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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ001110A
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00:07 This is quite a growing prosperous city in America's 00:11 state of Texas. San Antonio is drawing in a lot of residents 00:16 and a lot of tourists too. Mainly because of one 00:22 fascinating story. It's this place, The Alamo, which 200 00:30 Texans were defending heroically and where they all were killed 00:35 by General Santa Anna's huge Mexican army. And yet that 00:39 disaster, the battle of the Alamo inspired people to 00:43 liberate this state to create the Republic of Texas and lay 00:47 the foundations of modern America. It became quite a 00:51 legend and today we're going to get to know the most fascinating 00:56 character at that event, the legendary hero, Davy Crockett. 01:00 His story will inspire you to take on any challenges and give 01:06 you a glimpse of something even greater that could change your 01:10 life forever. 01:11 ♪ ♪ 01:38 This is where a legend was born. At this home site beside the 01:42 Nolichucky River near Limestone, Tennessee David, better known as 01:47 Davy Crockett, was born on the 17th of August 1786. Davy was 01:54 fifth of nine children born to John and Rebecca Crockett. 01:58 Davy's father, John Wesley Crockett was a veteran of the 02:03 American Revolution and fought at the battle of King's Mountain 02:06 Life in the wilderness was difficult. This replica wood 02:11 cabin with an engraved stepping stone from the original cabin 02:16 provides some idea of the challenges the Crockett's faced. 02:19 But they were a resilient, self- sufficient and independent 02:25 family. These early years were filled with adventure, travel 02:30 and hardship. Davy grew up in the hills and river valleys of 02:37 eastern Tennessee. His father taught him how to fire a rifle 02:40 and he became a crack shot. As a youngster he eagerly 02:45 accompanied his older brothers on hunting trips and mastered 02:49 the skills necessary for life on the American frontier. There was 02:56 no schooling in those early years but Davy had already 02:59 gained a reputation for story telling and marksmanship at a 03:04 young age. 03:05 ♪ Banjo Music ♪ And this is it, the first rifle 03:11 Davy owned and the very one he used to develop his marksmanship 03:14 hunting skills. He affectionately called 03:17 it Betsy. It's part of the collection at the East Tennessee 03:21 Historical Society in Knoxville. In 1796 the Crockett's built a 03:29 log tavern on the stage route between Knoxville, Tennessee and 03:32 Abingdon, Virginia. They provided food and lodging for 03:36 the wagon trains, drovers and teamsters that passed this way. 03:40 This reconstruction now stands on the original site. The 03:45 original tavern survived through until the Civil War when it was 03:50 used as a hospital and then as a hospice for victims of small 03:53 pox. The Crockett family battled to make a living here and Davy 03:59 spent his boyhood years doing household chores, assisting in 04:03 the family business and exploring the woods around the 04:06 area. At the tavern young Davy would have heard many tales told 04:11 by travelers which sparked his own desire to explore America. 04:16 It was here that Davy's father enrolled him in the local school 04:20 Well Davy's schooling lasted just four days. He got into a 04:27 fight with the school bully and gave him a real good beating. 04:31 He was afraid the teacher would punish him and so decided to 04:35 stay away from school. He would head off to school each morning 04:39 with his brothers but before getting to the school house he 04:43 meandered off into the woods to occupy himself until the school 04:47 day was over. Eventually the school master wrote a note to 04:52 his father inquiring why young David wasn't at school. 04:56 Mr. Crockett was extremely angry that his son wasn't attending 05:02 school and that the goods he'd traded to pay for his son's 05:05 education were going to waste. There was a heated argument and 05:11 the threat of heavy-handed punishment. It was all too much 05:14 for Davy and he ended up running away from home. It would be 05:18 years before he returned home again. Davy was on his own at 05:24 just 13 years of age. He was willing to try his hand at 05:28 anything to survive. He spent the next three years wandering 05:32 from town to town doing odd jobs He was plow boy on a farm, a 05:38 cleanup boy at a mill and he helped drove a herd of cattle 05:42 and team of horses to Virginia, a distance of about 600 km. 05:48 Around the time of his 16th birthday Davy returned home 05:52 unannounced and his family hardly recognized him at first. 