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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 21, 2011 7:59:55 GMT -5
An op-ed piece on Crockett, written by Jim and I, appears in today's Nashville Tennessean; an early 225th birthday present to the man: tinyurl.com/3gykqe9 |
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Post by Hiram on Jul 21, 2011 12:44:08 GMT -5
Allen,
Thanks for posting the link; a well-written piece on the political philosophy of Crockett. Kudos to Jim and yourself.
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Post by loucapitano on Jul 21, 2011 14:58:52 GMT -5
Allen, you and Jim did yourself proud. As you said, Crockett became the stuff of mythology after his death, but the seeds of his legend were planted years earlier. It's hard to determine whether he winked at the attention, or whether he was embarrassed by it. Somehow, I can't think a politician is ever embarased as long as they spell his name right.
But there can be no doubt that his objection to Jackson's Indian policy was a moral one against a true American tragedy that should haunt us to this day. It's unfortunate that his lonely voice could not prevail. And, just when he determines to start fresh in a new country, he chooses to stand and fall among heros.
I think it's something to cheer about. Thanks for your work on this great American Original.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 21, 2011 17:18:24 GMT -5
Thanks guys; glad you enjoyed the piece.
Lou - there's no question that Crockett was a very capable politician, a real "people person" who connected with his constituents. He liked playing the larger-than-life "Davy" for the crowds, and they enjoyed watching him do it, but they were all "in on the joke." Crockett was genuinely concerned with the lives of the people he represented and saw that as his reason for being in office. I'm sure he did not mind the publicity, but would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had translated into some money for him and more votes at the polls. As it was, he started with 2 strikes against him as a Jackson foe in Jackson's own state, where the political machine went after him with everything they had. It's actually amazing that his defeats were as close as they were, indicating that many of his constituents supported him. And, yes, the vote and speech opposing Indian Removal were sincere and heartfelt and Crockett was very proud of his position on that issue.
Allen
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Post by Bill Manuel on Jul 23, 2011 17:59:59 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing that write up. Very well done. I enjoyed reading it.
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Post by Kevin Young on Jul 23, 2011 18:50:21 GMT -5
Great article guys!
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 24, 2011 11:23:47 GMT -5
Thanks to all; glad you enjoyed it. And an early "Happy 225th" to Mr. Crockett!
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