Frontier Legends | Davy Crockett

American History Tellers

This episode of American History Tellers explores the life and legacy of Davy Crockett, a frontier legend whose rise from humble beginnings to national fame exemplifies the myth-making power of America's

Key takeaways

• Crockett's political success stemmed from embracing his authenticity rather than conforming to elite expectations.

Main topics

• Davy Crockett's political debut in 1821 Tennessee
• Frontier life and survival in early America

Notable quotes

"I'm not much of a speaker. Truth is, I reckon all I've got to say is, I'd appreciate your vote."

Conclusion

Davy Crockett's journey from frontier hunter to national icon reflects how American mythology thrives on

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. Speaker 1 (0:18) Imagine it's the summer of 1821 on the banks of the Duck River in western Tennessee. You're a local politician, and you're standing on a small makeshift stage in front of a crowd of frontier farmers, laborers, and landowners. They've just finished a competitive squirrel hunt, and now everyone is looking forward to an afternoon of dancing and eating hickory-smoked ribs. But this party has a dual purpose. It's also the unofficial launch of your run for the Tennessee state legislature. So before everyone starts eating, you and a rival candidate intend to make a few remarks. You adjust the collar of your tailored shirt and glance sideways at your opponent. He's wearing buckskin and leather breeches with a battered raccoon skin pouch slung over one shoulder. During the squirrel hunt, he was in his element, effortlessly picking off his prey with his rifle. But now, on stage before voters, he looks completely lost. You reach out to shake his hand and lean in close to him. Mr. Crockett, I admire your ambition, but I think you're about to discover that the good people of Tennessee are looking for a statesman to represent them, not a squirrel hunter. Perhaps you'd be better off addressing a gathering of woodland creatures. You notice several beads of sweat forming on his brow, and he smiles weakly. Maybe so, but of all the squirrels, bears, and wolves I've hunted, not one has expected a speech out of me. You just Speaker 3 (1:39) smile and turn to address the crowd. Speaker 1 (1:41) Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention. I know we're all eager to tuck into some fine eating, but first, my fellow candidate here and I would like to say a few words. Mr. Crockett, please, you speak first. I'm sure the voters want to hear how shooting varmints prepares a man for affairs of state. Crockett shuffles forward on the stage. Speaker 3 (2:02) Well, Speaker 1 (2:02) I'm not much of a speaker. Truth is, I reckon Speaker 3 (2:07) all I've got to say is, I'd appreciate your vote. Speaker 1 (2:11) Crockett steps back. mopping the sweat from his forehead, and the onlookers exchange awkward glances. Thank you, Mr. Crockett. That was very illuminating. But just as you're about to launch into your speech, Crockett steps forward again. Speaker 3 (2:27) Though, um, I did know a fellow who spent Speaker 1 (2:30) half a day beaten on the side of an empty cider barrel. Somebody finally asked him what in thunder he was doing, and he'd said there'd been cider in this barrel a few days earlier, and he was trying to see if there was any left. Well, it seems I'm just like that fellow with his barrel. You know, there was a little bit of a speech in me a while ago, but I reckon I can't quite get it out now. As the crowd's laughter rolls across the riverbank, you can actually see Crockett's body relax, and then he throws you a sly glance. Though I suppose beating on an empty barrel is still more useful work than most politicians, like my opponent here, can manage. You're incensed, but before you can think of a retort. Crockett hops off the stage. Well, Speaker 3 (3:13) I'm as dry as a powder horn, so if anyone wants to hear some of my tales from the backwoods, let's wet our whistles over at the liquor stand. Speaker 1 (3:22) The crowd swarms Crockett as he makes his way toward the whiskey barrels. You're left scratching your head. You'd counted on Crockett embarrassing himself. Instead, he's made you look like the fool. And as cheers from the party echo across the riverbank, one thing becomes clear. On the frontier, voters don't want a politician like you. They want someone relatable like Davy Crockett. Speaker 3 (3:49) Police in Irvine, California are investigating the double murder of a young couple in the parking lot of their apartment complex. A double homicide grabs the public's attention by the throat. We have Speaker 1 (3:58) identified Christopher Speaker 3 (3:59) Dorner as a suspect in this double homicide. A former cop and still on the loose. Considered armed and extremely dangerous. And scariest of all, he left something behind. A particular interest is a multi-page manifesto. This Speaker 2 (4:16) manifesto on Facebook is 11 pages long. Trace, Speaker 3 (4:19) this manifesto from this suspect who's targeting cops, Speaker 1 (4:22) it's stunning. Speaker 3 (4:23) Listen to the show The New Yorker calls one of the best podcasts of the summer, Dan Taberski's Manifesto. Speaker 1 (4:30) And I tell you, this manifesto, it scares the hell out of me. Speaker 3 (4:33) Listen to Dan Taberski's Manifesto wherever you get your podcasts or binge the entire series right now only with Audible. Speaker 1 (4:50) From Audible Originals, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story. On our show, we'll take you to the events, the times, and the people that shaped America and Americans. Our values, our struggles, and our dreams. We'll put you in the shoes of everyday people as history was being made. And we'll show you how the events of the times affected them, their families, and affects you now. For much of the 19th century, as American settlement pushed ever further west, the frontier captured the nation's imagination like nowhere else. It was a place of