern, sat amongst the other travelers at the same table with the family. Finally. One of his sisters, looked at him, recognized his features, and discovered she had just found her long lost brother David. for dear life is constant struggle, and the family farm bankrupts the Crocketts. In order to pay his debts, Davy's father is forced to make a difficult decision.
Here's criminology professor Arnett Gaston and Stephen Hardin. Thank you, Crockett. He comes what is known as a bound boy. It's really a form of indentured service to pay off a debt. It was slightly above being a slave.
This had a significant impact on Karakat. Mm-hmm. We shouldn't as modern people. Judge John Crockett too harshly. The role of children in the early 19th century was vastly different than it is now.
And you've been listening to the story of Davy Crockett. And what a story indeed. Born in 1786, Tennessee frontiersman father. one of nine kids, and his father fought in the Revolutionary War. and as was so well said there, Can't judge people out of their times.
Don't judge the father too harshly. The role of children was different in the 18th century than it is today. When we come back, more of the story of Davy Crockett. Here on Our American Stories. Here at Our American Stories, we bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith, and love.
Stories from a great and beautiful country that need to be told. But we can't do it without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love our stories in America like we do, please go to ouramericanstories.com and click the donate button. Give a little.
Give a lot. Help us keep the great American stories coming. That's ouramericanstories.com. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S.
and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. In Working Forest Across America, professionals like Kit are committed to planting more trees than they harvest.
Planting more trees than we harvest is important because it ensures our sustainability. Learn more at WorkingForestInitiative.com. This is Ashley Aikeneti from the Ben and Ashley Eye Almost Hamless podcast. Ben, I've been reflecting a lot lately on how many big life moments our listeners have experienced with us. Yeah, it's pretty wild.
They've watched us go from dating shows to engagements, weddings, babies, buying homes. Every stage comes with new decisions. But the planning. Is where things get real. That's why Klarna stands out.
Klarna gives people smarter tools to help manage everyday money with flexible ways to pay, cash back that builds automatically, everything in one place, and support that makes everyday decisions feel less overwhelming. Since life moves so fast, the right tools can help you feel more confident. Download the Klarna app today or visit Klarna.com to learn more. California resident loans made or arranged pursuant to a California finance law license, NMLS number 1353190, Klarna balance account required to be eligible for cashback points. Limitations, terms, and conditions apply.
Your first sip should do more than simply start the day. Choose Vital Proteins Marine Collagen Peptides, sourced from Wild Cot Cog. With collagen peptides to help support healthy hair, skin, nails, bones, and joints. It's a simple way to add daily support to what you're already enjoying.
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These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. And we continue with our American stories. We last left off with Davy Crockett. paying off his father's debts by becoming an indentured servant. Let's pick up from there.
Here again is Roger McGrath. After a year of grueling work, Paying off his father's debts to Abraham Wilson and John Kennedy. Davy does something for himself. He understands he needs at least the rudiments of an education. And coincidentally, Kennedy's son runs a school.
TV strikes a deal. He works for the son two days a week in return for four days a week of schooling. for six months. That's the only education Crockett ever had. But in that time, he says, I learned how to read, I learned how to write, and I learned how to cipher.
With just six months of formal schooling, Young Crockett's real education. comes from the frontier itself. His skill with his rifle becomes his trademark. His reputation begins to grow, but evidently not enough to win himself a girl.
Now Davy tried to make his own way. And he was consumed, as young men often are. with thoughts of finding a wife. He courted. a young lady named Margaret Elder.
and took out a marriage license. But she jilted him at the altar. and broke his heart. Then, at a dance in 1806, he meets the beautiful Mary Polly Finlay. He courts her for several months and they fall in love.
Polly's mother is initially impressed by the young man. but soon is trying to dissuade her daughter from marrying him. This David Crockett is recklessly adventurous. Polly deserves a settled man with property. It becomes a battle.
Between Crockett and Mrs. Finley. Finally, Davy simply rides up to the Finlay house with a wedding party consisting of relatives, friends, and a minister in tow. and says he has come for Polly. William Finlay convinces his wife to step outside and talk with Crockett.
