 Most people think about Davy Crockett as a down-home country hick who was a great hunter,
 but most people do not know of his accomplishments.  Crockett was a dedicated, emotional,
 and inspirational man and stood up for what he believed in even though it may cost him
 greatly.  I will show you that David Crockett was not just a country hick, but a respected
 man of his time who furthered the understanding of dedication to one's purpose. John C.
 Crockett, an Irish soldier who was discharged from the Revolutionary War in 1783 and
 Rebecca Hawkins Crockett of Maryland conceived a child named David Crockett.  This historic
 birth took place on August 17, 1786 in Greene County, Tennessee.  David, or "Davy" was
 fifth of six sons in the family, which also included three daughters.  The family had
 little money to its name, and the only wage brought into the house was by their father. 
 John Crockett set up a tavern near the Knoxville Railroad  The family became so poor that
 they were forced to sell Davy as a worker to a Dutchman who traveled throughout the state. 
 Davy was determined not to be controlled by someone else and thus rebelled, escaping his
 Dutch overseer and returned home to start his education at age 12.  Davy was very
 unsuccessful with his education as he was expelled from his school only four days into the
 year for fighting with other kids constantly.  Eager to start over and afraid of his
 father's temper, David Crockett left Tennessee to begin a new life.  Crockett possessed no
 sense of direction, wandering around the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland
 for more than 3 years.  He was employed as many things like a teamster or an apprentice
 hatter.  Finding no great success in these jobs either, he returned home in 1803.  Upon
 returning home, he found his family situation at home had not changed.  His father was
 still well in debt to many people.  Crockett stayed at home for about half a year and
 helped his father pay off all of his outstanding debts.  In 1805, Davy Crockett married
 Polly Findlay, a girl from his town.  He rented a small farm in Greene County for 15$ and
 used the dowry of two cows and their calves that he received from Polly to start this farm.
  Crockett had always been a poor farmer as he was more interested in hunting and scouting. 
 He spent most of his time doing this rather than attempting to maintain his farm.  It was
 widely known that Crockett was an excellent marksman and a great hunter as well.  When the
 War of 1812 came about, Crockett took it upon himself to serve his time in the army, as he
 wished to avenge the deaths of his Grandparents who were killed by Creek Indians.  During
 this time period, Andrew Jackson presided over the United States and controlled the Army. 
 Soon after Crockett was finished with the war, his beloved wife Polly died in 1815. 
 Crockett soon married again.  After moving to a small town called Shoal Creek, Crockett was
 appointed magistrate although he lacked a formal education.  Crockett was often referred to
 as the "nature boy."  His humor and common sense approach towards politics won the people's
 respect.  Shoal Creek was soon merged into Giles County and the Legislature of Tennessee
 appointed Crockett the county justice of the peace.  This sudden rise in Crockett's
 popularity and respect was only a "stepping-stone" for his success.  Davy Crockett had now
 become one of the pillars of the community.  Crockett, although at first reluctant to
 become a political figure, was now excelling in the one thing he thought he could not do:
 politics.  In 1819, Crockett was elected Colonel of Tennessee Militia.  The beginning of
 Crockett's political career is parallel to the early political careers of Andrew Jackson
 and Sam Houston who both became very powerful political figures.  Both Jackson and Houston
 had become Colonel of Tennessee Militia at one time.  Crockett still lacked the confidence
 he needed to become a successful political figure.  This was soon changed by a dare he took
 up from a friend to run for a position in the state legislature.  Lacking confidence in
 himself until the final moment, Davy Crockett was elected to the state legislature by a
 landslide in 1821.  Crockett was the first in his family to become financially successful,
 or moderately successful at least.  He now believed in himself and his abilities and began
 to prosper because of this.  Crockett was now determined to succeed.  He had come so far
 already, and still set his sights on something higher.  There was no more self-doubt for
 Crockett.  Crockett now possessed the confidence he needed, although he was not prepared
 for a larger position.  He was highly successful in his role in local politics, but when he
 was dared to run for the United States Congress, he was laughed out of the race and
 "humiliatingly trounced."  Determined once again to succeed in what he believed in, he ran
 again for Congress in 1826, this time better prepared for what was to come.  To his own
 surprise, he won by supporting the "pro-Jackson sentiment," although he was not to fond of
 Andrew Jackson himself or his ideas.  Crockett began to understand the game of national
 politics.  Sometimes, one had to sell themselves out to win another day.  In Washington, he
 was immediately given the respect he deserved.  The well-educated representatives saw
 Crockett as the epitome of democracy: the elevation of the common man, from rustic ruffian
 to respected politician.  Once again, through determination and dedication, Crockett
 achieved something higher than his expectations.  The support he gave for President Jackson
 was one of the major factors that helped him get into Congress.  Crockett served in the
 20th and 21st sessions of Congress, which took place from 1827-1831.  During this time,
 Crockett's dislike for Andrew Jackson furthered, and Crockett began to express these
 feelings more.  This fact became painfully obvious when Crockett voted against a favorite
 Jackson initiative, the Removal Act of 1830.  The Removal Act of 1830 basically demanded
 that all Indian tribes east of the Mississippi river move to new lands west of that river. 
