When he was 13, Davy Crockett attacked a school bully. Afraid of his father's punishment, he ran away from home. Over the next two and a half years, he did odd jobs, learned woodsman skills, and traveled around in 3 states. When he finally returned home, his family couldn't recognize him.
David Crockett was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is commonly known as the "King of the Wild Frontier."
He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the Texas Revolution.
Crockett grew up in East Tennessee, where he gained a reputation for hunting and storytelling. He was made a colonel in the militia of Lawrence County, Tennessee, and was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821.
In 1827, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he vehemently opposed many of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, especially the Indian Removal Act. Crockett's opposition to Jackson's policies led to his defeat in the 1831 elections.
He was re-elected in 1833, then narrowly lost in 1835, prompting his angry departure to Texas (then the Mexican state of Tejas) shortly thereafter.
In early 1836, he took part in the Texas Revolution and was likely executed at the Battle of the Alamo after being captured by the Mexican Army.
Walt Disney helped too!
Crockett’s death at the Alamo secured his place as an antebellum American hero, but it was Walt Disney who brought his legend into the 20th century.
In 1954, Disney released the first of five Davy Crockett television series starring actor Fess Parker. The series and a subsequent film were both hugely successful, triggering a renewed fascination with Crockett and a massive demand for frontier-themed children’s toys. At the height of Crockett-mania, coonskin caps were selling at a rate of 5,000 per day.
Crockett’s life was not just about politics and warfare. He was also a skilled hunter. He claimed to have killed 105 bears during seven months from 1825 to 1826.
Bear flesh and pelts were highly profitable items at the time, as were the oils yielded by their fat. Crockett and his family often relied on bear meat to last through the winter.
Crockett’s life was filled with adventure and danger. He nearly died in a boating accident while transporting 30,000 staves (the boards with which barrels are constructed) that he planned on selling in New Orleans.
The shoddy vessels proved impossible to steer and one carrying Crockett ran into a mass of driftwood and began to capsize, with
Crockett is trapped below deck. His mates on the other boat pulled him out through a small opening, and a traveling merchant rescued them all the next day.
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