1 00:00:11,566 --> 00:00:15,526 Previously on "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.." 2 00:00:15,570 --> 00:00:18,570 Lewis and Clark achieve the impossible.. 3 00:00:20,488 --> 00:00:21,968 ...reaching the Pacific.. 4 00:00:25,319 --> 00:00:27,449 ...claiming new land for the US.. 5 00:00:29,497 --> 00:00:31,497 ...and infuriating Great Britain. 6 00:00:34,937 --> 00:00:36,497 By 1812.. 7 00:00:37,766 --> 00:00:38,806 [clamoring] 8 00:00:40,639 --> 00:00:43,209 ...the frontier is again a battleground.. 9 00:00:43,250 --> 00:00:45,300 [grunting] 10 00:00:45,339 --> 00:00:47,649 ...and America's survival.. 11 00:00:48,995 --> 00:00:50,645 ...is once more in peril. 12 00:00:52,129 --> 00:00:53,089 [grunting] 13 00:00:55,306 --> 00:00:57,786 [Zayde Wolf singing "Born Ready"] 14 00:00:57,830 --> 00:01:03,050 ♪ I've been the last one standin' ♪ 15 00:01:03,096 --> 00:01:08,276 ♪ When all the giants fell ♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa 16 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,409 ♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa 17 00:01:11,452 --> 00:01:14,932 ♪ I won't shiver I won't shake 18 00:01:14,977 --> 00:01:18,937 ♪ I'm made of stone I don't break ♪ 19 00:01:18,981 --> 00:01:22,681 ♪ Staring at the pressure now 20 00:01:22,724 --> 00:01:26,554 ♪ I won't quit not backing down ♪ 21 00:01:26,598 --> 00:01:28,118 ♪ I was born 22 00:01:28,165 --> 00:01:29,945 ♪ Born ready 23 00:01:29,992 --> 00:01:31,782 ♪ I was born 24 00:01:31,820 --> 00:01:34,610 ♪ Born ready 25 00:01:34,649 --> 00:01:38,259 ♪ Open my eyes turn me loose 26 00:01:38,305 --> 00:01:40,525 ♪ And you'll see why 27 00:01:40,568 --> 00:01:42,218 ♪ I was born 28 00:01:42,266 --> 00:01:44,266 ♪ Born ready ♪ 29 00:01:51,623 --> 00:01:54,413 [men screaming] 30 00:01:54,452 --> 00:01:57,982 [male narrator] Across the northern frontier 31 00:01:58,020 --> 00:02:01,980 the US is fighting its second war in 30 years 32 00:02:02,024 --> 00:02:06,464 against Great Britain and its Native American allies 33 00:02:06,507 --> 00:02:08,287 and it's losing. 34 00:02:14,254 --> 00:02:16,604 [men screaming] 35 00:02:19,868 --> 00:02:21,738 [men screaming] 36 00:02:22,784 --> 00:02:25,404 [dramatic music] 37 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:33,074 OpenSubtitles recommends using Nord VPN from 3.49 USD/month ----> osdb.link/vpn 38 00:02:41,238 --> 00:02:44,068 [screaming] 39 00:02:46,547 --> 00:02:48,247 [screaming] 40 00:02:48,984 --> 00:02:50,074 Aah! 41 00:02:52,249 --> 00:02:54,599 [music continues] 42 00:03:07,438 --> 00:03:09,958 Legendary war chief, Tecumseh 43 00:03:10,005 --> 00:03:12,395 has already captured a key American fort. 44 00:03:16,316 --> 00:03:18,096 In an unprecedented move 45 00:03:18,144 --> 00:03:20,414 the Shawnee leader has united warriors 46 00:03:20,451 --> 00:03:22,671 from two dozen different tribes. 47 00:03:24,542 --> 00:03:27,022 He now leads them in raids meant to drive 48 00:03:27,066 --> 00:03:30,106 American settlers from native lands. 49 00:03:30,156 --> 00:03:33,766 His goal, create a pan-Indian nation 50 00:03:33,812 --> 00:03:36,292 west of the Appalachians. 51 00:03:36,336 --> 00:03:39,766 It's a mission that fills America's leaders with fear. 52 00:03:42,386 --> 00:03:44,556 [Eisenbach] This Pan-Indian alliance 53 00:03:44,605 --> 00:03:47,035 was a nightmare for the American government. 54 00:03:47,086 --> 00:03:48,646 This could potentially 55 00:03:48,696 --> 00:03:51,736 seriously would impede, uh, the forward progress 56 00:03:51,786 --> 00:03:53,566 of the future United States. 57 00:03:53,614 --> 00:03:56,184 And so, he had to be eliminated 58 00:03:56,226 --> 00:03:58,356 because this possibility was too much 59 00:03:58,402 --> 00:04:00,012 for the American government to accept. 60 00:04:03,015 --> 00:04:06,055 [male narrator] By 1813, Tecumseh's warriors 61 00:04:06,105 --> 00:04:09,405 dominate a large area in the Ohio Valley 62 00:04:09,456 --> 00:04:12,066 territory that Britain ceded to the US 63 00:04:12,111 --> 00:04:13,631 after the revolution. 64 00:04:16,463 --> 00:04:18,253 To secure the frontier 65 00:04:18,291 --> 00:04:21,211 the US government assigns a seasoned soldier 66 00:04:21,251 --> 00:04:24,561 to confront Tecumseh.. 67 00:04:24,602 --> 00:04:28,562 ...one of the few men who has defeated him in the past 68 00:04:28,606 --> 00:04:30,906 his long-time adversary 69 00:04:30,956 --> 00:04:33,866 William Henry Harrison. 70 00:04:33,915 --> 00:04:36,215 [Amy] The leadership of the United States 71 00:04:36,266 --> 00:04:39,616 believed that Tecumseh's alliance with Britain 72 00:04:39,660 --> 00:04:42,620 could be a factor, a major factor 73 00:04:42,663 --> 00:04:45,803 in the US possibly losing the war. 74 00:04:48,103 --> 00:04:51,153 I don't know if William Henry Harrison 75 00:04:51,193 --> 00:04:54,503 had a personal vendetta against Native Americans 76 00:04:54,545 --> 00:04:58,235 but his military career is defined by that. 77 00:04:58,288 --> 00:05:00,588 He was well known as ruthless. 78 00:05:00,638 --> 00:05:03,158 And when it comes to the War of 1812 79 00:05:03,205 --> 00:05:05,335 he has this inherent vitriol. 80 00:05:05,382 --> 00:05:07,512 He wanted Tecumseh dead. 81 00:05:10,517 --> 00:05:13,127 [male narrator] As Harrison prepares to march north 82 00:05:13,172 --> 00:05:16,132 the fight for the frontier escalates in the south.. 83 00:05:23,617 --> 00:05:26,137 ...as Britain encourages a breakaway group 84 00:05:26,185 --> 00:05:28,925 of Creek Indians known as the Red Sticks 85 00:05:28,970 --> 00:05:31,360 to attack settlements 86 00:05:31,408 --> 00:05:34,148 inciting fear throughout the south. 87 00:05:35,716 --> 00:05:37,626 [screaming] 88 00:05:37,675 --> 00:05:38,845 [gunshot] 89 00:05:48,990 --> 00:05:52,690 They destroy an American outpost 90 00:05:52,733 --> 00:05:56,353 killing 500 men, women and children.. 91 00:06:00,959 --> 00:06:03,219 ...in what becomes known 92 00:06:03,265 --> 00:06:06,305 as the Fort Mims Massacre. 93 00:06:06,356 --> 00:06:09,396 [Brands] They decided to raise the banner of war 94 00:06:09,446 --> 00:06:12,056 against the whites to resist white encroachment. 95 00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:13,890 And if they would have taken the position 96 00:06:13,928 --> 00:06:17,278 that this was, uh, simply a defense of their homeland. 97 00:06:17,323 --> 00:06:21,503 But to American settlers, it represented a grave threat 98 00:06:21,545 --> 00:06:24,325 to the security of the American frontier. 99 00:06:24,374 --> 00:06:27,204 [dramatic music] 100 00:06:33,644 --> 00:06:37,304 [male narrator] With the army fighting Tecumseh on the northern front 101 00:06:37,343 --> 00:06:40,393 President Madison calls on the militia 102 00:06:40,433 --> 00:06:42,443 closest to the Mississippi Territory 103 00:06:42,479 --> 00:06:44,349 to defend the south. 104 00:06:47,179 --> 00:06:49,879 In Tennessee.. 105 00:06:49,921 --> 00:06:52,181 ...one commander has been waiting for the chance 106 00:06:52,227 --> 00:06:53,617 to join the fight. 107 00:06:54,926 --> 00:06:56,616 His name.. 108 00:06:58,408 --> 00:07:00,888 ...is Andrew Jackson. 109 00:07:00,932 --> 00:07:02,762 This was a person 110 00:07:02,803 --> 00:07:05,283 who started life very much at the bottom 111 00:07:05,327 --> 00:07:07,767 very much on his own 112 00:07:07,808 --> 00:07:10,508 and was determined to make something of himself. 113 00:07:10,550 --> 00:07:12,990 And so, one way for an ambitious young person 114 00:07:13,031 --> 00:07:15,291 to rise would be to go to war 115 00:07:15,337 --> 00:07:17,947 and to win glory in war. 116 00:07:17,992 --> 00:07:20,302 [male narrator] Jackson's the perfect man for the job. 117 00:07:22,257 --> 00:07:24,867 He's spent a lifetime building a reputation 118 00:07:24,912 --> 00:07:27,222 as a man who gets results. 119 00:07:28,612 --> 00:07:30,482 Ten years earlier.. 120 00:07:35,270 --> 00:07:38,270 ...he was a tough backcountry judge 121 00:07:38,317 --> 00:07:41,927 known for taking the law into his own hands. 122 00:07:41,973 --> 00:07:43,893 [Brands] There was one instance where 123 00:07:43,931 --> 00:07:46,801 there was a particularly vicious bully 124 00:07:46,847 --> 00:07:48,677 who was wanted for murder 125 00:07:48,719 --> 00:07:51,499 and no one wanted to arrest him. 126 00:07:51,548 --> 00:07:53,938 So he decides to take it on himself. 127 00:08:02,689 --> 00:08:05,609 [dramatic music] 128 00:08:16,442 --> 00:08:19,752 [Amy] Andrew Jackson was a loose cannon. 129 00:08:19,793 --> 00:08:21,673 He would take bullwhips to people. 130 00:08:21,708 --> 00:08:23,278 He pursued duels 131 00:08:23,318 --> 00:08:26,318 long after duels were out of fashion. 132 00:08:26,365 --> 00:08:29,405 He would come to blows with people. 133 00:08:29,455 --> 00:08:31,325 There are countless examples 134 00:08:31,370 --> 00:08:34,630 of when he just took matters into his own hands. 135 00:08:36,897 --> 00:08:38,897 One of the most famous stories of Jackson 136 00:08:38,943 --> 00:08:40,423 is how he gets into a bar fight 137 00:08:40,466 --> 00:08:42,506 gets shot in the arm, uh 138 00:08:42,555 --> 00:08:46,245 and just right before the doctor is about to amputate 139 00:08:46,298 --> 00:08:47,948 he grabs the doctor and says 140 00:08:47,995 --> 00:08:50,995 "You cut off my arm, I'm gonna kill you." 141 00:08:51,042 --> 00:08:52,482 There was nothing that was gonna keep him down 142 00:08:52,522 --> 00:08:54,962 including an infection from a bullet in his arm. 143 00:08:55,002 --> 00:08:56,662 [dramatic music] 144 00:09:03,750 --> 00:09:08,230 [male narrator] Now, Jackson has the greatest opportunity of his life. 145 00:09:10,757 --> 00:09:15,457 He leads more than 2500 volunteer militiamen south 146 00:09:15,501 --> 00:09:17,501 to destroy the Red Stick faction. 147 00:09:19,113 --> 00:09:21,513 But first, he has to find them. 148 00:09:24,858 --> 00:09:28,078 As Jackson searches for the Red Stick warriors 149 00:09:28,122 --> 00:09:30,782 in the north, William Henry Harrison 150 00:09:30,821 --> 00:09:33,041 and his 3000 troops 151 00:09:33,084 --> 00:09:36,834 are just a day's march from Tecumseh's camp near Lake Erie. 152 00:09:39,307 --> 00:09:42,787 The Shawnee war chief is planning his own revenge. 153 00:09:43,964 --> 00:09:45,624 Two years earlier 154 00:09:45,662 --> 00:09:48,532 Harrison destroyed Tecumseh's capital 155 00:09:48,578 --> 00:09:49,538 Prophetstown. 156 00:09:51,276 --> 00:09:54,926 Now, Tecumseh meets with his British allies 157 00:09:54,975 --> 00:09:57,585 to plan a carefully coordinated ambush. 158 00:09:58,805 --> 00:10:01,625 [speaking in foreign language] 159 00:10:06,421 --> 00:10:09,341 He says, "If your men can hold the line 160 00:10:09,381 --> 00:10:11,731 our men can take care of the rest." 161 00:10:16,518 --> 00:10:19,388 [dramatic music] 162 00:10:22,481 --> 00:10:23,661 [male narrator] The British will attack 163 00:10:23,700 --> 00:10:25,830 Harrison's army as they march 164 00:10:25,876 --> 00:10:28,396 and push them towards the woods 165 00:10:28,443 --> 00:10:30,363 where Tecumseh and his warriors 166 00:10:30,402 --> 00:10:31,932 will be waiting to crush them 167 00:10:31,969 --> 00:10:33,619 as they retreat. 