She surprises everyone. by apologizing to her daughter's suitor for the way she has treated him, and invites the wedding party into the Finlay home. The two are married. Davius turning twenty. and Polly is 18.
Crockett feels blessed. As he puts it, He has his own horse and his own rifle. and now his own wife. says Crockett. I needed nothing more in the whole world.
Crockett rents property near the Finlays. and goes to work establishing a farm. Children come quickly. A son in eighteen seven. Another son in 189.
and the daughter in 1812. By the time his daughter is born, the family has moved farther west twice, and Crockett becomes a land owner rather than a renter. Here's Crockett from his 1834 autobiography. I found that farming wasn't what it was cracked up to be. It was therefore more necessary that I should hunt to get along.
In eighteen twelve, War with Britain erupts again. and the trans-Appalachian country is in the thick of it. not fighting British troops, but fighting their Indian allies. The creeks are especially troublesome. The majority of them support the British and become known as the Red Sticks.
A minority, the White Sticks, support the Americans. Mm-hmm. Receiving arms, trading goods, and occasionally military advisers from the British. The Red Stick Creeks begin raiding outlying American settlements. The creek attack that caused Crockett and other Tennessee boys to volunteer for service.
Occurs on August 30th, 1813, at Fort Mims, about 40 miles north of today's Mobile, Alabama. The so-called fort was not much more than a palisade of logs around the homestead of Samuel Mims. With the Red Stick Creeks on the warpath, American settlers and peaceful Indians crowd into the fort for protection. By late August, The number of people inside the fort reaches 500. Militia men.
accounting for about half.
Okay. Mm-hmm. At noon. on the 30th of August. Upwards of a thousand Creek warriors assault the fort.
and finally set it ablaze. where everyone inside is forced to flee into the open. The creature grabs small children by the ankles and swinging them through the air dash out their brains and logs. Men, women and children are scalped and dismembered. Pregnant women have their bellies split open and their fetuses ripped out.
said one witness. The fearful shrieks of women and children put to death in ways as horrible as Indian barbarity could invent. could be heard a half mile off. About three dozen Americans escaped.
Some mortally wounded. Their descriptions of what the Creeks have done were reverberate across the frontier. Remember Fort Mims. becomes a rallying cry. Tennessee Legislature.
authorizes the raising of an army of militiamen. Andrew Jackson is named the Army's commander. At the time. Jackson is recovering from a severe wound suffered in a duel. No, he's too weak.
To get up from his bed, he accepts the appointment. saying you'll have an army on the march in nine days. Immediately issues a call for Tennesseans to volunteer for duty. Although Polly cries and begs David to stay home, He is one of the first to answer Jackson's call. Here's Crockett.
Premise autobiography. and Stephen Hardin. If every man waited For his wife to be willing for him to go to war. We'd all be killed in our homes. Mm-hmm.
These are the people who murdered his grandparents. These are the people who forced Crockett to leave a loving wife. and family.
Now we have David Crockett the the soldier for the first time in his life. When Crockett joined the militia, He was perfect to chase rogue creeks and got to observe how they move through landscape. It was something that he in fact emulated. As the army moves southward, Crockett is put in command of a small party of men and is sent out on a scouting mission to find the Creek Indians. Among the volunteers, Davy is Very popular.
He is known to be honest. One man's account called David The merriest of the merry, keeping the camp alive. with his jokes and stories. During the harsh winter, David spends his own money to buy blankets for the soldiers. In just two weeks, Crockett finds them, penetrating deep into Creek country.
This gives Jackson all the information he needs to attack. In the early morning hours on November 3, 1813, Crockett, and 900 other Tennessee militia. under the immediate command of John Coffey. Race ahead and surround the creek village. Uh Tawaloosa Hatchie.
There are dozens of cabins there. With more than 200 well-armed Creek warriors in them. Coffee has his volunteers encircle the village and then sends a portion of his force in a feint at the center cabins. The trap works. and the Red Stick Creek warriors are all killed.
while 84 women and children are taken prisoner. One of the children. A 10-month-old boy orphaned by the fight. is about to be killed by squaws when the troops intervene. He is carried to Andrew Jackson, who takes him into his tent.
and coaxes him to drink a mixture of brown sugar and water. The boy becomes Andrew Jackson Jr. Yeah. And you've been listening to Roger McGrath tell the story of Davy Crockett. And what a story indeed, how he becomes a military man, following in his father's footsteps.
