Early life

David Crockett was born on August 17, 1786, in eastern Tennessee. His father operated a mill for processing grain. After a spring flood washed away the mill, the family opened a tavern. But they continued to struggle. When Crockett was 12 his father hired him out as a farmhand. The boy did various jobs, including driving livestock. At 15 he was nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and very strong. Borrowing an employer's rifle, Crockett became an excellent hunter.

Career

By 1810 Crockett was living in middle Tennessee, near the Alabama border. Crockett volunteered for service in the War of 1812. By 1814 he had made a name for himself as a scout.

Crockett returned home in 1815. To support his wife and children he operated mills and a distillery. He was also elected colonel of the state militia, a citizen fighting force. In 1821 Crockett ran for the Tennessee legislature. Although he had little schooling, his down-to-earth manner and service in the armed forces won him the vote. He served two terms in the state assembly and later served three terms in the U.S. Congress. His political speeches peppered with stories and homey phrases, he soon earned a national reputation as a folksy lawmaker.

In 1835 Texas, which was then part of Mexico, began a war for independence, and Crockett went west to help in the fight. Joining the rebel Texans at the Alamo in 1836, Crockett was among those who fiercely defended the fort. Outnumbered and out of ammunition, the men lost their lives on March 6, 1836, in the struggle against the Mexican army. Crockett died a hero and thus his place in history—and legend—was secure.