168 00:10:36,408 --> 00:10:39,668 [Donald] Tecumseh knows that Harrison is leading this force. 169 00:10:39,716 --> 00:10:41,586 It's gonna be a gun fight. 170 00:10:41,631 --> 00:10:44,721 And one of them is not gonna survive that day. 171 00:10:44,764 --> 00:10:47,994 [male narrator] On October 5, 1813 172 00:10:48,028 --> 00:10:51,078 Tecumseh and his men take their positions 173 00:10:51,118 --> 00:10:54,948 for a battle that could help decide the outcome of the war 174 00:10:54,992 --> 00:10:58,562 and the future of the United States itself. 175 00:11:05,611 --> 00:11:08,441 [instrumental music] 176 00:11:19,669 --> 00:11:21,929 On the banks of the Thames River 177 00:11:21,975 --> 00:11:26,275 Tecumseh and 500 warriors from half a dozen tribes 178 00:11:26,327 --> 00:11:29,417 wait to attack US forces. 179 00:11:31,724 --> 00:11:34,474 [dramatic music] 180 00:11:34,509 --> 00:11:36,819 Tecumseh's British allies plan to strike 181 00:11:36,860 --> 00:11:40,430 William Henry Harrison's troops head on 182 00:11:40,472 --> 00:11:43,342 forcing them to retreat into the woods 183 00:11:43,388 --> 00:11:44,558 where native warriors 184 00:11:44,606 --> 00:11:47,166 will ambush them from behind. 185 00:12:00,057 --> 00:12:01,747 [speaking in foreign language] 186 00:12:07,499 --> 00:12:10,329 [indistinct yelling] 187 00:12:12,983 --> 00:12:15,773 [gunshots in distance] 188 00:12:30,261 --> 00:12:32,391 [male narrator] Suddenly, the British enter the woods.. 189 00:12:35,135 --> 00:12:36,955 ...but they're not attacking. 190 00:12:37,007 --> 00:12:38,227 [gunshot] 191 00:12:40,924 --> 00:12:43,104 They're retreating. 192 00:12:45,580 --> 00:12:48,450 [men screaming] 193 00:12:52,413 --> 00:12:56,503 The British last less than five minutes. 194 00:12:58,028 --> 00:12:59,808 And the Native American forces 195 00:12:59,856 --> 00:13:02,946 were outnumbered three to one. 196 00:13:02,989 --> 00:13:06,299 Tecumseh realizes that he has to make a stand 197 00:13:06,340 --> 00:13:08,260 because if he retreats 198 00:13:08,299 --> 00:13:11,739 they might not be able to build another army. 199 00:13:11,781 --> 00:13:13,261 [shouts in foreign language] 200 00:13:13,304 --> 00:13:14,614 [gun firing] 201 00:13:14,653 --> 00:13:15,573 [men screaming] 202 00:13:25,229 --> 00:13:29,839 [male narrator] William Henry Harrison has his bitter rival pinned down 203 00:13:29,886 --> 00:13:32,666 caught between the Thames River 204 00:13:32,714 --> 00:13:35,284 and the American troops. 205 00:13:35,326 --> 00:13:37,366 [dramatic music] 206 00:13:42,028 --> 00:13:43,548 [grunting] 207 00:13:49,209 --> 00:13:50,169 [gunshot] 208 00:13:50,210 --> 00:13:51,430 [grunts] 209 00:13:55,912 --> 00:13:57,782 [intense music] 210 00:14:05,791 --> 00:14:07,881 [Amy] Tecumseh's forces held 211 00:14:07,924 --> 00:14:10,454 and they held as long as they possibly could. 212 00:14:10,491 --> 00:14:13,971 But without the British, it was a slaughter. 213 00:14:14,017 --> 00:14:16,667 [men yelling] 214 00:14:16,715 --> 00:14:18,535 [gunshot] 215 00:14:34,298 --> 00:14:37,428 [male narrator] When Tecumseh is killed by Harrison's forces.. 216 00:14:42,306 --> 00:14:45,956 ...his Native American confederacy dies with him. 217 00:14:49,879 --> 00:14:50,969 [shallow breathing] 218 00:14:53,839 --> 00:14:56,669 I can only imagine what Tecumseh must have been feeling 219 00:14:56,711 --> 00:14:59,411 when he realized he'd been abandoned by the Brits. 220 00:15:01,064 --> 00:15:02,544 How it must have felt 221 00:15:02,587 --> 00:15:05,457 to put your trust in white man 222 00:15:05,503 --> 00:15:07,333 and then have that trust betrayed 223 00:15:07,374 --> 00:15:09,464 and it cause your downfall. 224 00:15:12,205 --> 00:15:15,855 The death of Tecumseh was an incalculable loss 225 00:15:15,905 --> 00:15:19,425 for Native America. 226 00:15:19,473 --> 00:15:21,483 In the wake of, of losing him 227 00:15:21,519 --> 00:15:23,779 and losing the forces who fought with him 228 00:15:23,825 --> 00:15:27,825 the pan-tribal confederacy failed. 229 00:15:32,182 --> 00:15:35,752 [Donald] Shawnee people are never as powerful and influential 230 00:15:35,794 --> 00:15:37,404 as they were under Tecumseh 231 00:15:37,448 --> 00:15:39,318 and so, it's a situation 232 00:15:39,363 --> 00:15:42,453 of having to come to the negotiating table 233 00:15:42,496 --> 00:15:45,536 of having to sign treaties with the United States Government. 234 00:15:45,586 --> 00:15:47,146 And they do. 235 00:16:02,168 --> 00:16:03,998 [male narrator] After years of fighting 236 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,740 the Shawnee are finally defeated 237 00:16:07,782 --> 00:16:10,662 and Tecumseh's dream of regaining a native homeland 238 00:16:10,698 --> 00:16:13,528 in the Ohio Valley is lost. 239 00:16:17,140 --> 00:16:19,060 For the United States 240 00:16:19,098 --> 00:16:21,008 victory at the Battle of the Thames 241 00:16:21,057 --> 00:16:24,227 is a turning point in the war. 242 00:16:24,277 --> 00:16:26,887 They regain control in the north. 243 00:16:28,629 --> 00:16:31,149 But 600 miles to the south 244 00:16:31,197 --> 00:16:34,547 the frontier is still in chaos. 245 00:16:45,168 --> 00:16:47,258 Andrew Jackson's leading a campaign 246 00:16:47,300 --> 00:16:48,910 to find the Red Stick warriors 247 00:16:48,954 --> 00:16:51,614 responsible for the Fort Mims Massacre. 248 00:16:53,611 --> 00:16:56,351 His militia searches the wilderness for weeks.. 249 00:17:00,661 --> 00:17:02,051 ...and finds nothing. 250 00:17:06,058 --> 00:17:09,058 [Inskeep] One of the wonders of this period for Americans 251 00:17:09,105 --> 00:17:10,975 is to realize how very different 252 00:17:11,020 --> 00:17:14,110 the American landscape was then. 253 00:17:14,153 --> 00:17:15,943 There were relatively few people 254 00:17:15,981 --> 00:17:18,981 it was mostly wilderness. 255 00:17:19,028 --> 00:17:23,508 And into this wilderness came an army of several thousand men 256 00:17:23,554 --> 00:17:25,564 that was very poorly supplied. 257 00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:27,859 They were having to live off the land. 258 00:17:27,906 --> 00:17:30,646 In the end, what they did was nearly starve. 259 00:17:35,609 --> 00:17:38,179 [male narrator] By October, 1813 260 00:17:38,221 --> 00:17:39,791 Jackson's running out of time. 261 00:17:41,833 --> 00:17:44,143 If he can't find the Creek Tribe 262 00:17:44,183 --> 00:17:48,583 he risks losing his volunteers to desertion. 263 00:18:01,070 --> 00:18:03,720 But a new recruit has just joined his militia. 264 00:18:08,686 --> 00:18:11,076 His name is Davy Crockett. 265 00:18:13,430 --> 00:18:16,300 [dramatic music] 266 00:18:19,697 --> 00:18:23,437 [Buddy] Crockett became famous as a hunter on the frontier 267 00:18:23,483 --> 00:18:25,363 over the course of a long period of time 268 00:18:25,398 --> 00:18:28,658 of learning how to exist in the woods. 269 00:18:28,706 --> 00:18:31,226 He claimed to have shot, in a seven-month period 270 00:18:31,274 --> 00:18:33,714 a hundred and five black bears. 271 00:18:33,754 --> 00:18:34,844 [gunshot] 272 00:18:36,540 --> 00:18:38,720 When Crockett joined the militia 273 00:18:38,759 --> 00:18:43,329 he was perfect to chase rogue Creeks 274 00:18:43,373 --> 00:18:47,073 then got to observe how they moved through landscape. 275 00:18:47,116 --> 00:18:51,466 It was something that he, in fact, emulated. 276 00:18:51,511 --> 00:18:54,341 [male narrator] With just six months of formal schooling 277 00:18:54,384 --> 00:18:56,864 young Crockett's real education 278 00:18:56,908 --> 00:18:58,868 comes from the frontier itself. 279 00:19:10,051 --> 00:19:12,661 [Buddy] Crockett came from a tradition of woodsmen 280 00:19:12,706 --> 00:19:15,796 and he would've learned from his father and his uncles 281 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,100 how to hunt. 282 00:19:18,147 --> 00:19:19,577 He learned how to track 283 00:19:19,626 --> 00:19:22,666 he learned how to identify sign 284 00:19:22,716 --> 00:19:24,936 scat, broken twigs. 285 00:19:32,117 --> 00:19:33,247 [gunshot] 286 00:19:37,992 --> 00:19:40,952 [male narrator] Now, Crockett uses his frontier skills 287 00:19:40,995 --> 00:19:43,995 to track the Creek Tribe for General Jackson. 288 00:19:44,042 --> 00:19:46,612 [dramatic music] 289 00:19:46,653 --> 00:19:50,223 [Rinella] It's just a harrowing undertaking to do this. 290 00:19:50,266 --> 00:19:53,876 He wasn't carrying modern-day, cutting-edge technology. 291 00:19:53,921 --> 00:19:57,751 So you needed to be an expert tracker and woodsman. 292 00:19:57,795 --> 00:20:00,535 You look at all the sign around you 293 00:20:00,580 --> 00:20:02,320 and the tracks and the markings and the trees. 294 00:20:02,365 --> 00:20:04,365 You look at everything 295 00:20:04,410 --> 00:20:07,590 as being something that is gonna affect 296 00:20:07,631 --> 00:20:10,631 my next decision where the Indians might be. 297 00:20:10,677 --> 00:20:13,507 [dramatic music] 298 00:20:41,142 --> 00:20:45,192 [male narrator] In just two weeks, Crockett finds their village 299 00:20:45,234 --> 00:20:48,154 and the Americans prepare for revenge. 300 00:20:58,595 --> 00:21:02,375 [male narrator] In late 1813, on the northern frontier 301 00:21:02,425 --> 00:21:04,985 victories by the US diminish the threat 302 00:21:05,036 --> 00:21:08,386 posed by Britain's Native American allies. 303 00:21:08,431 --> 00:21:10,081 But to the south 304 00:21:10,128 --> 00:21:13,038 native raids are destroying settlements 305 00:21:13,087 --> 00:21:16,307 spreading panic throughout what is now Alabama. 306 00:21:20,138 --> 00:21:23,008 [crows crowing] 307 00:21:27,145 --> 00:21:29,225 General Andrew Jackson has been ordered 308 00:21:29,278 --> 00:21:31,888 to eliminate the Creek Indians responsible 309 00:21:31,932 --> 00:21:35,282 for killing over 500 settlers at Fort Mims. 310 00:21:40,898 --> 00:21:44,338 After weeks of searching, Davy Crockett has found them.. 311 00:21:46,164 --> 00:21:48,124 ...giving Jackson all the information 312 00:21:48,166 --> 00:21:50,296 he needs to attack. 313 00:21:50,342 --> 00:21:53,392 [Jackson] 'Split the men into two columns.' 314 00:21:53,432 --> 00:21:56,132 We'll arrive here before the sun rises. 315 00:21:56,174 --> 00:21:58,874 'We'll cross the river at the low point here and here.' 316 00:22:01,092 --> 00:22:02,092 [Coffee] 'Yes, sir.' 317 00:22:03,660 --> 00:22:06,270 Not a single one of them makes it out. 318 00:22:10,884 --> 00:22:12,364 Prepare the men. 319 00:22:16,107 --> 00:22:17,537 [Coffee] 'Scouts!' 320 00:22:21,852 --> 00:22:24,072 [Brands] Jackson took the position 321 00:22:24,115 --> 00:22:27,025 that the Indians had started this round of war 322 00:22:27,074 --> 00:22:28,954 by massacring whites. 323 00:22:28,989 --> 00:22:31,509 And he also believed the lesson to be taught to them was 324 00:22:31,557 --> 00:22:33,517 you don't massacre whites 325 00:22:33,559 --> 00:22:36,209 without expecting a comparable reprisal. 326 00:22:38,956 --> 00:22:41,386 You kill or you be killed. 327 00:22:41,437 --> 00:22:44,397 That was the world he lived in and that was the life he chose. 