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David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend
"Winner! 2010 Independent Publishers Award for Regional Non-Fiction!"
Countering the widespread historical persona of David Crockett as little more than a coonskin-capped, buckskin-clad frontier hero, this remarkable biography chronicles his life in politics, revealing him instead as an inveterate entrepreneur, advocate for the poor, and career politician with a talent for hardball campaigning. Through a careful review of his letters, speeches, and political circulars, this provocative and insightful examination provides a unique, long-ignored perspective on the man behind the legend and corrects inaccurate portrayals perpetuated by previous works, most notably James A. Shackford's landmark 1956 biography. Following his political rise from justice of the peace and magistrate to two-term representative in the Tennessee State Legislature and three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, this account fully documents the elections of 1829, 1831, 1833, and 1835 and details the progress of both the Tennessee Land Bill (1829-1830) and the Indian Removal Bill (1830). A truly exceptional volume, this exploration offers an alternative context for one of American history's most important figures and evaluates the political objectives for which he constantly strove.
Countering the widespread historical persona of David Crockett as little more than a coonskin-capped, buckskin-clad frontier hero, this remarkable biography chronicles his life in politics, revealing him instead as an inveterate entrepreneur, advocate for the poor, and career politician with a talent for hardball campaigning. Through a careful review of his letters, speeches, and political circulars, this provocative and insightful examination provides a unique, long-ignored perspective on the man behind the legend and corrects inaccurate portrayals perpetuated by previous works, most notably James A. Shackford's landmark 1956 biography. Following his political rise from justice of the peace and magistrate to two-term representative in the Tennessee State Legislature and three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, this account fully documents the elections of 1829, 1831, 1833, and 1835 and details the progress of both the Tennessee Land Bill (1829-1830) and the Indian Removal Bill (1830). A truly exceptional volume, this exploration offers an alternative context for one of American history's most important figures and evaluates the political objectives for which he constantly strove.
- GenresHistoryAmerican History
340 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
3 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
James R. Boylston
1 bookAuthor of "David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend," Jim Boylston has had a life-long interest in the Alamo and David Crockett and has contributed important articles to The Alamo Journal and the Crockett Chronicle.
A songwriter and sound engineer, he lives in Orlando, FL.
A songwriter and sound engineer, he lives in Orlando, FL.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 12, 2010
“David Crockett in Congress”, The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man’s Friend
By James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener
Bright Sky Press
336 pages including index
As a reviewer for Our History Project I have the opportunity to read a lot of historical based books, and conduct interviews with the authors of those I like. Every couple of month or so, I get my hands on a stellar book that stands out from the crowd and it means just a little more than the rest. “David Crockett in Congress” is one of those books.
When I first received the book from the publisher, I wondered how many books they had sent me because of the weight of the package. To my surprise it was just the one, I quickly turned the pages and resigned myself to the upcoming long task of starting this book that was filled from cover to cover with text dotted with a few photos. It truly looked like a reference book and it honestly took me a week to muster up the courage to start it. I finally opened it and began reading in earnest.
I must admit I have always been a Crockett fan and I was truly shocked when my wife told me it was time for bed. Wow, four hours had just flown by. I have now given you my thoughts before and during this review now let’s get to the meat of the book.
A study into the legend, the myth and the man of Davy Crockett was what I was expecting. To learn more about this giant figure of the past.... I did! However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much here that it would take a novel to recap the highlights. Let me just say you will get a personal look at Crockett and the inner workings of government at a time when we as a nation was really trying to find our way. You will see personal insights of most of the big names in our history such as Jackson, Polk, Clay and Van Buren just to name a small handful of the players here.
The great thing on a study like this is that you are not relying on the authors’ take, tale or opinion to draw a conclusion of the book in question. They are continually helped out by the man himself; in his own words. From the stump we see the humor; from the floor we see the strength, leverage, skill and determination. From the letters you will find the true Crockett, his compassion, his vision, his morals and his beliefs. In essence what you get is the legend that you thought you knew, firmly cemented in history as the real deal and a true felling that you knew Davy personally. This book will go down in all time as the best book on Crockett ever written or complied and I can honestly say that this book will be the reference for many future Crockett researchers for generations to come.
The only negative I can find in this book is the Title. I thought it strange reading “David” Crockett, because he has always been “Davy” during my life. Remember what I said in the last paragraph, I know him personally now and you can to, I’ll introduce you. So, you can call him by his given name if you want to; it is formally correct; but he will always be Davy to me.