05:56 The Crockett family was thankful to have Davy back. His father 06:01 owed money to a local farmer so Davy offered to work off the 06:06 debt. He also caught up on a little more schooling and 06:09 divided his time between school and work. He learned the basics, 06:13 to read, to write and to add and subtract. Davy fell in love with 06:20 Polly Finley and they were married on August the 16th 1806, 06:26 the day before his 20th birthday They lived for the next few 06:30 years in a small cabin near Crockett's parents. Davy and 06:34 Polly had two sons and a daughter. Davy was a skilled 06:38 hunter and trapper and was able to provide food and clothing for 06:42 his family. He traveled around the Mississippi Valley region 06:46 as a fur trader where he also became familiar with the local 06:50 native Indians and their customs In 1813 Davy became a U.S. Army 06:58 scout. Creek Indian warriors had massacred about 500 men, women 07:04 and children at Fort Mims in retaliation for white troops 07:08 attacking and killing a party of Indians while they were having a 07:12 midday meal. Like most of his friends and neighbors, Davy 07:17 Crockett set out to avenge the massacre. They attacked the 07:22 Indian town of Tallushatchee and massacred 200 men, women and 07:27 children. Davy rose to the rank of Colonel in the Indian wars 07:32 that followed where he spent most of his time working as a 07:36 scout and hunter. There were times when he would somehow 07:40 provide wild food for his whole regiment. Soon after he returned 07:46 home from the war, his wife Polly died from malaria after 07:51 giving birth to their daughter. In 1815 Davy married a widow 07:57 named Elizabeth who had enough of an inheritance of property 08:03 and cash to make Davy a wealthy man. Davy and Elizabeth had 08:07 three children of their own. The Crockett family moved to west 08:13 Tennessee in 1817 and settled in Lawrence County near the town 08:20 of Lawrenceburg. Here Davy enjoyed success in business and 08:26 politics. Along with the Crockett farm, Davy operated a 08:30 gristmill, a distillery, owned an iron ore mine and a gun 08:36 powder factory. The Crockett's businesses were located here 08:40 along the banks of Schole Creek near the beautiful Crockett 08:44 falls later named in honor of Davy Crockett. In addition to 08:49 being a family man and running these businesses, Davy was also 08:54 a justice of the peace as well as being active in politics and 08:59 military affairs. The up and coming politician set up an 09:02 office like this and became the town commissioner of 09:07 Lawrenceburg in 1818 and was elected colonel of the 57th 09:12 Militia Regiment in the county that same year. From here he 09:17 successfully ran for a seat in the Tennessee Legislature as the 09:22 representative of Lawrence County. Davy Crockett spent five 09:27 years here, one of the longest blocks of time he spent in any 09:32 one location. And a life-size bronze statue of him in 09:36 Lawrenceburg Town Square pays tribute to the backwoods 09:39 statesman and politician whose many business ventures brought 09:43 him to this community The statue bears Crockett's most famous 09:48 quote, Be sure you are right, then go ahead. Davy took a 09:55 break from politics and business and returned to his 09:59 favorite activity, hunting bears in the woods of Tennessee and 10:04 selling their pelts, meat and oil for a living. He even 10:07 claimed to have bagged 105 bears in a seven month period 10:12 during the winter of 1825-26. His love for hunting dangerous 10:19 animals and the tall stories he told about it later played a 10:24 major part in making him a frontier hero. Davy Crockett was 10:30 still an enormously popular political figure. But now his 10:34 ambitions went beyond the Tennessee State Legislature. 10:38 He set his sights on Washington and in 1827 he ran for U.S. 10:44 Congress and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives 10:46 for three terms between 1827 and 1835. His quick wit and 10:54 natural leadership abilities allowed him to move from the 10:58 humblest of settings to the halls of Congress. Crockett was 11:02 a colorful character who told far-fetched stories and wore 11:07 leather clothes with a squirrel skin hat. He became an admired 11:11 figure in Washington and was highly esteemed by his fellow 11:15 congressmen. He championed the cause of the poor land settlers 11:19 and fought to protect their rights to the land they had 11:23 worked. Even in Washington, Davy Crockett was larger than life 11:27 and was always where the action was. He was on hand and helped 11:32 foil an assassination attempt on President Andrew Jackson. 