328 00:23:02,980 --> 00:23:05,500 [male narrator] In the early morning hours 329 00:23:05,548 --> 00:23:07,898 nine hundred Tennessee militia 330 00:23:07,941 --> 00:23:11,471 including Davy Crockett, surround the village. 331 00:23:24,654 --> 00:23:27,484 [dramatic music] 332 00:23:48,460 --> 00:23:51,290 [music continues] 333 00:23:55,772 --> 00:23:58,082 [gunshots] 334 00:23:58,122 --> 00:24:00,692 [screaming] 335 00:24:00,733 --> 00:24:03,613 [indistinct yelling] 336 00:24:04,694 --> 00:24:06,704 [grunting] 337 00:24:07,784 --> 00:24:08,874 [screaming] 338 00:24:13,354 --> 00:24:15,274 [grunting] 339 00:24:15,313 --> 00:24:17,233 [screaming] 340 00:24:17,271 --> 00:24:18,881 [grunting] 341 00:24:20,971 --> 00:24:22,021 [breathing heavily] 342 00:24:26,890 --> 00:24:28,240 [breathing heavily] 343 00:24:30,633 --> 00:24:32,243 [screaming] 344 00:24:47,345 --> 00:24:49,775 [dramatic music] 345 00:24:49,826 --> 00:24:52,696 [screaming] 346 00:24:54,395 --> 00:24:55,955 [groaning] 347 00:24:56,006 --> 00:24:57,436 [gunshot] 348 00:25:07,452 --> 00:25:11,942 [male narrator] In only minutes, 186 Creek warriors are killed. 349 00:25:14,154 --> 00:25:17,204 And women and children are burned alive in their homes.. 350 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:24,030 ...in what comes to be known as the Battle of Tallushatchee. 351 00:25:28,473 --> 00:25:31,393 [dramatic music] 352 00:25:38,396 --> 00:25:40,436 Jackson allowed his men 353 00:25:40,485 --> 00:25:43,225 to engage in the most bloody reprisal 354 00:25:43,270 --> 00:25:45,060 to teach the Indians a lesson 355 00:25:45,098 --> 00:25:47,408 so they wouldn't do this again. 356 00:25:47,448 --> 00:25:49,228 And it was as a consequence of this 357 00:25:49,276 --> 00:25:52,236 that people came to recognize his ability 358 00:25:52,279 --> 00:25:54,929 to defend the country against its enemies. 359 00:26:03,203 --> 00:26:06,123 [instrumental music] 360 00:26:09,514 --> 00:26:10,434 [screaming] 361 00:26:16,347 --> 00:26:19,347 Tallushatchee is called the Battle of Tallushatchee 362 00:26:19,393 --> 00:26:22,483 but it was really more like the Massacre of Tallushatchee. 363 00:26:28,968 --> 00:26:32,018 They burned 46 people to death. 364 00:26:35,975 --> 00:26:37,535 [Buddy] It was bedlam. 365 00:26:40,066 --> 00:26:42,976 [instrumental music] 366 00:26:51,251 --> 00:26:54,521 As Crockett phrased it later, "We shot them like dogs." 367 00:26:58,302 --> 00:27:01,702 [Eisenbach] The ruthlessness of Jackson's war against the Creeks 368 00:27:01,740 --> 00:27:04,830 was something that really shook, uh, Davy Crockett 369 00:27:04,874 --> 00:27:07,624 and reshaped the way he's looking, uh 370 00:27:07,659 --> 00:27:11,449 at America's treatment of the Native Americans. 371 00:27:11,489 --> 00:27:14,359 He kind of realizes that th-there's a senselessness 372 00:27:14,405 --> 00:27:18,015 to this slaughter and it really changes him, uh, as a person. 373 00:27:23,588 --> 00:27:26,418 [instrumental music] 374 00:27:36,383 --> 00:27:38,213 [male narrator] After the battle 375 00:27:38,255 --> 00:27:40,735 Crockett is sickened by the massacre.. 376 00:27:43,521 --> 00:27:46,051 ...and chooses to leave the volunteer militia. 377 00:28:03,715 --> 00:28:05,885 [horse neighing] 378 00:28:15,814 --> 00:28:16,904 [Jackson] 'Morning.' 379 00:28:23,387 --> 00:28:25,517 'Where are you men off to this morning?' 380 00:28:29,001 --> 00:28:30,741 [Crockett] 'We're goin' home.' 381 00:28:30,786 --> 00:28:31,826 No. 382 00:28:33,832 --> 00:28:36,312 You're going to turn around and go back to your tents. 383 00:28:43,494 --> 00:28:45,764 We're volunteer militia. 384 00:28:48,847 --> 00:28:50,107 I will not ask again. 385 00:28:53,591 --> 00:28:55,291 You're gonna shoot your own men? 386 00:28:56,812 --> 00:28:58,122 Do not test me. 387 00:29:04,907 --> 00:29:06,387 Fire on my command. 388 00:29:30,019 --> 00:29:33,109 [male narrator] After the massacre of over 200 Native American men 389 00:29:33,152 --> 00:29:34,942 women and children 390 00:29:34,980 --> 00:29:37,940 Davy Crockett chooses to leave the Tennessee militia.. 391 00:29:39,419 --> 00:29:42,509 Return to your camp! 392 00:29:42,553 --> 00:29:47,083 ...but is caught by his commander, Andrew Jackson. 393 00:29:47,123 --> 00:29:50,873 [Brands] Jackson tried to hold the army together. 394 00:29:50,909 --> 00:29:53,959 And maintaining and establishing 395 00:29:53,999 --> 00:29:55,699 military discipline was hard. 396 00:29:55,740 --> 00:29:57,740 Jackson would not brook 397 00:29:57,786 --> 00:30:00,306 this walking away by the troops. 398 00:30:00,353 --> 00:30:03,143 This is the last time I will give you the option. 399 00:30:03,182 --> 00:30:04,752 [guns cocking] 400 00:30:06,272 --> 00:30:09,152 [dramatic music] 401 00:30:27,206 --> 00:30:28,766 I will not ask again. 402 00:30:30,514 --> 00:30:32,394 [dramatic music] 403 00:30:42,308 --> 00:30:44,048 [male narrator] Crockett stands down.. 404 00:30:52,231 --> 00:30:55,761 ...and grudgingly stays in camp. 405 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:59,460 [Buddy] Crockett had mixed emotions about what he was doing. 406 00:30:59,499 --> 00:31:02,069 Obviously, he was serving his country 407 00:31:02,111 --> 00:31:05,811 and, I think, looked at it really more as a job. 408 00:31:05,854 --> 00:31:07,734 It was something that he had to do. 409 00:31:07,768 --> 00:31:11,598 The whole idea of killing Indian families 410 00:31:11,642 --> 00:31:14,172 whole Indian families.. 411 00:31:14,210 --> 00:31:15,950 ...didn't sit well with him. 412 00:31:36,014 --> 00:31:37,234 Colonel. 413 00:31:39,713 --> 00:31:40,803 [Crockett sighs] 414 00:31:42,412 --> 00:31:43,892 You asked to see me, sir? 415 00:31:47,199 --> 00:31:50,029 You're a disgrace.. 416 00:31:50,072 --> 00:31:53,082 ...to yourself, to your family 417 00:31:53,118 --> 00:31:54,728 and to your country. 418 00:32:00,038 --> 00:32:02,128 What I did for you at that village.. 419 00:32:04,086 --> 00:32:06,176 ...I will never do that again. 420 00:32:14,966 --> 00:32:16,656 You're a coward. 421 00:32:20,798 --> 00:32:23,148 [dramatic music] 422 00:32:25,237 --> 00:32:28,407 When you look at this divide between Crockett and Jackson 423 00:32:28,458 --> 00:32:30,288 you can kind of see, uh, the divide 424 00:32:30,329 --> 00:32:33,639 that gets to the heart of the American frontier. 425 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,600 On one hand, most Americans 426 00:32:35,639 --> 00:32:37,989 looked at the treatment of the Native Americans 427 00:32:38,033 --> 00:32:41,253 as just another step in the forward path of progress. 428 00:32:41,297 --> 00:32:43,997 Davy Crockett sees the inherent injustice 429 00:32:44,039 --> 00:32:46,999 of the ruthless massacring 430 00:32:47,042 --> 00:32:48,872 o-of the Creek Indians. 431 00:32:54,092 --> 00:32:55,962 [male narrator] When his service is over 432 00:32:56,007 --> 00:32:58,397 Crockett heads home to Tennessee. 433 00:33:01,056 --> 00:33:04,056 Jackson and Crockett certainly started in similar fashions. 434 00:33:04,102 --> 00:33:05,412 Both were born in log cabins 435 00:33:05,451 --> 00:33:07,191 both came from humble beginnings. 436 00:33:08,889 --> 00:33:11,589 But w-what Crockett saw in the Creek War 437 00:33:11,631 --> 00:33:13,501 with Jackson's treatment of Indians 438 00:33:13,546 --> 00:33:15,156 it started a rift 439 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:18,600 that would really open up later in Crockett's life. 440 00:33:27,517 --> 00:33:31,517 [male narrator] Jackson doesn't stop at avenging Fort Mims. 441 00:33:31,564 --> 00:33:34,394 He launches a series of brutal attacks on the Red Sticks.. 442 00:33:34,437 --> 00:33:36,787 [dramatic music] 443 00:33:38,093 --> 00:33:39,623 ...killing hundreds 444 00:33:39,659 --> 00:33:42,009 and sending a powerful message. 445 00:33:43,185 --> 00:33:45,095 They were targets 446 00:33:45,143 --> 00:33:47,453 of a scorched-earth campaign. 447 00:33:49,234 --> 00:33:51,194 There was no law of war 448 00:33:51,236 --> 00:33:52,886 that was really respected. 449 00:34:00,724 --> 00:34:02,944 [male narrator] By early 1814 450 00:34:02,987 --> 00:34:05,817 Jackson has crushed the Red Stick faction.. 451 00:34:08,819 --> 00:34:10,779 ...and he forces the rest of the Creek Nation 452 00:34:10,821 --> 00:34:13,781 to negotiate a treaty 453 00:34:13,824 --> 00:34:15,434 even though they had nothing to do 454 00:34:15,478 --> 00:34:16,958 with the conflict. 455 00:34:36,890 --> 00:34:38,810 [Inskeep] Jackson said to them 456 00:34:38,849 --> 00:34:43,249 they must surrender millions of acres of their own land 457 00:34:43,288 --> 00:34:46,118 to the United States Government 458 00:34:46,161 --> 00:34:48,511 as a kind of compensation for the war. 459 00:34:48,554 --> 00:34:51,564 Jackson actually described it as a national security measure. 460 00:34:51,601 --> 00:34:53,911 He said that by taking over this land 461 00:34:53,951 --> 00:34:56,951 the United States would isolate the remaining rebels. 462 00:34:56,997 --> 00:34:59,087 But the reality was 463 00:34:59,130 --> 00:35:02,870 that he was taking millions of acres of real estate. 464 00:35:02,916 --> 00:35:06,006 [dramatic music] 465 00:35:06,050 --> 00:35:09,970 [male narrator] Jackson seizes major parts of Alabama and Georgia 466 00:35:10,010 --> 00:35:13,010 nearly 22 million acres of land. 467 00:35:18,802 --> 00:35:20,722 The United States has now quelled 468 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:24,330 the Native American threat on the frontier. 469 00:35:24,373 --> 00:35:28,643 But as they begin to turn the tide of the War of 1812 470 00:35:28,681 --> 00:35:31,251 the British devise a new plan. 471 00:35:32,816 --> 00:35:35,596 After forcing Napoleon into exile 472 00:35:35,645 --> 00:35:39,035 they commit additional troops to America 473 00:35:39,083 --> 00:35:42,133 invading the East Coast in Baltimore. 474 00:35:42,173 --> 00:35:43,523 [cannons firing] 475 00:35:49,833 --> 00:35:51,663 [Petraeus] During the War of 1812 476 00:35:51,704 --> 00:35:54,794 the British almost brought the United States to its knees. 477 00:35:54,838 --> 00:35:58,228 Ultimately, the British sack Washington 478 00:35:58,276 --> 00:36:00,056 and, and burn the White House. 479 00:36:00,104 --> 00:36:02,984 [dramatic music] 480 00:36:13,248 --> 00:36:15,078 [male narrator] After capturing America's capital.. 481 00:36:18,122 --> 00:36:20,212 ...Britain turns to the most important port 482 00:36:20,255 --> 00:36:21,205 on the frontier.. 483 00:36:22,909 --> 00:36:24,129 ...New Orleans. 484 00:36:27,262 --> 00:36:30,402 The city controls access to the Mississippi River 485 00:36:30,439 --> 00:36:31,789 providing a highway 486 00:36:31,831 --> 00:36:34,401 to British forts in Canada. 487 00:36:34,443 --> 00:36:36,843 The British had a huge advantage over the United States 488 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:38,270 in the War of 1812 because the British 489 00:36:38,316 --> 00:36:40,226 had the most powerful navy in the world. 