reinvention, where fortunes could be made, reputations remade, and ordinary lives transformed into something extraordinary. Among the remarkable figures who emerged from that era was the frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett. In the summer of 1821, at a community gathering in western Tennessee, Crockett launched his political career with a self-effacing speech that highlighted his image as a plain-spoken backwoods hunter. By turning his lack of polish into an advantage, Crockett won over the crowd and secured a landslide victory for a seat in the Tennessee legislature, the first step on his path to Congress and national fame. Crockett had survived a tough childhood through hunting, hard labor, and sheer self-reliance, before taking up arms to serve in the frontier militia. During his military service, he earned a reputation as a man who looked out for those who fought beside him, and later in Congress, Crockett would become a champion of the common man. But after a series of financial setbacks and political defeats, in 1835, Crockett would make the fateful decision to ride for Texas, and it was there, at the Alamo, where myth and reality collided, that Davy Crockett became a national folk hero. In this series, we'll explore five remarkable figures whose lives were shaped by the unique circumstances of westward expansion, and who in turn helped shape our national mythology about the West. This is Episode 1 of our five-part series on Frontier Legends, Davy Crockett. Speaker 1 (7:13) David Crockett was born on August 17, 1786, in the backwoods of eastern Tennessee near the Nolichucky River in what is now Greene County. He was the fifth of nine children born to John and Rebecca Crockett, part of a sprawling pioneer family where every pair of hands mattered. Crockett's parents had come west after the Revolutionary War, joining thousands of settlers who poured across the Appalachian Mountains in search of new opportunity. But life on the frontier was harsh and uncertain. At the time of Crockett's birth, Tennessee was primarily wilderness and still several years away from statehood. Small settlements clung to riverbanks and clearings separated by vast stretches of dense woods and rugged terrain. The area had long been home to the Cherokee and Muscogee Creek nations, but as poor white settlers and wealthy land speculators alike rushed in to claim the region, these indigenous groups increasingly saw their homelands threatened. This led to simmering resentment and clashes between Native Americans and settlers, violence that impacted Davy's own family. Nine years before Davy was born, his paternal grandparents had been killed in an Indian raid on their homestead in East Tennessee. During that same attack, Davy's uncle was kidnapped and would remain captive for 18 years. But despite the danger that surrounded them on the frontier, the Crockett's chose to remain in Tennessee. As a boy, Davy lived with his parents and eight siblings in a small log cabin, and the family farmed a plot of rugged land. It was a difficult existence, and Davy's father, John, struggled to keep the family fed. When crops failed, the family had to rely on foraging and hunting to survive. So from an early age, young Davy learned how to track deer through the woods, shoot wild turkey, and hunt black bears. Ammunition on the frontier was expensive, so every shot had to count. Crockett later claimed that as a boy, he learned never to fire unless he was certain he would hit his target. When Davey was seven years old, his father invested what little money the family had into building a gristmill to grind grain into flour. The mill promised steady income and a chance to escape the constant uncertainty of subsistence farming. But just before the mill opened for business, disaster struck. Torrential rains burst in nearby Rivers Banks, and the floodwaters tore through the Crockett property, destroying both the mill and the family home. Forced to start over, the family relocated to nearby Jefferson County, where Davy's father John opened a tavern along a busy wagon road that ran from Knoxville, Tennessee to Abingdon, Virginia. But business was slow when the family's debts mounted. Desperate for cash, John decided to hire 12-year-old Davy out to a cattle drover named Jacob Seiler. Over the course of several weeks, Davey helped Seidler drive hundreds of cattle to Virginia on foot across brutal frontier landscape, enduring rain, mud, and knee-deep snow. When the 400-mile cattle drive finally ended, Davey expected to return home to Tennessee, but Seidler kept postponing the journey back. Days turned into weeks, and young Davey Crockett began to fear he might never see his family again. Speaker 1 (10:24) Imagine it's winter 1798. You're driving your wagon through Natural Bridge, Virginia. The road is already turning to slush beneath your wagon wheels, and you see snow clouds gathering low over the mountains. If the storm breaks before you reach the next boarding house, you'll face a frigid night sleeping in the wagon, so you're eager to make progress. But as you round a bend, you see a group of boys playing, rolling a hoop beside the road. As you pass them, you hear a shout. and you turn to see one of the boys is running alongside you. You can't be more than 13. Speaker 3 (10:56) Sir, mister, please wait, I need help. Speaker 1 (10:59) Pull lightly on the reins and slow your wagon to a stop. Look, young fellow, there's a storm coming in, and I need to get these horses to a stable. You best get inside yourself. You lift the reins, but before you can get the horses moving, the boy speaks again. You wouldn't be Mr. Dunn by any chance. That I am. Who are you? My name's Davy Crockett, son of John Crockett. He owns a tavern on the Knoxville-Abingdon Road. I believe you know it. You study the boy's face for a moment, and then you recognize him. You've stayed at that tavern many times. Well, I'll be little Davy Crockett. What are you doing so far from home? Mr. Dunn, I need help.