David Crockett
David Crockett, or "Davy" Crockett as most know him, is a personified lesson in courage. Although not educated (he could not read or write), he helped change the world for the better by his strong principles coupled with courage. Many people have a good heart, but having a good heart is of little use to society unless it eases the burdens of others. As a small boy, his father farmed him out in servitude to pay off a debt. David not only did this, but discovering another huge debt of his poor father's, he worked it off as well to the astonishment of his unsuspecting father. This last bout of servitude would take him six months. A great deal of success is defined by perseverance. Determined to marry, he told the father of his bride to be that he would marry his daughter whether he approved or not (the mother did not approve, but was later won over). He explained to the future father in law to be, that he had already secured the necessary minister before the bride's father caved in. It is not surprising that he volunteered to serve in the militia. With the respect of his men, he was elected colonel. He served under General Andrew Jackson, namely Jackson's right hand man, Brigadier General John Coffee. Not being one to ever scare of a fight, he decided to run for the Tennessee legislature despite formidable erudite and educated opponents. Being a careful student of people, he would beat his political opponents by giving short stump speeches (knowing the populace tired of long winded political siloloquoys) filled with relatable humor and common sense anecdotes. He was elected to Congress and bravely fought against the principles of President Andrew Jackson, despite it being what others considered political suicide. He strongly believed there was unaccoutability in how the nation's money was spent and he deeply opposed Jackson's Indian Removal Act. This cost him his last congressional election. Not one to wallow in defeat or remain unproductive, he headed to Texas in the name of freedom to help American settlers defend their land against Mexico. He bravely died at the Alamo. The key is that he loved people. He always fought for the little man (with legislation to help poor settlers secure their land titles) in the Tennessee State House and in Congress. In his autobiography republished in 1923 by Charles Scribner's Sons, some of his life mantras are laid out for posterity:
1. "If a man is only determined to go ahead, the more kicks he receives in his breech the faster he will get on his journey." (Davy lost his life savings when a flood took out his grist mill as he went off to serve in the legislature. This did not stop him from performing his duties or remaining committed to his constituents, despite his state of being destitute.)
2. His patience with politics: "No man who has not tried it can imagine what dreadful hard work it is to listen. Splitting gum logs in the dog days is child's play to it. I've tried both and give preference to the gum logs." (For a man who lived to hunt bears, and had killed over 500 of them, it was quite a sacrifice for him to trade this in for the tedious job of governing.)
3. His bone chilling thoughts on the Declaration of Independence: "That the sacred instrument may never be trampled on by the children of those who have freely shed their blood to establish it, is the sincere wish of David Crockett." (May we all, who benefit from the blood shed by those brave heroes like Davy Crockett, always do our best to defend the Constitution and the rights and protections it affords all men.)
It is well known that Davy Crockett inspired others by his principles. For him, it was always a matter of doing what was right, no matter the cost. He once said, "I will be no man's man, and no party's man, other than to be the people's faithful representative." It is good to celebrate and remember the life of David Crockett. He did not limit his bravery to the wild frontier. He exercised his limitless courage to do as much good as he could for others.