490 00:36:40,275 --> 00:36:42,705 It meant that the British could move their troops 491 00:36:42,755 --> 00:36:44,235 from here, there along the coast 492 00:36:44,279 --> 00:36:46,189 and always beat the Americans 493 00:36:46,237 --> 00:36:47,667 to wherever they wanted to get. 494 00:36:47,717 --> 00:36:50,237 If they captured New Orleans 495 00:36:50,285 --> 00:36:52,285 they could go up the Mississippi 496 00:36:52,330 --> 00:36:55,120 and connect with British forces coming down from Canada. 497 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,380 [dramatic music] 498 00:37:05,343 --> 00:37:07,743 [male narrator] Knowing Britain will attack New Orleans.. 499 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,920 ...the US turns to its new war hero 500 00:37:12,959 --> 00:37:14,439 Andrew Jackson. 501 00:37:18,574 --> 00:37:21,014 [Inskeep] Here emerged from Tennessee 502 00:37:21,054 --> 00:37:23,414 this general who organized an army 503 00:37:23,448 --> 00:37:26,538 managed to keep it together by force of will 504 00:37:26,582 --> 00:37:28,632 and crushed the Creek Nation. 505 00:37:32,370 --> 00:37:35,030 [male narrator] Jackson's determined to win. 506 00:37:35,068 --> 00:37:38,118 He has a powerful and personal hatred of Britain 507 00:37:38,158 --> 00:37:40,378 dating back to his childhood. 508 00:37:50,475 --> 00:37:54,035 In the fall of 1781 509 00:37:54,087 --> 00:37:56,527 Jackson was held as a prisoner of war 510 00:37:56,568 --> 00:37:57,868 during the revolution. 511 00:37:59,702 --> 00:38:00,792 [male #1] 'On your feet.' 512 00:38:21,332 --> 00:38:22,382 [grunts] 513 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:27,080 [dramatic music] 514 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:28,860 [Brands] As a, a young teenager 515 00:38:28,905 --> 00:38:31,775 Andrew Jackson rode as a courier 516 00:38:31,821 --> 00:38:35,691 for the American forces against the British 517 00:38:35,738 --> 00:38:37,518 who eventually captured him 518 00:38:37,566 --> 00:38:39,216 and put him in a prisoner-of-war camp. 519 00:38:41,570 --> 00:38:44,050 [male narrator] He lost two brothers during the war. 520 00:38:46,836 --> 00:38:49,396 His mother also perished in the conflict. 521 00:38:51,580 --> 00:38:53,500 Jackson suspected the British 522 00:38:53,538 --> 00:38:56,058 of all evil things. He detested the British. 523 00:38:56,106 --> 00:38:58,016 If you wanted to get a rise out of Andrew Jackson 524 00:38:58,064 --> 00:39:00,594 all you had to do was mention Britain or the British. 525 00:39:05,420 --> 00:39:08,250 [dramatic music] 526 00:39:19,956 --> 00:39:22,646 [male narrator] Now, he has a shot at revenge 527 00:39:22,698 --> 00:39:24,398 if Jackson can lead his men 528 00:39:24,439 --> 00:39:27,699 through Louisiana's deadly swamp lands 529 00:39:27,746 --> 00:39:31,006 and get to New Orleans before the enemy. 530 00:39:40,106 --> 00:39:42,976 [dramatic music] 531 00:39:46,678 --> 00:39:49,858 [male narrator] Deep in the southern frontier 532 00:39:49,899 --> 00:39:53,989 Andrew Jackson is marching to the port of New Orleans 533 00:39:54,033 --> 00:39:56,863 to defend it against a coming British attack. 534 00:40:00,431 --> 00:40:02,481 But while the British have the advantage 535 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:05,350 of traveling by sea.. 536 00:40:05,393 --> 00:40:08,003 ...Jackson must get there by land. 537 00:40:09,701 --> 00:40:12,271 And he faces a massive obstacle.. 538 00:40:15,490 --> 00:40:17,450 ...the Louisiana swamps. 539 00:40:18,884 --> 00:40:20,504 The Atchafalaya Basin 540 00:40:20,538 --> 00:40:23,188 is the biggest swamp in the country 541 00:40:23,236 --> 00:40:25,886 covering nearly 1000 square miles. 542 00:40:27,806 --> 00:40:29,496 And Jackson has to cross it 543 00:40:29,547 --> 00:40:33,507 with 1500 men, artillery and supplies. 544 00:40:38,469 --> 00:40:41,299 [dramatic music] 545 00:40:52,918 --> 00:40:55,698 This was an era before good roads. 546 00:40:55,747 --> 00:40:58,047 In fact, in that region of the country 547 00:40:58,097 --> 00:40:59,877 there were hardly any roads. 548 00:41:03,538 --> 00:41:06,278 To get several thousand troops to New Orleans 549 00:41:06,323 --> 00:41:08,373 with all their equipment 550 00:41:08,412 --> 00:41:11,332 was an extreme difficulty. 551 00:41:11,371 --> 00:41:12,901 Get that end, get that end. 552 00:41:12,938 --> 00:41:14,198 [Mykel] When you're talking about going 553 00:41:14,244 --> 00:41:15,164 through those swamps, you're talkin' 554 00:41:15,201 --> 00:41:16,161 about water that gets 555 00:41:16,202 --> 00:41:17,732 neck deep at times 556 00:41:17,769 --> 00:41:19,379 gators everywhere 557 00:41:19,423 --> 00:41:21,563 poisonous snakes everywhere, very aggressive. 558 00:41:21,599 --> 00:41:24,339 Mosquitoes have got to be just eating them alive. 559 00:41:24,384 --> 00:41:27,524 They got very thick clothing on, they've got to be sweating. 560 00:41:27,562 --> 00:41:29,612 You're talking about an absolute misery fest. 561 00:41:35,744 --> 00:41:39,014 [male narrator] Jackson works his men around the clock.. 562 00:41:39,051 --> 00:41:40,621 Park down here. We gotta go. 563 00:41:40,662 --> 00:41:43,142 ...improvising bridges to haul a two-ton cannon 564 00:41:43,186 --> 00:41:44,536 through the bog. 565 00:41:44,579 --> 00:41:46,229 [Jackson] 'Up, up!' 566 00:41:46,276 --> 00:41:48,276 [Jackson grunts] 567 00:41:48,321 --> 00:41:51,371 'Hold, hold, hold, hold!' 568 00:41:51,411 --> 00:41:54,981 'Bring the wood! Let's go, let's go! You're holding up!' 569 00:41:55,024 --> 00:41:57,424 It doesn't have to look pretty, just secure. 570 00:41:57,461 --> 00:42:00,511 - 'Let's go!' - One, two, pull! 571 00:42:00,551 --> 00:42:03,601 I want one man here, one man here, and one man there! 572 00:42:03,641 --> 00:42:05,341 Work the wood down! 573 00:42:06,905 --> 00:42:09,295 'Keep them straight now!' 574 00:42:09,342 --> 00:42:12,962 [Coffee] 'One, two, pull!' 575 00:42:12,998 --> 00:42:14,698 [male narrator] Under Jackson's command 576 00:42:14,739 --> 00:42:18,569 they maintain a pace of 25 miles a day. 577 00:42:18,613 --> 00:42:21,403 [Brands] It was at this moment that Jackson's leadership 578 00:42:21,441 --> 00:42:23,571 became really most apparent. 579 00:42:23,618 --> 00:42:26,098 And up! Roll! 580 00:42:26,142 --> 00:42:28,802 Jackson's soldiers, whatever they thought about the British 581 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:30,490 whatever they thought about the Indians 582 00:42:30,538 --> 00:42:32,278 whatever they thought about American policy 583 00:42:32,322 --> 00:42:34,982 they would follow Andrew Jackson to the gates of hell. 584 00:42:37,283 --> 00:42:39,203 [Jackson] 'Push, boys, push!' 585 00:42:39,242 --> 00:42:41,292 Put your backs into it! 586 00:42:42,898 --> 00:42:43,808 [male narrator] Finally... 587 00:42:43,855 --> 00:42:45,725 Come on, men! 588 00:42:45,770 --> 00:42:48,380 ...after two weeks of grueling work.. 589 00:42:50,514 --> 00:42:52,824 ...Jackson arrives in New Orleans.. 590 00:42:54,562 --> 00:42:57,572 ...knowing the British could land any minute. 591 00:42:57,608 --> 00:42:58,828 [grunting] 592 00:43:04,746 --> 00:43:07,576 [instrumental music] 593 00:43:13,189 --> 00:43:16,629 New Orleans was hugely important, uh, at that time 594 00:43:16,671 --> 00:43:18,721 and still is, uh, for that matter. 595 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,240 In-in many respects, it's the, the gateway 596 00:43:22,285 --> 00:43:25,325 to the inland waterways that were so critical 597 00:43:25,375 --> 00:43:28,025 to that part of the United States. 598 00:43:28,073 --> 00:43:31,343 So retaining that port, this great trading port 599 00:43:31,381 --> 00:43:34,301 which has access to all of these waterways 600 00:43:34,340 --> 00:43:36,260 uh, was absolutely vital. 601 00:43:39,911 --> 00:43:42,741 [male narrator] Jackson races to build fortifications 602 00:43:42,784 --> 00:43:45,444 at key entry points around the city 603 00:43:45,482 --> 00:43:48,832 to force the British to attack him where he's strongest. 604 00:43:51,140 --> 00:43:55,060 But to do it, he needs all the manpower he can get. 605 00:43:56,798 --> 00:43:58,668 [Inskeep] He didn't have much of an army 606 00:43:58,713 --> 00:44:01,983 but he assembled one from the forces that were available 607 00:44:02,020 --> 00:44:04,590 ranging from Kentucky Frontiersmen 608 00:44:04,632 --> 00:44:07,332 to some of his own Tennessee loyalists 609 00:44:07,373 --> 00:44:09,253 to New Orleans militia 610 00:44:09,288 --> 00:44:11,548 to an African-American militia unit 611 00:44:11,595 --> 00:44:14,245 to river pirates who were engaged 612 00:44:14,293 --> 00:44:16,123 because they had cannon and could fire them 613 00:44:16,165 --> 00:44:18,115 and even local Indians 614 00:44:18,167 --> 00:44:20,997 all became part of Jackson's military force. 615 00:44:21,039 --> 00:44:23,429 And he welded them together in an effective way. 616 00:44:27,350 --> 00:44:31,570 [male narrator] In all, Jackson has about 4500 men. 617 00:44:36,272 --> 00:44:38,322 When the British finally appear 618 00:44:38,361 --> 00:44:43,371 they have 60 warships and 15,000 men. 619 00:44:43,409 --> 00:44:47,409 The Americans are outnumbered by more than three to one. 620 00:45:01,253 --> 00:45:03,693 Who's willing to suffer more for victory, men? 621 00:45:06,781 --> 00:45:09,311 [male narrator] General Jackson has 4500 men 622 00:45:09,348 --> 00:45:11,868 arrayed against a British force 623 00:45:11,916 --> 00:45:14,696 outnumbering him by more than three to one. 624 00:45:16,399 --> 00:45:20,529 His mission, hold New Orleans at all costs. 625 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,410 [Francois] All trade west of the Appalachians 626 00:45:26,452 --> 00:45:29,462 flowed down the Ohio River and into the Mississippi and out 627 00:45:29,499 --> 00:45:32,019 through the port of New Orleans. 628 00:45:32,067 --> 00:45:34,067 It was the most critical choke point 629 00:45:34,112 --> 00:45:35,512 for the American continent. 630 00:45:35,548 --> 00:45:38,418 [dramatic music] 631 00:45:47,735 --> 00:45:49,515 Prepare to fire! 632 00:45:56,613 --> 00:45:57,613 Hold! 633 00:46:01,879 --> 00:46:04,659 [male narrator] Jackson plans a way to give his inferior force 634 00:46:04,708 --> 00:46:07,278 an advantage. 635 00:46:07,319 --> 00:46:10,539 He positions his men with the Mississippi to the right 636 00:46:10,583 --> 00:46:13,333 and dense swampland to the left.. 637 00:46:15,023 --> 00:46:17,503 ...forcing the British to charge uphill.. 638 00:46:19,462 --> 00:46:22,202 ...on a narrow strip of land without cover. 639 00:46:22,247 --> 00:46:23,987 Hold! 640 00:46:30,081 --> 00:46:31,131 Fire! 641 00:46:31,169 --> 00:46:34,689 [guns firing] 642 00:46:36,566 --> 00:46:38,126 Fire! 643 00:46:38,698 --> 00:46:40,878 Reload! 644 00:46:40,918 --> 00:46:43,008 [Inskeep] From behind cotton bales 645 00:46:43,051 --> 00:46:45,011 and other obstacles.. 646 00:46:46,619 --> 00:46:48,879 ...Jackson's men, in relative security 647 00:46:48,926 --> 00:46:51,886 could open fire on charging British troops. 