Sail Away with Davy Crockett!
An Artifact Study

Developed by the education team at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Artifacts can help us understand the past, when we study them carefully. Look carefully at the pictures to the right. Think about the questions that go with the pictures. Discuss and write down your answers in the space provided. The pictures are of two artifacts from the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, the figurehead from the clipper ship David Crockett and a model of the ship. These artifacts tell part of the story of Davy Crockett's legacy.

Who
There have been many "Davy Crocketts". People today may think of him as the main character in popular movies, but Davy Crockett was larger than life even before the days of motion pictures. The real David Crockett was born in Tennessee in 1786 and served as a Congressman. Since his death at the Alamo in 1836, many images of Davy have appeared. Some pictured Davy as a wild and rugged hunter, a champion of the people, a hero, or a brave frontiersman. This artifact is one artist's way of portraying Davy Crockett. Look carefully at the images of the artifact to explore how this artist portrayed Davy Crockett.

Questions
1. Which features of the Davy Crockett figurehead do you think stand out? Why?
2. What emotions do you think the artist wanted to portray?
3. Who is this Davy Crockett? Is he a wild and rugged hunter, a champion of the people, a hero, a brave frontiersman?

What
This artifact was the figurehead for a clipper ship named David Crockett. All artifacts share one thing in common - they are made by people. Asking questions about the physical features of an artifact can help us understand how and why it was made.

Questions
1. What materials do you think the artist used to make this artifact?
2. What tools do you think the artist used to shape the materials?
3. How large do you think this artifact is?
4. What objects did the artist choose to include with Davy? Why do you think these items were chosen?

When
The clipper ship David Crockett sailed from 1853-1899. During this time, Americans continued to settle the western frontier of Kansas and Nebraska and beyond. Settling of the frontier was regarded as a brave and heroic endeavor. Some even considered it America's Manifest Destiny to expand all the way to the Pacific coast.

Questions
1. How is the figurehead dressed?
2. When do you think people dressed in this manner?
3. Why do you think Americans in the late 1800s would want to celebrate a hero such as Davy Crockett?

Where
The first clipper ships were designed and built in the United States in the mid-1800s. American designers often placed a figurehead on the ship, but the tradition of placing a figurehead on a ship goes back a very long time.

Questions
1. Where on a ship was the figurehead placed?
2. What does this placement say about the purpose of a figurehead?
3. Where would you place a figurehead if your were a ship designer?

Why
The oldest known figureheads (those used by the Vikings) always featured supernatural creatures or gods, which the Vikings believed would protect the ship. They placed the figure's eyes forward to guide the ship and watch for danger. Later, mermaids and mythological maidens became popular figureheads on European ships. American ship designers in the 1800s continued this tradition, sometimes by using mythological characters or figures associated with the New World.

Questions
1. Why do you think people in the late 1800s continued to place figureheads on their ships?
2. How does Davy Crockett compare to characters traditionally used as figureheads?
3. Why do you think Davy Crockett was chosen as a figurehead for an American ship?
4. What figurehead would you use today to symbolize your country?