11:36 On the 30th of January 1835 the two men were part of a crowd of 11:42 lawmakers leaving the U.S. Capital after a state funeral. 11:47 As President Jackson passed near the east portico a crazed gunman 11:51 named Richard Lawrence emerged from a throng of spectators and 11:55 shot at the President with two pistols both of which 11:59 miraculously misfired. Davy Crockett bravely tackled the 12:05 would be assassin, wrestled him to the ground and disarmed him. 12:09 It was the first time someone had attempted to assassinate an 12:14 American president. But despite saving the president's life 12:19 Crockett had serious disagreements with 12:21 Andrew Jackson particularly over the president's Indian Removal 12:24 Act. Crockett fiercely opposed the president's plan to 12:31 forcibly remove the native American tribes from their 12:33 ancestral lands and relocate them somewhere else. His feud 12:39 with the president would bring about the end of his political 12:41 career. Jackson campaigned against Crockett and stood his 12:46 own candidates against him. In 1835 Crockett narrowly lost his 12:52 seat in Congress. He was bitterly disappointed and 12:56 allegedly told his constituents that they could do what they 13:00 liked but that he was leaving and going to Texas. And go to 13:06 Texas he did. With a few followers in tow he left 13:11 Tennessee and made his way to Texas and arrived here at the 13:14 Alamo on the banks of the San Antonio River on the 8th 13:16 of February 1836. The Alamo was originally a Spanish Catholic 13:23 mission and fortress built in 1718 called Mission San Antonio 13:29 de Valero. The mission was part of Spain's strategy to colonize 13:35 and maintain control over this territory. Spain established 13:39 five missions along the San Antonio River. Mission San 13:44 Antonio de Valero with its stone church, convent and houses 13:50 served as the religious, cultural and commercial center 13:53 for the region. In the early 1800s Spanish troops were 13:58 stationed here. The garrison stood in a grove of cottonwood 14:02 trees and the Spanish soldiers gave it the name El Alamo, the 14:07 Spanish word for cottonwood and to remind them of their home 14:11 town in Mexico. When Davy Crockett arrived here there was 14:16 serious trouble brewing. In the early 1800s a lot of American 14:21 settlers arrived in San Antonio and began to settle in the area. 14:26 Before long there were more Americans than Mexicans living 14:31 in Texas. In 1821 the country of Mexico won its independence from 14:37 Spain and so Texas became part of Mexico. But the Americans 14:41 living here in Texas didn't want to be part of Mexico and so 14:45 decided to break away and become an independent republic. A group 14:50 of rebellious Texans captured the Alamo and prepared to defend 14:54 it. A powerful Mexican general named de Santa Anna took control 14:59 of the government and gathered an army of several thousand to 15:03 march on Texas and take it back including the Alamo. When the 15:08 Texans heard that General Santa Anna was coming there with a 15:11 large army there was a lot of debate on what they should do. 15:15 Should they abandon the Alamo and retreat or stay and fight 15:20 and defend the fort. The head of the Texas army, General Sam 15:25 Houston wanted to retreat and abandon the fort and remove the 15:29 cannons. He said it couldn't be defended. However, James Bowie 15:32 the famous frontiersman and knife fighter, decided he would 15:38 stay, defend the fort and fight for freedom. The rest of the 15:43 soldiers also chose to stay and fight. Davy Crockett decided to 15:47 join them and defend the Alamo. He would fight for freedom. 15:52 Because of his reputation and exploits Crockett's presence was 15:56 a great morale boost to the Texans. Having Davy on their 16:00 side gave them a lot of courage. The Alamo compound was 16:06 surrounded by a wall about four meters high. Inside the fort 16:11 there was a chapel, a barracks for soldiers, a hospital room, a 16:16 large courtyard and a horse corral Cannons were placed along 16:21 the walls and on top of the buildings. Travis, James Bowie 16:25 and their men made preparations to defend the Alamo. General 16:30 Santa Anna and his troops arrived at the Alamo on February 16:35 23, 1836. They laid siege to the fort for 13 days and began to 16:41 bombard the former mission with cannon shot in an effort to 16:45 