648 00:46:51,929 --> 00:46:53,189 Fire! 649 00:46:54,497 --> 00:46:55,977 Fire at will, men! 650 00:46:56,020 --> 00:46:57,670 Fire at will! 651 00:47:00,155 --> 00:47:03,895 Had they met the British troops in an open battlefield 652 00:47:03,941 --> 00:47:05,641 things would've been completely different. 653 00:47:05,682 --> 00:47:07,862 [gunshots] 654 00:47:11,906 --> 00:47:13,856 But as it turned out, the British charged 655 00:47:13,908 --> 00:47:16,518 right where Jackson would've wanted them to 656 00:47:16,562 --> 00:47:19,262 and they did it very badly, and they were slaughtered. 657 00:47:22,351 --> 00:47:24,741 [male narrator] Over ten days of ferocious battle.. 658 00:47:24,788 --> 00:47:26,958 [indistinct yelling] 659 00:47:27,008 --> 00:47:28,048 Fire! 660 00:47:28,096 --> 00:47:29,576 [cannons firing] 661 00:47:32,491 --> 00:47:35,321 ...Jackson and his men 662 00:47:35,364 --> 00:47:38,244 push back every unrelenting wave 663 00:47:38,280 --> 00:47:39,850 of British assault. 664 00:47:39,890 --> 00:47:42,760 [gunshots] 665 00:47:52,163 --> 00:47:55,433 Finally, after devastating losses 666 00:47:55,471 --> 00:47:58,211 British forces withdraw. 667 00:48:03,392 --> 00:48:04,482 [Brands] The figures were unbelievable. 668 00:48:04,523 --> 00:48:06,793 Over 2000 British casualties. 669 00:48:06,830 --> 00:48:09,620 Less than a hundred on the American side. 670 00:48:09,659 --> 00:48:12,579 And it's at that moment that Andrew Jackson becomes 671 00:48:12,618 --> 00:48:15,448 the great military hero of the American people. 672 00:48:19,408 --> 00:48:20,978 Andrew Jackson was often thought of 673 00:48:21,018 --> 00:48:24,278 as the second coming of George Washington. 674 00:48:24,326 --> 00:48:25,806 George Washington wins independence 675 00:48:25,849 --> 00:48:27,109 for the United States 676 00:48:27,155 --> 00:48:28,715 Andrew Jackson defends independence 677 00:48:28,765 --> 00:48:30,245 for the United States. 678 00:48:34,336 --> 00:48:35,766 [male narrator] The victory at New Orleans 679 00:48:35,815 --> 00:48:38,245 propels Jackson to national fame.. 680 00:48:40,168 --> 00:48:44,258 ...and secures his legacy as an American hero. 681 00:48:51,570 --> 00:48:53,570 But what American and British forces 682 00:48:53,616 --> 00:48:55,786 at New Orleans don't know 683 00:48:55,835 --> 00:48:57,835 is that before the battle began 684 00:48:57,881 --> 00:49:01,621 the War of 1812 was already over. 685 00:49:03,452 --> 00:49:05,062 Just over three weeks earlier 686 00:49:05,106 --> 00:49:07,976 half a world away, in Belgium 687 00:49:08,022 --> 00:49:10,242 representatives of the United States and Britain 688 00:49:10,285 --> 00:49:12,285 sign a treaty 689 00:49:12,330 --> 00:49:14,460 ending almost three years of war 690 00:49:14,506 --> 00:49:17,066 between the two nations. 691 00:49:17,118 --> 00:49:18,988 [Walter] There's already a peace treaty. 692 00:49:19,033 --> 00:49:21,603 It just takes that long for news 693 00:49:21,644 --> 00:49:24,784 to cross the Atlantic and get to New Orleans. 694 00:49:24,821 --> 00:49:27,911 But it really doesn't matter to the American nation. 695 00:49:27,955 --> 00:49:31,435 All they know and all they want to focus on 696 00:49:31,480 --> 00:49:34,920 is that they have beat the British Empire 697 00:49:34,962 --> 00:49:38,232 and having done that, nothing is impossible 698 00:49:38,269 --> 00:49:40,229 and we're now going to look westward 699 00:49:40,271 --> 00:49:42,841 across the American continent and expand. 700 00:49:45,407 --> 00:49:47,147 [male narrator] In the Treaty of Ghent 701 00:49:47,191 --> 00:49:49,191 Britain formally recognizes 702 00:49:49,237 --> 00:49:53,147 that the US now controls all the native lands 703 00:49:53,197 --> 00:49:56,547 that were once part of the Mississippi Territory. 704 00:49:56,592 --> 00:50:00,772 Alabama and Mississippi are now open for settlement. 705 00:50:09,257 --> 00:50:11,997 [dramatic music] 706 00:50:12,042 --> 00:50:14,702 After his victory at the Battle of New Orleans 707 00:50:14,740 --> 00:50:17,090 a grateful government assigns Andrew Jackson 708 00:50:17,134 --> 00:50:20,184 the job of surveying this new territory. 709 00:50:22,879 --> 00:50:25,319 [music continues] 710 00:50:25,360 --> 00:50:28,710 And he immediately senses opportunity 711 00:50:28,754 --> 00:50:32,024 to grow one of America's most profitable crops.. 712 00:50:35,239 --> 00:50:36,549 ...cotton. 713 00:50:40,244 --> 00:50:42,424 When Jackson went off on military expeditions 714 00:50:42,464 --> 00:50:46,164 he had his eye out for land that could also grow cotton. 715 00:50:46,207 --> 00:50:48,987 And one of the big attractions of the land 716 00:50:49,036 --> 00:50:52,336 in what would become Alabama, Mississippi 717 00:50:52,387 --> 00:50:54,427 was the fact that it was very well suited 718 00:50:54,476 --> 00:50:55,736 to growing cotton. 719 00:50:59,698 --> 00:51:01,268 [male narrator] Over the next two years 720 00:51:01,309 --> 00:51:03,089 Jackson uses his position 721 00:51:03,137 --> 00:51:06,657 to buy vast tracts of land at low cost 722 00:51:06,705 --> 00:51:08,525 then sell it at a profit 723 00:51:08,577 --> 00:51:10,577 to wealthy plantation owners. 724 00:51:18,761 --> 00:51:21,111 [Jackson] Gentlemen. 725 00:51:24,201 --> 00:51:25,331 [sighs] 726 00:51:26,464 --> 00:51:29,824 Everything we discussed.. 727 00:51:29,859 --> 00:51:31,859 ...is in this contract, if you'd like to look it over. 728 00:51:34,603 --> 00:51:36,743 [Inskeep] What's happening here is not just the expansion 729 00:51:36,779 --> 00:51:38,819 of the United States in a new territory. 730 00:51:38,868 --> 00:51:41,648 It was an opportunity for men 731 00:51:41,697 --> 00:51:44,047 in what is now the Deep South 732 00:51:44,091 --> 00:51:46,351 to carve out brand-new plantations.. 733 00:51:46,397 --> 00:51:48,177 Just sign here. 734 00:51:48,225 --> 00:51:50,915 ...plant cotton and make a fortune. 735 00:51:50,967 --> 00:51:53,537 And it was perfectly timed for men like Jackson 736 00:51:53,578 --> 00:51:56,578 to make a lot of money. 737 00:51:56,625 --> 00:51:59,275 [male narrator] The frontiersman born in poverty 738 00:51:59,323 --> 00:52:01,203 amasses a personal fortune 739 00:52:01,238 --> 00:52:05,018 of four-and-a-half million dollars. 740 00:52:05,068 --> 00:52:08,418 But his business dealings have a devastating consequence 741 00:52:08,463 --> 00:52:12,383 resurrecting an institution on the verge of collapse. 742 00:52:13,511 --> 00:52:15,381 [dramatic music] 743 00:52:17,298 --> 00:52:21,818 Slavery serves the larger interests of the planter class. 744 00:52:21,867 --> 00:52:24,697 What it creates is tremendous economic profit 745 00:52:24,740 --> 00:52:26,610 for planters, for farmers 746 00:52:26,655 --> 00:52:30,305 and American business interest in that region. 747 00:52:33,314 --> 00:52:35,934 [Brands] Jackson did not consider himself 748 00:52:35,968 --> 00:52:38,188 an evangelist for slavery. 749 00:52:38,232 --> 00:52:40,712 But, in fact, his actions did give slavery 750 00:52:40,756 --> 00:52:42,316 a new lease on life. 751 00:52:42,366 --> 00:52:44,586 At the beginning of the 18th century, it was unclear 752 00:52:44,629 --> 00:52:47,199 whether slavery was going to remain profitable. 753 00:52:47,241 --> 00:52:48,851 And it might not have 754 00:52:48,894 --> 00:52:51,464 had Jackson and those who fought with him 755 00:52:51,506 --> 00:52:53,806 not opened up vast new territories 756 00:52:53,856 --> 00:52:55,726 to cotton culture. 757 00:52:55,771 --> 00:52:56,991 To the future of America. 758 00:52:57,033 --> 00:52:59,563 - Hm. To the future. - Future. 759 00:52:59,601 --> 00:53:01,211 [glasses clinking] 760 00:53:04,910 --> 00:53:08,130 [male narrator] The land speculation Jackson ignites 761 00:53:08,175 --> 00:53:09,995 has another consequence. 762 00:53:10,046 --> 00:53:12,656 In just three years, the price of an acre 763 00:53:12,701 --> 00:53:17,361 skyrockets from $2 to 78. 764 00:53:17,401 --> 00:53:20,451 For Davy Crockett, this betrays the promise 765 00:53:20,491 --> 00:53:22,321 of the American frontier 766 00:53:22,363 --> 00:53:24,973 one he's determined to fight for. 767 00:53:36,638 --> 00:53:39,468 [instrumental music] 768 00:53:46,300 --> 00:53:49,430 In the years since his clash with Andrew Jackson 769 00:53:49,477 --> 00:53:53,047 Davy Crockett's tried to carve out a life for himself 770 00:53:53,089 --> 00:53:54,959 in the backwoods of Tennessee. 771 00:53:58,094 --> 00:53:59,884 But in the last decade 772 00:53:59,922 --> 00:54:02,322 he's watched his beloved frontier 773 00:54:02,359 --> 00:54:04,189 disappear before his eyes. 774 00:54:06,624 --> 00:54:08,504 Thousands of acres of wilderness 775 00:54:08,539 --> 00:54:11,059 that frontiersmen have depended on for years 776 00:54:11,107 --> 00:54:14,497 have now turned into cotton farms 777 00:54:14,545 --> 00:54:18,585 and the original settlers are being pushed aside. 778 00:54:18,636 --> 00:54:22,026 [Buddy] One of Crockett's main issues was squatter's rights. 779 00:54:22,074 --> 00:54:26,214 He felt that the squatters, the settlers 780 00:54:26,253 --> 00:54:29,263 ought to be able to purchase the land they were living on 781 00:54:29,299 --> 00:54:30,779 for reasonable prices. 782 00:54:30,822 --> 00:54:33,262 And this rubbed against 783 00:54:33,303 --> 00:54:36,313 the monied, landed aristocracy 784 00:54:36,350 --> 00:54:38,700 of the southern plantation farmers. 785 00:54:42,356 --> 00:54:45,266 [male narrator] Determined to protect the way of life he believes in 786 00:54:45,315 --> 00:54:48,795 the frontiersman who grew up without formal education 787 00:54:48,840 --> 00:54:51,060 decides to run for Congress. 788 00:54:56,370 --> 00:54:58,720 [dramatic music] 789 00:55:01,113 --> 00:55:03,293 [Crockett] Some man comes along, waves a piece of paper at you 790 00:55:03,333 --> 00:55:06,993 tells you, "You can't track here anymore." I.. Hell, no. 791 00:55:07,032 --> 00:55:11,122 These land speculators and plantation owners 792 00:55:11,167 --> 00:55:14,337 never set a foot in Tennessee in their life. 793 00:55:14,388 --> 00:55:15,998 It's our families and our dreams 794 00:55:16,041 --> 00:55:18,701 that are being destroyed here. 795 00:55:18,740 --> 00:55:20,440 If we don't speak up, th.. 796 00:55:20,481 --> 00:55:23,311 They're just gonna keep right on doin' it. 797 00:55:23,353 --> 00:55:24,833 'Thank you very much.' 798 00:55:24,876 --> 00:55:26,746 [crowd applauding] 799 00:55:26,791 --> 00:55:28,141 Hi. Good to meet you. 800 00:55:30,055 --> 00:55:33,445 [male narrator] In the summer of 1827 801 00:55:33,494 --> 00:55:37,064 Davy Crockett wins in a landslide 802 00:55:37,106 --> 00:55:38,716 with a campaign built 803 00:55:38,760 --> 00:55:42,680 on bringing the frontier fight to Washington. 804 00:55:42,720 --> 00:55:45,160 David Crockett looms huge 805 00:55:45,201 --> 00:55:49,341 in the notion of what the American frontier was. 806 00:55:49,379 --> 00:55:51,689 [Buddy] He became a symbol 807 00:55:51,729 --> 00:55:54,299 of possibility, of hope 808 00:55:54,341 --> 00:55:55,951 that the common man 809 00:55:55,994 --> 00:55:59,394 could actually rise to great heights. 810 00:55:59,433 --> 00:56:01,833 A man with six months' education 811 00:56:01,870 --> 00:56:04,180 ends up in the halls of Congress. 