Happy Reading
Craig Anderson
Our History Project
By James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener
Bright Sky Press
336 pages including index
As a reviewer for Our History Project I have the opportunity to read a lot of historical based books, and conduct interviews with the authors of those I like. Every couple of month or so, I get my hands on a stellar book that stands out from the crowd and it means just a little more than the rest. “David Crockett in Congress” is one of those books.
When I first received the book from the publisher, I wondered how many books they had sent me because of the weight of the package. To my surprise it was just the one, I quickly turned the pages and resigned myself to the upcoming long task of starting this book that was filled from cover to cover with text dotted with a few photos. It truly looked like a reference book and it honestly took me a week to muster up the courage to start it. I finally opened it and began reading in earnest.
I must admit I have always been a Crockett fan and I was truly shocked when my wife told me it was time for bed. Wow, four hours had just flown by. I have now given you my thoughts before and during this review now let’s get to the meat of the book.
A study into the legend, the myth and the man of Davy Crockett was what I was expecting. To learn more about this giant figure of the past.... I did! However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much here that it would take a novel to recap the highlights. Let me just say you will get a personal look at Crockett and the inner workings of government at a time when we as a nation was really trying to find our way. You will see personal insights of most of the big names in our history such as Jackson, Polk, Clay and Van Buren just to name a small handful of the players here.
The great thing on a study like this is that you are not relying on the authors’ take, tale or opinion to draw a conclusion of the book in question. They are continually helped out by the man himself; in his own words. From the stump we see the humor; from the floor we see the strength, leverage, skill and determination. From the letters you will find the true Crockett, his compassion, his vision, his morals and his beliefs. In essence what you get is the legend that you thought you knew, firmly cemented in history as the real deal and a true felling that you knew Davy personally. This book will go down in all time as the best book on Crockett ever written or complied and I can honestly say that this book will be the reference for many future Crockett researchers for generations to come.
The only negative I can find in this book is the Title. I thought it strange reading “David” Crockett, because he has always been “Davy” during my life. Remember what I said in the last paragraph, I know him personally now and you can to, I’ll introduce you. So, you can call him by his given name if you want to; it is formally correct; but he will always be Davy to me.
Happy Reading
Craig Anderson
Our History Project
October 20, 2016
Luckily I have just finished a year of AP World history class which kindled my interest in historical events and how things came to be. If there’s one thing in history that holds true, it’s that there are always more stories to learn and details to uncover. This in depth look at David Crockett is no exception.
The collection of correspondence, speeches and circulars delves deep into the life of one significant, lessor known political figure but widely recognized name. David “Davy” Crockett is well known for his coonskin cap, talents in trapping wild game and is commonly identified as the “King of the Wild Frontier”. However, as I recently learned from the authors Bolyston and Weiner, he was much more than that. As a renowned politician, David Crockett was heavily involved in government and amassed a significant following. Over his career, he influenced many people and tackled an impressive list of civic duties including serving 3 terms in the US House of Representatives. From this book I learned that he was opposed to the Indian removal act which was Andrew Jackson’s mission to move Indians through the ‘Trail of Tears’. Crockett’s most important political objective was to secure land for the poor and be their voice. He stood up for justice even if it wasn’t popular. The book includes many personal correspondence that reveal Crockett’s perspective: “I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog.” The interesting part about his political life is that it parallels closely with the current political race. Throughout many of the letters and summaries, I learned how Crockett’s adversaries attempted to assail his character and undermine his political position. You could easily interchange Davy Crockett and Andrew Jackson for other opposing political figures of the last few centuries or today.
This book includes images of significant historical documents and photographs including the earliest known image of Davy Crockett and some missing correspondence that had never been in print before this book. With his personal letters, I could see that Crockett had nice penmanship and wrote many correspondence relating to land deals, politics and even ordinary issues. Also, it was surprising to me that he died at the Alamo, trying to defend Texas from the Mexican army.
I would recommend this book to fans of American history, especially anyone focused on Native American Indians, politics in the early 19th century, the Texas Revolution and American government. It is worth reading to discover more about a childhood figure and legend. I rated this book 4 stars because it was interesting but dense and in many sections took a long time to read. If you enjoy nonfiction, history books, you will appreciate this anthology on Davy Crockett.
