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Common Man: Early Years in Politics, 1821-1827
| 1816 | Franklin County's 32nd Militia regiment elects Crockett a lieutenant. He marries widow Elizabeth Patton. He explores the Alabama Territory and battles a serious case of malaria. |
| 1817 | Crockett is elected to a position of justice of the peace in Lawrence County, Tennessee. |
| 1818 | Crockett is elected to the position of colonel in the Lawrence County-based 57th Regiment of Militia. He serves as town commissioner of Lawrenceburg. |
| 1820 | Crockett expresses interest in running for elected office. |
| 1821 | Crockett is elected to the Tennessee State Legislature in Nashville. |
| 1823 | Crockett is reelected to the Tennessee State Legislature. |
| 1824 | Crockett completes his term in the Tennessee State Legislature. Andrew Jackson loses the presidential election to John Quincy Adams. |
| 1825 | Crockett is defeated for a seat in the United States House of Representatives to Colonel Adam Alexander. |
| 1826 | Crockett survives a Mississippi River boat wreck. |
| 1827 | Crockett is elected to the United States House of Representatives in the 20th Congress |
Student Reading
In 1815, Crockett suffered his greatest loss when his wife, Polly, died. He invited his younger brother's family to live with him for a while in order to help raise his three children. Crockett, however, soon realized that he "must have another wife." He began courting Elizabeth Patton, a widow whose husband had died in the Creek Indian War. Not long after, Elizabeth Patton married Crockett, and they had three children: Robert, Rebecca and Matilda.
Restless, adventurous and seemingly always looking for a piece of better land for himself and his family, Crockett went on a number of excursions into the forest. In 1817, Crockett was appointed as a justice of the peace for Lawrence County, Tennessee. He soon set his political sights on a seat in the Tennessee legislature.
A master storyteller and entertainer, Crockett chose a campaign strategy during the summer of 1821 that was simple and direct: speak for a short time, "tell a laughable story, and quit." Crockett won the election and set out to represent his constituency in a trustworthy manner.
In his first term in the state legislature, Crockett supported legislation that was designed to protect the rights of poor "squatters" against taxes and state claims to their lands. He campaigned for reelection in 1823 and won, thanks in part to his backwoods technique of offering voters twists of tobacco and drinks of liquor.
Crockett entered the national political arena in 1825 but lost the congressional election. Off the campaign trail, he became a famous hunter in the western Tennessee region, which was rich in deer, elk, wolf, turkey and bear. He claimed to have killed 58 bears during the fall and winter of 1825-1826 and another 47 during the early spring of 1826. A year later, Crockett ran again for Congress and won.
Watch this video clip from The History Channel's Boone and Crockett: The Hunter Heroes. Write down at least one fact you learn that is not included in the Student Reading. How does the documentary bring Crockett's campaign tactics to life?
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