His father, again, had fought in the Revolutionary War at a time when the country needed him. And here was Davy Crockett.
Well, doing what Andrew Jackson wished more men would do. He scouted and tracked down that village. And then the Tennessee militiamen did their work. and killing all of the creek warriors. and taking the women and children hostage.
Not doing the same thing that the Creeks had done to the women and children of the villages that Jackson was fighting on behalf of. When we come back, more of the story of Davy Crockett. Here on Our American Stories. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S.
and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. In working forests across America, professionals are committed to planting more trees than they harvest.
People like Kit help us fulfill our mission and keep our working force healthy. Planting more trees than we harvest is important because it ensures our sustainability. Growing trees sustainably and maintaining biodiversity is a long-term commitment. We're growing trees for 30, 40, 50 years. Learn more at WorkingForceInitiative.com.
This is Ashley Aikeneti from the Ben and Ashley Eye Almost Samus podcast. Ben, I've been reflecting a lot lately on how many big life moments our listeners have experienced with us. Yeah, it's pretty wild. They've watched us go from dating shows to engagements, weddings, babies, buying homes. Every stage comes with new decisions.
But the planning. Is where things get real. That's why Klarna stands out. Klarna gives people smarter tools to help manage everyday money with flexible ways to pay, cash back that builds automatically, everything in one place, and support that makes everyday decisions feel less overwhelming. Since life moves so fast, the right tools can help you feel more confident.
Download the Klarna app today or visit Klarna.com to learn more. California resident loans made or arranged pursuant to a California finance law license, NMLS number 1353190, Klarna balance account required to be eligible for cashback points. Limitations, terms, and conditions apply. Your first sip should do more than simply start the day. Elevate your scoop with vital proteins, collagen, peptides advanced.
Featuring collagen plus hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, it helps support healthy hair, skin, nails, bones, and joints. Adding extra wellness support to your daily routine.
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These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. And we continue with our American stories and with the story of David Crockett. We last left off with Crockett and the Tennessee militia battling against the British-backed Red Stick Creek Warriors. in the War of 1812. Let's pick up where we last left off.
Here again is Roger McGrath. Uh The War of 1812 is over in March of eighteen fifteen. After a treaty is signed. recognizing the military stalemate. Crockett returns to his family.
and home in the back woods of Tennessee. but his bliss is short lived. No sooner had he returned home Then Polly died. She had been fine after the birth of their third child, Margaret. But she soon took ill.
and passed on rapidly. The baby was devastated. Crockett forges on as a widower, and a year later marries Elizabeth Patton. a widow with two small children of her own. She lost her husband in the Creek War.
Crockett will father three children with her. He moves west again in 1817. through Lawrence County, Tennessee. And at the same time, he began his political career. First is magistrate.
Later is colonel of the local militia regiment. Thus, The title Colonel Crockett. And soon he began to think about running for the state legislature. Crockett's reputation as a frontiersman and soldier. Make him a standout candidate.
He becomes the voice of laborers, tradesmen, pioneers, and farmers, those building America into the powerhouse it's becoming. His campaign style is simple. one that involves whiskey drinking and laughable storytelling. It's hot as blazes out here. I bet you all are thirsty.
We need to wet our whistle. Here's historian, David Eisenbach. I hope I get your vote. You got my vote? Yes, sir.
Good. David Crockett was a politician. The Frontiersman was part of his image-making campaign in order to get elected to a population that did not want to hear from the old-time politicians. When Crockett's elected to the United States Congress, But he arrives in Washington. and still takes the floor of the house pretty much dressed in his buckskins.
In 1821, He's elected to the Tennessee General Assembly. and re-elected in 1823. He is elected, in a landslide, to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1826 and re-elected in 1828. David Crockett looms huge in the notion of what the American frontier was.