812 00:56:04,220 --> 00:56:06,740 It's a uniquely American story. 813 00:56:10,748 --> 00:56:15,798 [male narrator] But while Crockett is entering the House of Representatives 814 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:17,800 his former militia commander 815 00:56:17,842 --> 00:56:20,672 has become one of the richest and most powerful men 816 00:56:20,715 --> 00:56:22,845 in the frontier. 817 00:56:22,891 --> 00:56:24,811 And he has his sights set 818 00:56:24,849 --> 00:56:29,379 on the highest office in the country. 819 00:56:29,419 --> 00:56:31,899 [Brands] Jackson, as a young man, he didn't see himself 820 00:56:31,943 --> 00:56:33,903 as a career politician by any means. 821 00:56:35,512 --> 00:56:38,302 But he became this national hero 822 00:56:38,341 --> 00:56:40,951 as a result of his victory at the Battle of New Orleans. 823 00:56:40,996 --> 00:56:43,036 And people began telling him 824 00:56:43,085 --> 00:56:45,295 that he could be president of the United States. 825 00:56:48,133 --> 00:56:51,143 [male narrator] For the first 40 years of America's existence 826 00:56:51,180 --> 00:56:54,050 the president hailed from either Massachusetts 827 00:56:54,096 --> 00:56:55,576 or Virginia. 828 00:56:55,619 --> 00:56:57,399 But now as more and more people 829 00:56:57,447 --> 00:56:59,487 pour into the frontier 830 00:56:59,536 --> 00:57:01,886 Jackson believes the country is ready 831 00:57:01,930 --> 00:57:03,850 for an unprecedented change. 832 00:57:05,629 --> 00:57:08,329 Andrew Jackson rose to power just at a moment 833 00:57:08,371 --> 00:57:10,901 when people were becoming conscious 834 00:57:10,939 --> 00:57:14,989 that the revolutionary generation was passing away 835 00:57:15,030 --> 00:57:17,210 and a new generation was rising 836 00:57:17,249 --> 00:57:19,379 and some of those leaders were going to come 837 00:57:19,426 --> 00:57:22,726 from a new region that had not really existed 838 00:57:22,777 --> 00:57:26,427 at the time of the American Revolution. 839 00:57:26,476 --> 00:57:30,386 [male narrator] Jackson trades on his reputation as a war hero 840 00:57:30,437 --> 00:57:32,127 and like Crockett 841 00:57:32,177 --> 00:57:35,787 paints himself as a self-made frontiersman. 842 00:57:35,833 --> 00:57:38,233 You just look at the-the political competition 843 00:57:38,270 --> 00:57:40,400 uh, for Jackson in his day. 844 00:57:40,447 --> 00:57:43,187 Uh, his main competitor was John Quincy Adams. 845 00:57:43,232 --> 00:57:45,932 Son of the president, he went to Harvard 846 00:57:45,974 --> 00:57:48,634 he spoke five different languages. 847 00:57:48,672 --> 00:57:52,242 And here's Andrew Jackson, completely self-educated. 848 00:57:54,809 --> 00:57:58,289 [male narrator] Jackson's message resonates with Americans 849 00:57:58,334 --> 00:57:59,684 across the country. 850 00:58:00,902 --> 00:58:04,472 And on December 3, 1828 851 00:58:04,514 --> 00:58:08,084 he's elected as the seventh president of the United States. 852 00:58:15,090 --> 00:58:16,530 Here's the man himself. 853 00:58:16,570 --> 00:58:18,180 [Jackson chuckles] 854 00:58:18,223 --> 00:58:21,013 Mr. President. 855 00:58:21,052 --> 00:58:23,842 [Brands] When Jackson became president in 1829 856 00:58:23,881 --> 00:58:26,011 he was the first president who was called 857 00:58:26,057 --> 00:58:28,967 and who could be considered the people's president. 858 00:58:29,017 --> 00:58:30,537 Each and every one of you men are responsible 859 00:58:30,584 --> 00:58:32,024 for this victory. 860 00:58:32,063 --> 00:58:33,543 To you. 861 00:58:33,587 --> 00:58:37,107 To you, Mr. President. 862 00:58:37,155 --> 00:58:39,975 And that was the most lasting contribution of Jackson 863 00:58:40,028 --> 00:58:42,638 because the presidency from Jackson until today 864 00:58:42,683 --> 00:58:45,383 is preeminently the office of the people. 865 00:58:53,737 --> 00:58:56,867 [male narrator] After taking office, Jackson's first priority 866 00:58:56,914 --> 00:58:59,354 is to continue American expansion. 867 00:58:59,395 --> 00:59:02,005 And that means more land. 868 00:59:02,050 --> 00:59:05,750 Andrew Jackson inherited a country in transition. 869 00:59:05,793 --> 00:59:07,533 This was a period in which 870 00:59:07,577 --> 00:59:11,097 Americans were continuing to move west. 871 00:59:11,146 --> 00:59:15,016 The population was almost doubling every 20 years. 872 00:59:15,063 --> 00:59:17,073 And he entered office 873 00:59:17,108 --> 00:59:20,588 with one overriding priority above all 874 00:59:20,634 --> 00:59:22,944 and that was to obtain more land. 875 00:59:25,377 --> 00:59:27,337 [male narrator] Jackson introduces a plan 876 00:59:27,379 --> 00:59:30,429 called the Indian Removal Act 877 00:59:30,469 --> 00:59:33,949 to the horror of his old rival, Davy Crockett. 878 00:59:37,215 --> 00:59:40,215 [Jackson] Fellow citizens of the Senate 879 00:59:40,262 --> 00:59:43,482 and of the House of Representatives 880 00:59:43,526 --> 00:59:46,566 'it gives me pleasure to announce to you..' 881 00:59:48,792 --> 00:59:50,052 ...that the benevolent policy 882 00:59:50,098 --> 00:59:53,748 in relation to the removal.. 883 00:59:53,797 --> 00:59:55,837 ...of the remaining Indians.. 884 00:59:55,886 --> 00:59:57,146 [screaming] 885 00:59:58,933 --> 01:00:00,373 ...beyond the white settlements 886 01:00:00,412 --> 01:00:03,552 by... fair exchange.. 887 01:00:03,590 --> 01:00:05,160 [screaming] 888 01:00:07,071 --> 01:00:10,601 ...is approaching a happy consummation. 889 01:00:10,640 --> 01:00:12,560 [dramatic music] 890 01:00:12,599 --> 01:00:15,469 Jackson believed that white Americans would never be secure 891 01:00:15,514 --> 01:00:19,744 from Indians as long as the two populations mingled. 892 01:00:19,780 --> 01:00:23,520 And so Jackson's policy was a policy of removal. 893 01:00:23,566 --> 01:00:25,436 People today might call it ethnic cleansing. 894 01:00:25,481 --> 01:00:27,701 And, indeed, it was. 895 01:00:27,744 --> 01:00:32,274 The general government kindly offers him a new home 896 01:00:32,314 --> 01:00:36,144 and proposes to pay the whole expense 897 01:00:36,187 --> 01:00:39,277 of his removal and settlement. 898 01:00:41,323 --> 01:00:44,283 [dramatic music] 899 01:00:44,326 --> 01:00:48,586 [male narrator] The Indian Removal Act will force 50,000 Native Americans 900 01:00:48,635 --> 01:00:52,545 from five tribes to leave their ancestral lands 901 01:00:52,595 --> 01:00:56,895 and settle 600 miles west, in modern-day Oklahoma. 902 01:00:58,819 --> 01:01:02,689 [Buddy] The Indian Removal Act was an act 903 01:01:02,736 --> 01:01:07,386 whose sole goal was to open up large swaths of ground 904 01:01:07,436 --> 01:01:09,176 to more settlement 905 01:01:09,220 --> 01:01:12,010 and to make these giant tracts of land 906 01:01:12,049 --> 01:01:16,049 available to those who could then purchase it, sell it. 907 01:01:16,097 --> 01:01:19,577 They wouldn't have to deal with the Indian problem anymore. 908 01:01:20,449 --> 01:01:22,189 [applause] 909 01:01:22,233 --> 01:01:25,803 [male narrator] The plan has widespread support 910 01:01:25,846 --> 01:01:28,276 but Crockett stands against it. 911 01:01:29,588 --> 01:01:32,288 And whoever wins.. 912 01:01:32,330 --> 01:01:36,030 ...will help decide the future of the American frontier. 913 01:01:41,209 --> 01:01:43,599 [dramatic music] 914 01:01:45,213 --> 01:01:46,743 [Jackson] 'This government' 915 01:01:46,780 --> 01:01:50,650 will purchase Indian lands 916 01:01:50,697 --> 01:01:53,177 and give them new expensive territory. 917 01:01:55,658 --> 01:01:58,268 [male narrator] President Andrew Jackson has introduced 918 01:01:58,313 --> 01:02:00,843 the Indian Removal Act to Congress. 919 01:02:00,881 --> 01:02:03,541 It would force Native Americans from their homelands 920 01:02:03,579 --> 01:02:05,929 to make way for white settlement 921 01:02:05,973 --> 01:02:08,413 and it's gaining widespread support. 922 01:02:08,453 --> 01:02:10,503 [applause] 923 01:02:10,542 --> 01:02:13,592 But one man is taking a stand against the president.. 924 01:02:14,895 --> 01:02:16,935 ...Congressman Davy Crockett. 925 01:02:17,985 --> 01:02:20,765 [indistinct chatter] 926 01:02:24,731 --> 01:02:28,341 Four of my counties border Chickasaw Country. 927 01:02:28,386 --> 01:02:32,426 I know, personally, many of their tribe. 928 01:02:32,477 --> 01:02:34,517 'They are a proud people' 929 01:02:34,566 --> 01:02:37,826 who have stood as our allies in war and in peace. 930 01:02:39,702 --> 01:02:44,272 Removal was taking the property of Native Americans 931 01:02:44,315 --> 01:02:48,055 and putting it in the hands, not just of US citizens 932 01:02:48,102 --> 01:02:51,852 but, frankly, of Andrew Jackson supporters. 933 01:02:51,888 --> 01:02:55,538 And when Davy Crockett stood up on the floor of Congress 934 01:02:55,587 --> 01:02:58,457 and spoke against the Indian Removal Act 935 01:02:58,503 --> 01:03:01,683 Crockett put not only his reputation 936 01:03:01,724 --> 01:03:05,294 but his entire political career on the line. 937 01:03:07,556 --> 01:03:09,556 There is nothing that will make me vote 938 01:03:09,601 --> 01:03:12,521 to force them off their homelands. 939 01:03:13,518 --> 01:03:16,128 Not a political party 940 01:03:16,173 --> 01:03:20,223 nor any one man, no matter how powerful he may be. 941 01:03:20,264 --> 01:03:21,404 [applause] 942 01:03:28,229 --> 01:03:30,839 [Bill] What I like best about Davy Crockett was 943 01:03:30,884 --> 01:03:32,284 he was able to change his mind. 944 01:03:32,320 --> 01:03:34,020 When he was a young man 945 01:03:34,061 --> 01:03:36,721 he participated in an Indian massacre. 946 01:03:36,759 --> 01:03:39,629 But then he opposed President Jackson 947 01:03:39,675 --> 01:03:42,845 when Jackson wanted to push the Indian Removal Act 948 01:03:42,896 --> 01:03:44,546 because he knew it was wrong. 949 01:03:50,164 --> 01:03:54,344 [Buddy] Crockett didn't care that it was Andrew Jackson's baby. 950 01:03:54,385 --> 01:03:56,685 While it was going to help people who already had money 951 01:03:56,735 --> 01:03:57,775 he thought it was wrong. 952 01:03:57,824 --> 01:03:59,964 He believed that the Indians 953 01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:03,090 had as much right to live freely as anyone else. 954 01:04:05,266 --> 01:04:07,356 [male narrator] Debate about the Indian Removal Act 955 01:04:07,398 --> 01:04:09,438 rages for five months 956 01:04:09,487 --> 01:04:12,227 both in Congress and around the country. 957 01:04:14,928 --> 01:04:17,758 And on May 26, 1830 958 01:04:17,800 --> 01:04:21,330 it's put to a vote in the House of Representatives 959 01:04:21,369 --> 01:04:24,069 and Crockett's efforts fall short. 960 01:04:26,591 --> 01:04:28,461 David Crockett is the only member 961 01:04:28,506 --> 01:04:29,856 of the Tennessee delegation 962 01:04:29,899 --> 01:04:32,079 to vote against the Indian Removal Act. 963 01:04:32,119 --> 01:04:35,429 And that was a shocking act of, uh, defiance 964 01:04:35,470 --> 01:04:37,820 of the, uh, Jackson machine. 965 01:04:41,780 --> 01:04:43,610 Davy Crockett stood his ground. 