Cameron H, age 15, Mensa South by Southwest
The collection of correspondence, speeches and circulars delves deep into the life of one significant, lessor known political figure but widely recognized name. David “Davy” Crockett is well known for his coonskin cap, talents in trapping wild game and is commonly identified as the “King of the Wild Frontier”. However, as I recently learned from the authors Bolyston and Weiner, he was much more than that. As a renowned politician, David Crockett was heavily involved in government and amassed a significant following. Over his career, he influenced many people and tackled an impressive list of civic duties including serving 3 terms in the US House of Representatives. From this book I learned that he was opposed to the Indian removal act which was Andrew Jackson’s mission to move Indians through the ‘Trail of Tears’. Crockett’s most important political objective was to secure land for the poor and be their voice. He stood up for justice even if it wasn’t popular. The book includes many personal correspondence that reveal Crockett’s perspective: “I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog.” The interesting part about his political life is that it parallels closely with the current political race. Throughout many of the letters and summaries, I learned how Crockett’s adversaries attempted to assail his character and undermine his political position. You could easily interchange Davy Crockett and Andrew Jackson for other opposing political figures of the last few centuries or today.
This book includes images of significant historical documents and photographs including the earliest known image of Davy Crockett and some missing correspondence that had never been in print before this book. With his personal letters, I could see that Crockett had nice penmanship and wrote many correspondence relating to land deals, politics and even ordinary issues. Also, it was surprising to me that he died at the Alamo, trying to defend Texas from the Mexican army.
I would recommend this book to fans of American history, especially anyone focused on Native American Indians, politics in the early 19th century, the Texas Revolution and American government. It is worth reading to discover more about a childhood figure and legend. I rated this book 4 stars because it was interesting but dense and in many sections took a long time to read. If you enjoy nonfiction, history books, you will appreciate this anthology on Davy Crockett.
Cameron H, age 15, Mensa South by Southwest
March 23, 2010
THE MOST IMPORTANT CROCKETT BOOK IN FIFTY YEARS!
When this book arrived, I was shocked at the size. I'm not sure how I pictured it, but I wasn't expecting a deluxe hardcover the size of a big city phonebook!
Then I read it, and had still another revelation. You see, folks, this is no ordinary history book. It's a landmark in Crockett literature. Bottom line? This is the most important Crockett book to appear in over fifty years. I know, because aside from a handful of juvenile biographies and storybooks, I've read them all.
Why is it so important? First, it provides a wealth of new scholarship regarding an vital and long overlooked period of Crockett's life. And second, it introduces us to the real David Crockett in a way never before possible - in his own words.
"Wait!" you say. "Didn't Crockett write an autobiography?" Yes he did, sort of. And it's a fine read. But he had help. It's not pure Crockett, and it's not always as factual as historians would like.
That autobiography was published in 1834, and for the next 122 years, biographers just rehashed the same information. James Atkins Shackford changed all that in 1956, with David Crockett: The Man and the Legend, opening up acres of new territory in Crockett's life. Most important of these was Crockett's political career. But while Shackford's work on that period was groundbreaking, it left me wanting more. I kept expecting someone to dig into the original sources Shackford only alluded to and give us the whole story.
That's what James Boylston and Allen Wiener have done, and the result is far more than I'd hoped for. The back half of the book delivers all the poop from those original sources - letters, circulars, newspaper articles, and the congressional record. Much of this stuff is in Crockett's own unvarnished words (complete with lack of punctuation), taking us closer to the real man than we've ever been.
The first half of the book puts that information in context, taking us step-by-step through Crockett's career in Congress. Boylston and Wiener introduce us to all the major players, both friend and foe, and give us a firm grounding in the issues of the day, allowing us to understand what Crockett was up against, and appreciate what his actions revealed about his character.
This is not the Davy we saw on the Disney show. This is the real guy, and we get to know him warts and all. The Crockett that emerges is a different kind of hero, the one hinted at in the book's subtitle. Whatever troubles came his way (and they were many), Crockett never lost sight of his ideals, and truly was "the Poor Man's Friend".
When this book arrived, I was shocked at the size. I'm not sure how I pictured it, but I wasn't expecting a deluxe hardcover the size of a big city phonebook!
Then I read it, and had still another revelation. You see, folks, this is no ordinary history book. It's a landmark in Crockett literature. Bottom line? This is the most important Crockett book to appear in over fifty years. I know, because aside from a handful of juvenile biographies and storybooks, I've read them all.