He became a symbol of possibility. of hope. that the common man could actually rise to great heights. A man with six months' education ends up in the halls of Congress. It's a uniquely American story.
Andrew Jackson becomes President in eighteen twenty nine. And the year after he signs the Indian Removal Act, which Crockett did not To Jackson's dismay, opposes. With Crockett running for re-election, Jackson backs his opponent, William Fitzgerald. who immediately begins running a smear campaign against Crockett's character. At a campaign stop in northwest Tennessee, Crockett confronts Fitzgerald.
When Crockett and Fitzgerald arrived for one of their co-stump speeches, Crockett stood up and strode toward the stage. and said, you know, if you continue with these casting aspersions, I'm going to give you a country caning. Fitzgerald leveled his pistol at Crockett's chest and said, take one more step, and it'll be your last. The event with William Fitzgerald and the pistol was devastating to Crockett. He had run part of his campaign on his courage, and here he was publicly slinking away in front of someone.
It was kind of an assault to his manhood. After a brutal campaign, Crockett loses a stunning upset. In his reelection bid in 1830. When Crockett lost his bid for Congress, he sort of slung home with his tail between his legs. He was now broke.
arriving to find out that his wife had also left him and he was living alone. It was a very low, low point in his life. Yeah. That is until a play opens on April 25th. 1831 in New York City.
One of the things that revitalized Crockett and his career was the creation of this play called The Lion of the West. At the beginning, Crockett was sort of offended by this. He felt like he was being made fun of, but as it turned out, The play actually made him an international celebrity. When Crockett loses his election bid for a fourth term in 1834. He starts thinking about moving to the Mexican-held territory of Texas.
Pioneers looking for cheap land stream across modern day Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. into a new frontier full of opportunity. By 1836, 30,000 Americans have moved to Texas. David Crockett is one of them. By the time the 49-year-old Crockett reaches Memphis, Some thirty like-minded friends have joined him.
The night before they cross the Mississippi, a celebration is held in his honor. Bar hopping. finally takes the revelers to Neil McCool's. They hoist a whiskey-filled crocket up on a counter. He stands up.
surveys the crowd and says You may all go to hell. I'm going to Texas. Here's historian Donald Frazier. The Texians were essentially the Anglo settlers. in Mexican, Texas.
These guys were coming to Texas in order to make Texas into A New America. Like the United States, Mexico is a new country. It has recently won independence from Spain. One of the heroes of Mexico's war against Spain, is General Santana. He is now elected the Mexican president.
bit by bit the ruthless Santana who promotes himself as the Napoleon of the West. seizes more power. He raises taxes, takes away freedoms.
Now the angry Texians They're calling for revolution. They want independence from Mexico. In response, Santa Ana sends 500 troops to confiscate weapons from the Americans. When the Texans refused to surrender their guns, Santana makes plans to retaliate. What began as a fresh start in Texas.
is now a call to arms. Commander of the Texian Army. General Sam Houston. Dispatches Crockett and his companions to a garrison where the Texian soldiers recently expelled Mexican troops, seizing control of the former Spanish mission.
now a military fortress called the Alamo. located in San Antonio. They arrive at the Avano on February 8, 1836. And you've been listening to Roger McGrath tell the story of Davy Crockett. We're lucky to have him.
We're honored to have him. What a professor he was for so many years out on the West Coast. Any students lucky enough to have studied under him and Greg Hengler did, well, they'll be happy to hear his voice on our national show telling stories about this country. Cal State, Northridge, UCLA, Pepperdine. That's where Dr.
Roger McGrath taught. And again, we've all had those teachers who brought history to life, and they're a blessing, and we need more of them now than ever here in this great country. Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. When we come back, more of the story of Davey Crockett. Here on Our American Stories.
Fought single-handed through the Injun War, Till the Creeks was whipped. And peace was in store, And while he was handling this risky chore. Made yourself a legend forevermore. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S.
and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. In working forests across America, professionals are committed to planting more trees than they harvest.
People like Kit help us fulfill our mission and keep our working force healthy. Planting more trees than we harvest is important because it ensures our sustainability. Growing trees sustainably and maintaining biodiversity is a long-term commitment. We're growing trees for 30, 40, 50 years. Learn more at WorkingforceInitiative.com.