966 01:04:43,652 --> 01:04:47,222 He realized he made a mistake on that Indian massacre 967 01:04:47,264 --> 01:04:49,404 and he took the right position. 968 01:04:49,440 --> 01:04:51,790 [male #2] 'To you, Mr. President.' 969 01:04:51,834 --> 01:04:54,754 [male narrator] The measure passes by only four votes 970 01:04:54,793 --> 01:04:57,583 and is signed in to law by President Jackson 971 01:04:57,622 --> 01:04:59,452 two days later. 972 01:04:59,494 --> 01:05:01,324 [Jackson] 'It's only beginning, gentlemen.' 973 01:05:04,586 --> 01:05:06,676 [male narrator] The Indian Removal Act goes exactly 974 01:05:06,718 --> 01:05:08,418 according to Jackson's plan 975 01:05:08,459 --> 01:05:11,459 opening large parts of present-day Georgia 976 01:05:11,506 --> 01:05:14,936 Mississippi and Florida, to American expansion. 977 01:05:14,988 --> 01:05:16,598 But in the coming years 978 01:05:16,641 --> 01:05:18,381 the Indian Removal Act 979 01:05:18,426 --> 01:05:20,856 will be known by another name.. 980 01:05:24,127 --> 01:05:26,647 ...The Trail of Tears. 981 01:05:29,785 --> 01:05:32,695 [Brands] The Trail of Tears was the migration route 982 01:05:32,744 --> 01:05:37,184 from Georgia to territory west of the Mississippi River. 983 01:05:37,227 --> 01:05:39,007 It was called the Trail of Tears 984 01:05:39,055 --> 01:05:42,145 because the deaths from exposure and disease were appalling. 985 01:05:44,756 --> 01:05:47,186 [Eisenbach] The Indian Removal Act is not only a major stain 986 01:05:47,237 --> 01:05:49,977 on Jackson's legacy, it's a major stain on American History. 987 01:05:51,763 --> 01:05:54,203 Here was the US Federal Government 988 01:05:54,244 --> 01:05:56,864 getting into, what many could call 989 01:05:56,899 --> 01:05:59,769 an ethnic cleansing. 990 01:05:59,815 --> 01:06:01,815 [male narrator] Over the next two decades 991 01:06:01,860 --> 01:06:04,470 members of the Cherokee, Creek 992 01:06:04,515 --> 01:06:07,075 Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations 993 01:06:07,127 --> 01:06:09,427 are forced to march thousands of miles 994 01:06:09,477 --> 01:06:11,867 often at gunpoint. 995 01:06:11,914 --> 01:06:15,184 Over 16,000 die on the journey. 996 01:06:16,745 --> 01:06:19,785 Well, my own tribe signed a treaty in 1831 997 01:06:19,835 --> 01:06:23,925 and agreed to remove to the Indian territory. 998 01:06:23,970 --> 01:06:26,100 Most people only think of the Cherokee 999 01:06:26,146 --> 01:06:27,666 when they think of the Trail of Tears 1000 01:06:27,712 --> 01:06:29,502 and something like 25% 1001 01:06:29,540 --> 01:06:31,190 of their people died. 1002 01:06:31,238 --> 01:06:33,538 My tribe went through a trail of tears 1003 01:06:33,588 --> 01:06:35,458 as did dozens of others 1004 01:06:35,503 --> 01:06:38,993 as they were also moved to the Indian territory. 1005 01:06:39,028 --> 01:06:41,028 So the Trail of Tears was literally 1006 01:06:41,074 --> 01:06:42,954 the extermination of Indian nations 1007 01:06:42,989 --> 01:06:44,249 and Indian peoples 1008 01:06:44,294 --> 01:06:46,084 and their replacement 1009 01:06:46,122 --> 01:06:48,732 by Americans and American society. 1010 01:06:56,654 --> 01:06:58,664 In mandating the human tragedy 1011 01:06:58,700 --> 01:07:00,750 that we call the Trail of Tears 1012 01:07:00,789 --> 01:07:03,529 Jackson, in one fell swoop, cements his legacy 1013 01:07:03,574 --> 01:07:06,934 as a person willing to do whatever was necessary 1014 01:07:06,969 --> 01:07:11,409 in order to serve the interest of white settlers. 1015 01:07:11,452 --> 01:07:12,892 [male narrator] For President Jackson 1016 01:07:12,931 --> 01:07:15,591 the legislative win isn't enough. 1017 01:07:15,630 --> 01:07:19,030 The president is out for revenge on Davy Crockett. 1018 01:07:21,027 --> 01:07:22,117 [Amy] Andrew Jackson 1019 01:07:22,158 --> 01:07:25,508 made the political personal. 1020 01:07:25,553 --> 01:07:28,433 It was not enough for his side 1021 01:07:28,469 --> 01:07:30,559 his perspective to win. 1022 01:07:30,601 --> 01:07:33,301 His opponents had to be thoroughly defeated. 1023 01:07:33,343 --> 01:07:37,263 He was a genuinely dangerous man. 1024 01:07:37,304 --> 01:07:41,574 [male narrator] Their fight will force Crockett to the southwestern frontier 1025 01:07:41,612 --> 01:07:44,272 changing the course of American expansion. 1026 01:07:58,542 --> 01:08:02,762 President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act 1027 01:08:02,807 --> 01:08:06,857 despite Congressman Davy Crockett's opposition. 1028 01:08:06,898 --> 01:08:10,118 Now, Crockett is up for re-election 1029 01:08:10,163 --> 01:08:12,563 and Jackson vows to crush his rival 1030 01:08:12,600 --> 01:08:14,380 by choosing a loyal supporter.. 1031 01:08:14,428 --> 01:08:17,038 [knock on the door] 1032 01:08:17,083 --> 01:08:20,263 ...William Fitzgerald, to run against him. 1033 01:08:20,303 --> 01:08:22,313 Mr. Fitzgerald, come in. 1034 01:08:25,178 --> 01:08:27,008 Well, you don't cross Andrew Jackson 1035 01:08:27,049 --> 01:08:30,439 without there being consequences. 1036 01:08:30,487 --> 01:08:33,927 I-it's characteristic of all successful politicians 1037 01:08:33,969 --> 01:08:36,449 because they want that to be a warning sign to anybody else 1038 01:08:36,493 --> 01:08:39,153 not to cross me in the future. 1039 01:08:39,192 --> 01:08:41,112 So Jackson has to bury Crockett. 1040 01:08:42,499 --> 01:08:45,499 You will have my full support. 1041 01:08:45,546 --> 01:08:46,846 It would be an honor, sir. 1042 01:08:48,984 --> 01:08:50,814 Mr. President. 1043 01:08:50,855 --> 01:08:53,675 [dramatic music] 1044 01:08:53,728 --> 01:08:56,298 [male narrator] To ruin Crockett's political career 1045 01:08:56,339 --> 01:08:58,819 Jackson attacks his character 1046 01:08:58,863 --> 01:09:00,873 launching a smear campaign in the press.. 1047 01:09:02,780 --> 01:09:04,480 ...accusing him of being a drunk.. 1048 01:09:06,001 --> 01:09:08,051 ...a womanizer.. 1049 01:09:08,090 --> 01:09:10,570 ...and a gambler. 1050 01:09:10,614 --> 01:09:12,964 [Sam] The Jackson machine in Tennessee 1051 01:09:13,008 --> 01:09:15,358 had a tremendous amount of political influence. 1052 01:09:17,186 --> 01:09:19,186 And when Jackson decides 1053 01:09:19,232 --> 01:09:22,102 to go after Crockett's reputation 1054 01:09:22,148 --> 01:09:24,628 it becomes front-page news throughout the United States. 1055 01:09:32,506 --> 01:09:33,636 [sighs] 1056 01:09:39,426 --> 01:09:41,726 [male narrator] The attacks infuriate Crockett. 1057 01:09:43,865 --> 01:09:46,775 Davy Crockett was, in part 1058 01:09:46,824 --> 01:09:50,654 built on his reputation as a man of honor. 1059 01:09:50,698 --> 01:09:53,048 He would not stand idly by and watch 1060 01:09:53,091 --> 01:09:54,921 as people destroy that. 1061 01:10:02,057 --> 01:10:05,367 [male narrator] At a campaign stop in northwest Tennessee 1062 01:10:05,408 --> 01:10:08,458 Crockett confronts Fitzgerald. 1063 01:10:08,498 --> 01:10:10,668 Forget Davy Crockett. 1064 01:10:10,718 --> 01:10:13,938 I will give you the real voice of Tennessee in Washington. 1065 01:10:18,813 --> 01:10:20,993 When Crockett and Fitzgerald arrived 1066 01:10:21,032 --> 01:10:23,822 for one of their co-stump speeches 1067 01:10:23,861 --> 01:10:27,041 Crockett stood up and strode toward the stage 1068 01:10:27,082 --> 01:10:29,042 and said, you know, "If you continue 1069 01:10:29,084 --> 01:10:30,964 "with these casting aspersions 1070 01:10:30,999 --> 01:10:32,959 I'm going to give you a country caning." 1071 01:10:38,833 --> 01:10:42,273 Fitzgerald leveled a pistol at Crockett's chest and said 1072 01:10:42,315 --> 01:10:45,225 "Take one more step and it'll be your last." 1073 01:10:45,274 --> 01:10:48,194 [dramatic music] 1074 01:10:50,148 --> 01:10:52,058 I suggest you leave. 1075 01:11:02,552 --> 01:11:05,902 [Fitzgerald] So in addition to his moral flaws 1076 01:11:05,947 --> 01:11:07,297 it would appear that Mr. Crockett 1077 01:11:07,340 --> 01:11:09,600 is not quite as tough as he claims. 1078 01:11:14,085 --> 01:11:15,825 [Buddy] The event with William Fitzgerald 1079 01:11:15,870 --> 01:11:18,830 and the pistol was devastating to Crockett. 1080 01:11:18,873 --> 01:11:21,703 He had run part of his campaign on his courage 1081 01:11:21,745 --> 01:11:24,355 and here he was, publically slinking away 1082 01:11:24,400 --> 01:11:26,880 in front of someone. 1083 01:11:26,924 --> 01:11:29,714 It was kind of an assault to his manhood. 1084 01:11:33,366 --> 01:11:35,666 [male narrator] After a brutal campaign 1085 01:11:35,716 --> 01:11:38,806 in the fall of 1831 1086 01:11:38,849 --> 01:11:41,899 some 16,000 ballots are cast 1087 01:11:41,939 --> 01:11:44,379 in the election for Tennessee's 9th District. 1088 01:11:45,508 --> 01:11:47,288 In a stunning upset 1089 01:11:47,336 --> 01:11:50,686 Crockett loses by just 800 votes. 1090 01:11:52,689 --> 01:11:54,949 Disgraced in Washington 1091 01:11:54,996 --> 01:11:57,686 Davy Crockett returns home to Tennessee 1092 01:11:57,738 --> 01:12:00,778 with his career in ruins 1093 01:12:00,828 --> 01:12:04,528 only to find his personal life is also falling apart. 1094 01:12:08,270 --> 01:12:11,360 [Buddy] When Crockett lost his bid for Congress 1095 01:12:11,404 --> 01:12:14,284 he sort of slug home with his tail between his legs. 1096 01:12:14,320 --> 01:12:17,410 He was now broke, arriving to find out 1097 01:12:17,453 --> 01:12:19,373 that his, his wife had also left him 1098 01:12:19,412 --> 01:12:21,632 and he was living alone. 1099 01:12:21,675 --> 01:12:23,975 It was a very low, low point in his life. 1100 01:12:34,644 --> 01:12:37,344 [male narrator] In a stroke of blind luck 1101 01:12:37,386 --> 01:12:39,946 Crockett's fortunes take a turn.. 1102 01:12:45,960 --> 01:12:47,880 ...when a play based on his life 1103 01:12:47,918 --> 01:12:51,358 opens in New York City. 1104 01:12:51,400 --> 01:12:53,710 One of the things that revitalized Crockett 1105 01:12:53,750 --> 01:12:57,490 in his career was the creation of this play 1106 01:12:57,537 --> 01:12:59,627 called "The Lion Of The West.." 1107 01:13:03,107 --> 01:13:06,417 ...which was clearly, uh, a depiction of Crockett. 1108 01:13:09,418 --> 01:13:12,248 At the beginning, Crockett was sort of offended by this. 1109 01:13:12,290 --> 01:13:14,600 He felt like he was being made fun of 1110 01:13:14,641 --> 01:13:16,601 but as it turned out 1111 01:13:16,643 --> 01:13:20,953 the play actually made him an international celebrity. 1112 01:13:27,741 --> 01:13:30,531 [male narrator] As Crockett's fame as a frontiersman grows 1113 01:13:30,570 --> 01:13:34,230 the US population explodes. 1114 01:13:34,269 --> 01:13:36,009 Over the next four years 1115 01:13:36,053 --> 01:13:38,623 it balloons to 17 million. 1116 01:13:41,145 --> 01:13:43,445 As the old frontier is dominated 1117 01:13:43,496 --> 01:13:46,366 by cotton plantations and settlements.. 1118 01:13:50,111 --> 01:13:53,941 ...pioneers looking for land stream further west 1119 01:13:53,984 --> 01:13:55,774 across modern-day Mississippi 1120 01:13:55,812 --> 01:13:58,862 Alabama and Arkansas 1121 01:13:58,902 --> 01:14:02,212 into a new frontier full of opportunity 1122 01:14:02,253 --> 01:14:05,433 a Mexican territory called Texas. 