systematically destroy its protective walls and reduce them 16:50 to rubble. Then in the early morning of March 6, 1836 Santa 16:56 Anna's men launched a major attack. At first the Texans kept 17:02 them out and successfully repulsed two attacks. However 17:07 there were just too many Mexican soldiers. Santa Anna's 17:11 troops regrouped several times. They continued to attack until 17:17 they could climb the walls. The Alamo fighters then moved 17:21 further inside the mission. This allowed the Mexicans to get over 17:25 the wall. Once the Mexicans were inside they battled the Alamo 17:30 fighters hand to hand and from room to room. Some say that when 17:34 the Alamo fighters ran out of bullets Davy Crockett led them 17:38 as they wielded their guns as clubs and continued bravely 17:42 fighting inside the Alamo to the very end. The battle of the 17:48 Alamo lasted only one-and-a- half hours. Every Alamo defender 17:52 was killed. James Bowie who had been ill was killed in his bed 17:57 and Davy Crockett... Well early reports from witnesses had him 18:01 falling in battle while still wielding his rifle surrounded 18:05 by a heap of enemy corpses. Although the Texans lost the 18:12 battle, their bravery, their example inspired and galvanized 18:17 the rest of Texas against Mexico and General Santa Anna and the 18:22 time they held out during the siege, those 13 days, gave 18:27 General Sam Houston enough time to build his army so that a few 18:32 weeks later he led the Texans to victory over Santa Anna's army 18:36 and Texas won its independence becoming a republic and 18:41 eventually part of the United States of America. The story of 18:46 Davy Crockett and the Alamo soon grew into a famous legend. His 18:51 achievements made him famous in his own lifetime, but after his 18:56 death his exploits were often exaggerated to mythical 18:59 proportions. Books, stage plays, poems and songs elevated him 19:06 into the great American super hero. It was said he could wade 19:12 the Mississippi River, leap over the state of Ohio, ride on a 19:17 bolt of lightning killed a bear when he was only three and 19:20 could wrestle wild cats. Of course that was the legend, all 19:27 myth and exaggerated beyond reality. Then came movies and 19:31 television. Hollywood and Disney combined to inflate Davy 19:35 Crockett's legend even further. He was the subject of 17 movies 19:40 and 12 television series over a relatively short period of 19:46 time. There's an interesting scene of the 2004 movie The 19:50 Alamo. Davy Crockett and James Bowie are waiting for the enemy 19:54 to attack knowing they face certain death and Crockett 19:59 confesses, If it was just me, simple old David from Tennessee, 20:03 I might drop over that wall some night and take my chances 20:08 running away, but that Davy Crockett fella, they're all 20:12 watching him. Crockett realizes that he's a living legend to the 20:16 men of the Alamo. Now while he recognizes that deep down he's 20:21 just simple old David, he also knows that the soldiers identify 20:26 him with the man who rides lightning bolts wades rivers 20:31 and leaps mountains. His influence and power comes from 20:36 that association and so he's no longer free to just act any old 20:40 way he wants to because others depend on him to be more. They 20:45 look to him as a source of courage, they depend on him, 20:49 they're watching to see if he's the real deal. When I think 20:55 about the line in that movie, They're all watching, I think 20:59 about its implications for a Christian. Will I be that person 21:04 who thinks only of himself or will I take into consideration 21:09 how my actions affect others? Do we realize that others are 21:14 watching us and that what we choose and how we behave could 21:19 have a profound effect on them. Many historians credit Crockett 21:23 with boosting the morale of the defenders at the Alamo when he 21:27 arrived to support them. His presence and example encouraged 21:32 them to take a stand, to hold out for as long as they did 21:36 giving General Sam Houston the precious time needed to gather 21:41 his army, the army that would eventually defeat Santa Anna and 21:45 propel Texas to freedom and independence. You see as 21:50 Christians we are associated with someone bigger than 21:54 ourselves but he's not a legend. He's God, he's real. Sometimes 22:00 we may be tempted to drop over the wall in order to serve what 22:05 we may think are our own best interests. But we shouldn't do 22:09 it, because those who are identified with Christ never 22:14 know who is watching. We should never betray the kingdom we 22:18 represent with our own selfish actions. Others are looking at 22:22 us to see if Christianity is indeed the real deal and we can 22:28 only give courage and comfort to the extent that we live up to 22:32 the image, the image of Christ. No doubt Paul had this in mind 22:36 when he told Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 12 22:51 Jesus highlighted this same principle earlier when he spoke 22:55 about his followers being the light of the world. Here's what 22:59 he said in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 16. 