This is Ashley Aikeneti from the Ben and Ashley Eye Almost Famous podcast. Ben, I've been reflecting a lot lately on how many big life moments our listeners have experienced with us. Yeah, it's pretty wild. They've watched us go from dating shows to engagements, weddings, babies buying homes. Every stage comes with new decisions.
But the planning. Is where things get real. That's why Klarna stands out. Klarna gives people smarter tools to help manage everyday money with flexible ways to pay, cash back that builds automatically, everything in one place, and support that makes everyday decisions feel less overwhelming. Since life moves so fast, the right tools can help you feel more confident.
Download the Klarna app today or visit Klarna.com to learn more. California resident loans made or arranged pursuant to a California finance law license, NMLS number 1353190, Klarna balance account required to be eligible for cashback points. Limitations, terms, and conditions apply. Your first sip should do more than simply start the day. Elevate your scoop with Vital Proteins, Collagen, Peptides Advanced.
Featuring collagen plus hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, it helps support healthy hair, skin, nails, bones, and joints. Adding extra wellness support to your daily routine so your wellness stays effortless wherever the day takes you. Vital Protein, stay vital. Visit vitalproteins.com to get started. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. And we continue with our American stories and the story of Davy Crockett. Let's pick up where we last left off with the arrival of Davy Crockett and his fellow soldiers. the Alamo on February 8th. Y'all halt right there and state your business.
We're volunteers from the United States, here to fight for the Republic of Texas. Open the gates up. Wouldn't Travis who is in command of the Texas Regulars. gets word of an advancing Mexican army. Here's Crockett from his autobiography.
Take note. When this war is won, And Texas has achieved her independence? These people are gonna need a strong leader. And I intend to give them what they need. On February 22nd, the San Antonians celebrate George Washington's birthday.
dancing and eating tamales and enchiladas. Would Crockett and those stationed inside the walls of the Alamo. including numerous women and children. Don't know. is that an enraged Santa Ana and his army of nearly two thousand soldiers, will arrive the following day and surround the Alamo.
If you're going to teach these Texans a lesson, You need to teach them that lesson. at the Alamo.
So the first thing he does is try to scare them. Raises a black flag of no quarter. The black flag means none of you will be spared. And he sets his guns up. in strategic position.
to begin bombarding the Alama. Several different times during the siege, the sharp shooting of Crockett and his Tennesseans. are instrumental in driving back the Mexicans. Crockett is living up to his reputation. What people need to understand about the Battle of the Alama.
is that it is a siege. And this battle. lasted thirteen days. After one of the battles, William Travis writes, The Honorable David Crockett was seen at all points animating the men to do their duty. Colonel William Travis, 1836.
March 5th, 1836 starving, sleep deprived, and outnumbered more than ten to one. TV Crockett. and some 190 Texians. refused to surrender, and prepared to fight to the death. Here's the author of Lone Survivor.
Retired U. S. Navy Serial. Marcus Luttrell. Man, there's a thing that happens when death's at the door.
Most people don't know when the Reaper is going to show up, right? You just kind of. Hopefully you die in peace or you die quickly. When you see the Reaper standing outside the door and you know he's coming in here for us, World is kind of lends perspective in that moment. What was important, what's not important.
Who I wish I would have talked to. Man, it's a hell of a thing to... to go through that. Doors. Musket.
Okay. Santa Anna is relentless. accepting heavy losses to breach the fortress. On the morning of March 6th, He launches a massive assault. Uh So he was willing to send a political message.
both to the United States and to the people of Mexico. using the blood of his men. as the ink. for this missing. According to Susannah Dickinson, who was there throughout the siege.
and as one of the non-combatants crowded into Alamos Chapel, Crockett steps into the chapel and says a prayer before joining his Tennesseans defending the south wall. Crockett and all the Tennessee boys. fire their rifles until out of ammunition. And then use those rifles as clubs. Here's retired U.S.