 Crockett saw this act as unjust and unconstitutional, thus he voted against it.  For this,
 Crockett was not elected to Congress for the third session.  Crockett was then re-elected
 again in 1832, after a couple years of struggling.  People saw his very eccentric, but
 honest personality and character that led them to believe that he would be impartial and
 fair about every problem he faced.  In 1834, Davy Crockett ventured on his famous "tour of
 the North."  The tour of the North was a slew of speaking conventions in various states
 such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston where he would express his new ideas.
  It was here that he gained much more support from the people.  Before, most people knew
 Crockett as the folksy politician.  Now they knew what he stood for and how he was, which
 helped him significantly.  It was then that they could give him their support, because they
 understood what HE stood for.  It was also at this time that Crockett had dreams of running
 for the presidency.  Even at this time, Crockett was still looking to further himself and
 his position.  Crockett had already achieved far more than he had hoped and yet still
 craved more success.  This inspirational and emotional drive of Crockett's was what helped
 him succeed.  Crockett had many supporters but Andrew Jackson and his Tennessee "machine"
 of supporters would outweigh Davy.  Jackson initiated the largest campaign of criticism on
 Crockett that the presidential race had ever seen.  Crockett lost the election in 1834, but
 he knew he would much before that time.  With this defeat, Crockett decided to lay back for
 a while.  He left Tennessee and headed for Texas.  Texas at this time, had become more than
 90% American, thus there were plans of rebelling and making Texas another part of the
 United States.  General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna lead an army of Mexicans into a place
 in Texas known as the Alamo to surmount the rebellious uprising.  Crockett was put in
 command of the Texan Militia.  The fighting went on in the Alamo from February 24 to March
 6.  During these days, Crockett fought long and hard, and was never touched.  Finally, on
 March 6th, Crockett was severely wounded in the head by a saber.  This injury should have
 ended Crockett's life, as there was a huge gash in his forehead.  Yet still, injured but
 determined, Crockett returned to fight in the Alamo and fought hard until he had exhausted
 all of his ammunition.  It was then that he and five others were the only soldiers taken
 alive by the Mexicans.  They were executed before nightfall and their bodies were burned. 
 Crockett's courage and determination inspired other Texans to fight for their cause as
 well, even though the Mexicans had won.  Legends of Davy Crockett killing more than 300
 Mexicans in one day led Texans to believe that there was a cause and hope to be fought for.
  Soon enough, Sam Houston would win a significant victory over the Mexicans at San Jacinto,
 which granted Texas its independence.  Texas was granted US statehood in 1845. In
 conclusion, Most people think about Davy Crockett as a down-home country hick who was a
 great hunter, but most people do not know of his accomplishments.  Crockett was a
 dedicated, emotional, and inspirational man and stood up for what he believed in even
 though it may have cost him greatly.  Crockett accomplished more in one lifetime than many
 of us could in 3.  He surmounted poverty, stood up for what he believed in despite his poor
 favor, and fought courageously in a battle bound to be lost.  Crockett, in my opinion, is
 one of the most unsung heroes in history.  Despite what most people think about him, he was
 one of the most successful, emotional, and inspirational people of his time.