23:11 And the apostle John echoed the same principle: 23:24 God asks his followers to live good and upright lives, to stand 23:30 for principle, to do what is right and honorable, to bring 23:34 light, hope, peace, truth and happiness to people around them. 23:38 God wants people to be able to clearly see the difference that 23:42 he can make in a person's life. God wants people to see first 23:47 hand the benefits that his principles bring to a society 23:51 and that's why he asks his followers to do the right thing. 23:57 Davy Crockett gives us just a tiny insight into this. He was 24:01 the provider who gave his life for freedom, but Jesus is the 24:07 great provider and he made the ultimate sacrifice, not just for 24:12 Texas, but for the whole world. He gave himself up on the cross 24:16 in order to offer freedom to every sinful, broken person on 24:21 this planet. On that cross he was laying out forgiveness. He 24:27 was taking on the results of all our sins. He was laying out 24:30 his perfect life. The cross of Christ did indeed result in 24:36 freedom in a great kingdom of independence and that freedom 24:41 can make a big impact right now. It enables broken people to 24:48 heal. It enables wounded people to feel strong and confident. 24:53 You see, Jesus does forgive sins He does wipe out the darkness of 24:59 the past. But he also offers us a new life. After that there's 25:04 something so powerful that comes out of his life given up for 25:08 each of us. We can move way out of whatever darkness, whatever 25:12 problems are putting us down. We can get into Christ's kingdom, 25:17 the kingdom of heaven. That's the independence that Jesus gave 25:21 himself up for. That's the kind of freedom he can bring us. Why 25:27 not reach out and accept that gift of freedom right now as we 25:31 pray. Dear Father, thank you for 25:36 understanding so well about the things that keep us in bondage. 25:40 Thank you for offering us an escape, a way out. We need Jesus 25:46 Christ in our lives. We need his forgiveness and also his 25:50 empowerment. We claim his strength inside our hearts. We 25:55 claim his ability to overcome every one of our obstacles 25:59 in his name, Amen. 26:04 The story of Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier and hero of 26:10 the Alamo, has captured the interest and imagination of 26:13 people all over the world. He was a man who came from humble 26:17 beginnings. He overcame many obstacles and challenges to 26:22 become a legend in his own lifetime. If you're struggling 26:27 with the burdens and challenges of life then I'd like to 26:30 recommend a free gift we have for all our viewers today. It's 26:33 a booklet called Finding Courage to Meet Life's Challenges. This 26:40 booklet is our gift to you and is absolutely free. There are no 26:44 costs or obligations whatsoever. This booklet will bring you 26:49 fresh courage and hope. In fact, it could change your life 26:53 forever. So please don't miss this wonderful opportunity to 26:59 receive the free gift we have for you today. Here's the 27:02 information you need: Phone us now on 0481315101 or 27:11 text us on 0491222999 or visit our website: 27:18 theincrediblejourney.tv to request today's free offer. 27:25 So don't delay. Contact us right now. 27:33 If you've enjoyed today's journey be sure to join us again 27:39 next week when we will share another of life's journeys 27:41 together and experience another new and thought provoking 27:46 perspective on the peace, insight, understanding and hope 27:50 that only the Bible can give us. The Incredible Journey truly is 27:55 television that changes lives. Until next week remember the 28:01 ultimate destination of life's journey. Now I saw a new 28:05 heaven and a new earth. And God will wipe away every tear from 28:09 their eyes. There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying 28:14 There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed 28:17 away. 28:19 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2020-09-16