Army General David Petraeus. Davy Crockett did what Many American patriots have done, and that is decide to stay and fight for a cause in the face of an attacking enemy. And it speaks volumes about him and about his character. After ninety minutes of furious fighting, It's over. The Mexican army takes the Alamo.
All of the fort's defenders are killed. As we passed through the enclosed ground in front of the church, I saw heaps of dead and dying. 182 Texans and 1,600 Mexicans were killed. I recognized Colonel Crockett lying dead and mutilated between the church and the two-story barrack building. and even remember seeing his peculiar cap.
lying by his side. Susannah Dickerson, Alamo Survival, 1836. There are approximately 25 different accounts. of how Crockett darted the Alamo. There's no way to know.
Because There are no credible witnesses to it. All I can tell you is Crockett became a Texas icon by dying here. He was actually only in Texas two months. before he met his death at the Alamos. From the smoking ruins of Bialamo, A nation will soon learn that Davey Crockett gave his life defending Texas and the American dream.
General Sam Houston calls on Texans to avenge Crockett's death. And Remember the Alamo. becomes their rallying cry. Hundreds of angry Texans are drawn to the cause of independence. In a little over a month, On April 21, 1836, Sam Houston and his troops defeat Mexican forces and capture Santa Ana.
gaining their independence. Nine years later, Texas will become the 28th. US State. Davy Crockett may well have perished at the Alamo. But the crocket of legend has just begun.
The Crockett Legend. easily transfers from stage to motion pictures. where he is always featured. as the hero, and always in a coonskin cap. On the night of December 15, nineteen fifty four.
America's first ever television miniseries begins airing on Wednesday night at 7.30 p.m. Forty million people. almost one-fourth of all American television sets. Glow with a black and white image of a young Texan named Fess Parker. starring as Davy Crockett on ABC.
And now, Walt Disney. It's characteristic of American folklore that most of our favorite legends and fables are based on the lives of real men. like Davy Crockett of Tennessee. Born on a mountaintop in tennis. And the show's theme song, The Ballad of Davy Crockett, becomes number one on the music charts for months.
Killed him a bar when he was only three. Davey, Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. Walt Disney creates a new series called Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. It's positioned perfectly because America is still in the post- War era. It believes strongly in patriotism.
and along comes Davy Crockett. another effort to rekindle the light of the hero. that people have forgotten for so many years. And it's with this timing. that Crockett emerges again as a monumental hero in America's past.
And he Does it in such a way that he captures the imagination of a whole television crowd? that remembers him as as Coonskin Caps and a host of other kitsch in pop culture. In America, the Crockett craze certainly took off with the first episode.
Well, everyone was really taken aback and unaware. They didn't have any marketing ready like they would today. It was just something that had to be developed after the fact, but quite soon we had little boys and girls running around in coonskin caps and full buckskins, rifle trying to hunt bear just like Davey Crockett did, trying to talk like Fess Parker did. But others may do. With imagination and a good stick, and they played out the Battle of the Alamo in backyards all across America.
Uh Of course, more often than not, Davy Crockett won his last battle. because historical fact was pretty irrelevant. to toddlers in America. Davy Crockett. has had a remarkable afterlife.
growing to proportions. that no one at the time of his death could have ever imagined. New Crocketts have been created. meeting the needs of new generations of Americans. And I think it's safe to say than Davey Crockett.
will always live in the American heart. At least so long. as Americans cherish. decency and freedom. And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Engler and Dr.
Roger McGrath. And what a story this was. Let's face it, the story of Crockett, even up to 1828, would have been complete. Starts with nothing, six months of education, and he rises to the halls of Congress. But that's the beginning of the story, what happens in the Battle of the Alamo.
thirteen days and it was a siege, not a battle.
Well, this told you everything about the man and his character, as General Petraeus noted. He stayed and he fought. 90 minutes of furious fighting in the end. And not long after, nine years later. Texas became America's 28th state.
The story of Davy Crockett. Story of Texas and America. Here on Our American Stories. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S.
and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's getreal about skincancer.com. I'm U.
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or death. Before you get on the road for your next road trip, Please put your phones on silent. and take a mental note. to focus on driving. Paid for by Nitza.
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