Why is it so important? First, it provides a wealth of new scholarship regarding an vital and long overlooked period of Crockett's life. And second, it introduces us to the real David Crockett in a way never before possible - in his own words.
"Wait!" you say. "Didn't Crockett write an autobiography?" Yes he did, sort of. And it's a fine read. But he had help. It's not pure Crockett, and it's not always as factual as historians would like.
That autobiography was published in 1834, and for the next 122 years, biographers just rehashed the same information. James Atkins Shackford changed all that in 1956, with David Crockett: The Man and the Legend, opening up acres of new territory in Crockett's life. Most important of these was Crockett's political career. But while Shackford's work on that period was groundbreaking, it left me wanting more. I kept expecting someone to dig into the original sources Shackford only alluded to and give us the whole story.
That's what James Boylston and Allen Wiener have done, and the result is far more than I'd hoped for. The back half of the book delivers all the poop from those original sources - letters, circulars, newspaper articles, and the congressional record. Much of this stuff is in Crockett's own unvarnished words (complete with lack of punctuation), taking us closer to the real man than we've ever been.
The first half of the book puts that information in context, taking us step-by-step through Crockett's career in Congress. Boylston and Wiener introduce us to all the major players, both friend and foe, and give us a firm grounding in the issues of the day, allowing us to understand what Crockett was up against, and appreciate what his actions revealed about his character.
This is not the Davy we saw on the Disney show. This is the real guy, and we get to know him warts and all. The Crockett that emerges is a different kind of hero, the one hinted at in the book's subtitle. Whatever troubles came his way (and they were many), Crockett never lost sight of his ideals, and truly was "the Poor Man's Friend".
October 21, 2020
"He went off to Congress to serve a spell, fixin' up the government and laws as well...." (line from "Ballad Of Davy Crockett"). No he didn't. As a Congressman, Crockett was hopelessly inept. Yet despite that, there was a movement afoot to run him as a Presidential candidate in 1836.
What we have here is a rather weighty tome - coffee-table sized - and weighing more than most books! Inside what you get is: a brief, but interesting, Crockett biography, followed by letters from Crockett and to Crockett, Crockett speeches and Crockett political circulars. And, in the middle are a goodly number of interesting illustrations, most of them portraits of Crockett that most people haven't seen.
Most of Crockett's time in Congress was spent fighting over a Tennessee land bill and its discussion takes up many pages - and it doesn't exactly make for exciting reading. However, Crockett thought of himself as a friend of the poor man and wanted to insure that his constituents -most of whom were poor - got the land they had settled on. And his other pet project - if you wish to call it that - was centered around the resettlement of the Cherokee Indians in one of the more disgraceful acts our government ever saw fit to engage in. At least that is a bit more interesting reading!
And coming into opposition against President Andrew Jackson, Crockett was a marked man who, after a couple of terms in Congress, was sent packing, only to rebound in the next election, then he lost again and went to Texas after telling everyone they could go to Hell.
Overall, this is a fascinating look at Crockett's political career, but it does take a while to read! For some reason, Goodreads thinks I've read it twice - I've only read it once!
What we have here is a rather weighty tome - coffee-table sized - and weighing more than most books! Inside what you get is: a brief, but interesting, Crockett biography, followed by letters from Crockett and to Crockett, Crockett speeches and Crockett political circulars. And, in the middle are a goodly number of interesting illustrations, most of them portraits of Crockett that most people haven't seen.
Most of Crockett's time in Congress was spent fighting over a Tennessee land bill and its discussion takes up many pages - and it doesn't exactly make for exciting reading. However, Crockett thought of himself as a friend of the poor man and wanted to insure that his constituents -most of whom were poor - got the land they had settled on. And his other pet project - if you wish to call it that - was centered around the resettlement of the Cherokee Indians in one of the more disgraceful acts our government ever saw fit to engage in. At least that is a bit more interesting reading!
And coming into opposition against President Andrew Jackson, Crockett was a marked man who, after a couple of terms in Congress, was sent packing, only to rebound in the next election, then he lost again and went to Texas after telling everyone they could go to Hell.
Overall, this is a fascinating look at Crockett's political career, but it does take a while to read! For some reason, Goodreads thinks I've read it twice - I've only read it once!
June 20, 2013
It is a rare glimpse of David Crockett as a man and politician rather than the King of the Wild Frontier. Still Crockett's obsession with land and squatting makes for some dense reading. Not for the faint of heart!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews