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Loading... David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friendby James R. Boylston
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  EvanLewis | Mar 23, 2010 | 
Davy Crockett's political life has been covered in biographies, but it has never been subject to the close scrutiny it receives here. . . . This densely written analysis, with primary sources, may overwhelm all but the most ardent Crockett fan but may intrigue those wishing to study Crocket [sic] further, including advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and specialists.
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 details the progress of both the Tennessee Land Bill (1829-1830) and the Indian Removal Bill (1830). 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. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing AuthorJames R. Boylston is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing. Author ChatJames R. Boylston chatted with LibraryThing members from Jan 18, 2010 to Jan 31, 2010. Read the chat. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers 
 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)976.8History and Geography North America South Central U.S. TennesseeLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (5)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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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". (