1123 01:14:08,521 --> 01:14:10,911 One of the attractions of Texas 1124 01:14:10,958 --> 01:14:12,528 to the Americans who went there 1125 01:14:12,568 --> 01:14:15,088 when Texas was part of Mexico 1126 01:14:15,136 --> 01:14:19,786 was precisely that it was foreign territory. 1127 01:14:19,836 --> 01:14:22,796 [Brands] It was this place where you could go 1128 01:14:22,839 --> 01:14:25,579 if things weren't going well for you wherever you were 1129 01:14:25,625 --> 01:14:27,575 because it provided opportunity. 1130 01:14:29,455 --> 01:14:32,065 Americans discovered because land was cheap 1131 01:14:32,109 --> 01:14:34,549 they would get title to land 1132 01:14:34,590 --> 01:14:37,200 and then the land would increase in value 1133 01:14:37,245 --> 01:14:38,585 and they'd eventually sell it 1134 01:14:38,638 --> 01:14:40,808 and become wealthy as a result of this. 1135 01:14:47,777 --> 01:14:50,477 [male narrator] In 1835 1136 01:14:50,519 --> 01:14:54,259 Crockett leaves Tennessee behind.. 1137 01:14:54,305 --> 01:14:58,785 ...hoping his name can help jump start a new life in Texas. 1138 01:15:01,138 --> 01:15:02,578 But instead of opportunity.. 1139 01:15:04,359 --> 01:15:06,839 ...Crockett's about to find himself 1140 01:15:06,883 --> 01:15:09,543 in the middle of an all-out war. 1141 01:15:15,675 --> 01:15:18,545 [dramatic music] 1142 01:15:30,994 --> 01:15:34,524 [male narrator] After his reputation is shredded by Andrew Jackson 1143 01:15:34,563 --> 01:15:36,573 Davy Crockett heads west.. 1144 01:15:38,698 --> 01:15:42,618 ...looking for a fresh start in Texas 1145 01:15:42,658 --> 01:15:46,918 a rugged frontier territory across the border in Mexico. 1146 01:15:50,057 --> 01:15:52,017 For years, the Mexican government 1147 01:15:52,059 --> 01:15:53,709 has encouraged foreign settlement 1148 01:15:53,756 --> 01:15:55,626 to increase their population 1149 01:15:55,671 --> 01:15:59,681 offering families 4000 acres at low prices. 1150 01:16:02,896 --> 01:16:05,196 [Miller] Mexicans were encouraging Americans and others 1151 01:16:05,246 --> 01:16:08,116 to move, uh, into Texas and offering land. 1152 01:16:08,162 --> 01:16:10,732 But, of course, the stipulation was that, uh 1153 01:16:10,773 --> 01:16:12,603 they had to abide by the rules of Mexico. 1154 01:16:12,645 --> 01:16:15,125 And for the most part, Americans generally lived 1155 01:16:15,169 --> 01:16:17,209 relatively peacefully. 1156 01:16:20,522 --> 01:16:23,442 One of the attractions of Texas 1157 01:16:23,481 --> 01:16:26,751 to the Americans who went there when Texas was part of Mexico 1158 01:16:26,789 --> 01:16:30,659 was precisely that it was foreign territory. 1159 01:16:30,706 --> 01:16:32,926 They had bad memories, bad debts 1160 01:16:32,969 --> 01:16:35,889 there were people who were after them in the United States 1161 01:16:35,929 --> 01:16:38,629 and they went to Texas. 1162 01:16:38,671 --> 01:16:42,851 [male narrator] By 1836, 45,000 Americans move here. 1163 01:16:44,154 --> 01:16:46,814 Davy Crockett is one of them. 1164 01:16:52,815 --> 01:16:55,905 Unsure what awaits him. 1165 01:16:55,949 --> 01:16:57,909 [instrumental music] 1166 01:17:00,867 --> 01:17:04,217 [Buddy] Crockett went to Texas, clearly, to start over. 1167 01:17:04,261 --> 01:17:06,741 He'd lost his last bid for Congress 1168 01:17:06,786 --> 01:17:10,046 and he was going to Texas to get land 1169 01:17:10,093 --> 01:17:14,533 and to look at possible political opportunity. 1170 01:17:17,623 --> 01:17:21,633 [male narrator] Jackson may have destroyed Crockett's career in Washington 1171 01:17:21,670 --> 01:17:24,500 but in Texas, he's hailed as a frontier legend. 1172 01:17:24,542 --> 01:17:27,462 [crowd cheering] 1173 01:17:30,331 --> 01:17:34,991 As David Crockett arrived in the Texas outpost towns 1174 01:17:35,031 --> 01:17:38,511 he began to notice that people were already lining the streets 1175 01:17:38,556 --> 01:17:40,776 waiting for his arrival. 1176 01:17:40,820 --> 01:17:43,650 People in Texas heard that he was coming 1177 01:17:43,692 --> 01:17:47,832 and would have big feasts and parties for him. 1178 01:17:53,746 --> 01:17:56,656 [instrumental music] 1179 01:17:58,533 --> 01:18:01,493 And you spent time, uh, in the militia, as well? 1180 01:18:01,536 --> 01:18:04,316 [male narrator] As Crockett begins to settle in 1181 01:18:04,365 --> 01:18:08,275 he realizes Texas is on the verge of rebellion. 1182 01:18:11,285 --> 01:18:13,415 After years of loose governance 1183 01:18:13,461 --> 01:18:15,551 Mexican President, Santa Anna 1184 01:18:15,593 --> 01:18:18,643 suddenly imposes new restrictions on settlers. 1185 01:18:18,684 --> 01:18:20,734 Now, angry Texans 1186 01:18:20,773 --> 01:18:23,693 are calling for revolution. 1187 01:18:23,732 --> 01:18:27,612 Texas was on the verge of independence 1188 01:18:27,649 --> 01:18:29,389 that the Texians, as they were called 1189 01:18:29,433 --> 01:18:32,743 were going to try to become independent from Mexico. 1190 01:18:32,785 --> 01:18:35,565 And there would be possibilities of land 1191 01:18:35,613 --> 01:18:39,273 and political opportunity. 1192 01:18:39,313 --> 01:18:42,583 [male narrator] In response, Santa Anna sends 500 troops 1193 01:18:42,620 --> 01:18:45,360 to confiscate weapons and quell unrest. 1194 01:18:47,060 --> 01:18:49,760 When Texans refuse to give in 1195 01:18:49,802 --> 01:18:52,502 he makes plans to retaliate. 1196 01:18:55,503 --> 01:18:57,813 [Sam] Santa Anna is training an army 1197 01:18:57,853 --> 01:19:01,033 in San Luis Potosi to march against Texas. 1198 01:19:01,074 --> 01:19:04,604 Santa Anna did not think that this was a local insurgency. 1199 01:19:04,642 --> 01:19:07,822 He was absolutely convinced the United States was involved 1200 01:19:07,863 --> 01:19:10,563 and so that's why the Mexican government 1201 01:19:10,605 --> 01:19:12,295 was so determined to put down this revolt. 1202 01:19:14,827 --> 01:19:17,827 [male narrator] Crockett arrives in Texas at the same time 1203 01:19:17,873 --> 01:19:20,753 as news of Santa Anna's counter-attack. 1204 01:19:23,836 --> 01:19:25,926 [Buddy] When Crockett had gone to Texas, it was really just 1205 01:19:25,968 --> 01:19:29,838 meant to be an extended hunting expedition and land scout 1206 01:19:29,885 --> 01:19:33,445 and he bumbles right into a war for independence. 1207 01:19:35,761 --> 01:19:38,591 But a number of things happened, uh, along the way. 1208 01:19:40,896 --> 01:19:44,806 One was the appearance of Halley's Comet. 1209 01:19:44,857 --> 01:19:46,157 And when Halley's Comet 1210 01:19:46,206 --> 01:19:49,906 appeared in the sky in 1836 1211 01:19:49,949 --> 01:19:52,079 some people thought that it meant 1212 01:19:52,125 --> 01:19:54,255 that David Crockett was coming to Texas 1213 01:19:54,301 --> 01:19:56,001 to fight for independence. 1214 01:20:04,877 --> 01:20:07,657 [indistinct chatter] 1215 01:20:11,231 --> 01:20:13,151 We could use somebody like you, Crockett. 1216 01:20:17,063 --> 01:20:18,633 Oh, yeah? 1217 01:20:18,673 --> 01:20:19,723 [male narrator] To remove the stain 1218 01:20:19,761 --> 01:20:21,201 on his character 1219 01:20:21,241 --> 01:20:24,811 Crockett finds himself drawn into war. 1220 01:20:26,202 --> 01:20:27,642 Hell, I'll join you boys. 1221 01:20:27,682 --> 01:20:30,512 [cheering] 1222 01:20:30,554 --> 01:20:31,734 Hell or Texas, right? 1223 01:20:31,773 --> 01:20:33,213 [all] Hell or Texas! 1224 01:20:33,253 --> 01:20:34,433 Hell or Texas! 1225 01:20:34,471 --> 01:20:37,871 [all] Hell or Texas! 1226 01:20:37,910 --> 01:20:40,740 [male narrator] What began as a fresh start in Texas 1227 01:20:40,782 --> 01:20:43,572 is now a call to arms. 1228 01:20:49,182 --> 01:20:52,272 [dramatic music] 1229 01:20:52,315 --> 01:20:55,445 As the situation in Texas escalates 1230 01:20:55,492 --> 01:20:57,362 back in Washington 1231 01:20:57,407 --> 01:20:59,977 President Jackson sees the unrest 1232 01:21:00,019 --> 01:21:02,759 as a new opportunity to expand. 1233 01:21:04,545 --> 01:21:07,895 Andrew Jackson knew that America was a young country 1234 01:21:07,940 --> 01:21:09,810 and needed more territory. 1235 01:21:09,855 --> 01:21:12,465 He saw in Texas enormous energy 1236 01:21:12,509 --> 01:21:15,859 timber, agricultural resources 1237 01:21:15,904 --> 01:21:19,914 a land mass that many Americans in the future could move to 1238 01:21:19,952 --> 01:21:21,172 and he wanted them. 1239 01:21:23,172 --> 01:21:25,572 [Brands] Jackson believed that 1240 01:21:25,609 --> 01:21:28,219 Texas ought to be part of the United States. 1241 01:21:28,264 --> 01:21:30,924 Jackson attempted to purchase Texas from Mexico 1242 01:21:30,963 --> 01:21:34,233 after Mexico became independent of Spain. 1243 01:21:34,270 --> 01:21:36,450 But Mexico didn't wanna sell Texas. 1244 01:21:36,490 --> 01:21:39,540 And so Jackson tried to figure out 1245 01:21:39,580 --> 01:21:40,970 "How can I deal with this?" 1246 01:21:43,671 --> 01:21:45,721 [male narrator] To avoid war with Mexico 1247 01:21:45,760 --> 01:21:47,280 Jackson wants Texas 1248 01:21:47,327 --> 01:21:50,417 to declare independence on its own. 1249 01:21:50,460 --> 01:21:53,940 But what he doesn't realize is that his plan will hinge 1250 01:21:53,986 --> 01:21:57,026 on the actions of his long-time rival. 1251 01:21:57,076 --> 01:21:59,986 [dramatic music] 1252 01:22:03,996 --> 01:22:06,256 In February 1836 1253 01:22:06,302 --> 01:22:10,522 two hundred and sixty men move towards San Antonio.. 1254 01:22:14,441 --> 01:22:16,881 [marching band music] 1255 01:22:18,880 --> 01:22:21,010 ...as Mexican general, Santa Anna 1256 01:22:21,056 --> 01:22:24,966 marches 4000 soldiers toward Texas. 1257 01:22:27,454 --> 01:22:30,894 The two forces will soon clash at an old Spanish fort. 1258 01:22:35,897 --> 01:22:38,247 Its name is The Alamo. 1259 01:22:43,165 --> 01:22:47,125 And his stand here will make Crockett an American icon. 1260 01:22:48,866 --> 01:22:49,996 Alright, close it up. 1261 01:22:56,309 --> 01:22:57,919 [male narrator] Next time, on the conclusion 1262 01:22:57,963 --> 01:23:00,793 of "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.." 1263 01:23:00,835 --> 01:23:03,925 [indistinct chatter] 1264 01:23:03,969 --> 01:23:06,799 ...Davy Crockett makes a valiant last stand. 1265 01:23:06,841 --> 01:23:09,501 [screaming] 1266 01:23:11,933 --> 01:23:14,243 A new president plots a covert war 1267 01:23:14,283 --> 01:23:17,203 to gain California and Texas. 1268 01:23:17,243 --> 01:23:20,123 [Walter] Polk isn't content to just look at Texas. 1269 01:23:20,159 --> 01:23:22,249 He's going to look broader, beyond that. 1270 01:23:22,291 --> 01:23:25,081 Polk wants the entire continent. 1271 01:23:28,167 --> 01:23:30,127 [male narrator] Famed explorer, John Fremont.. 1272 01:23:30,169 --> 01:23:31,559 We made it! 1273 01:23:31,605 --> 01:23:33,995 ...opens the Oregon Trail. 1274 01:23:34,042 --> 01:23:35,912 [Brands] He was known as the Great Pathfinder. 1275 01:23:35,957 --> 01:23:37,217 Fremont was the one 1276 01:23:37,263 --> 01:23:41,403 who made the expansion real. 1277 01:23:41,441 --> 01:23:45,841 [male narrator] His partner is legendary frontiersman, Kit Carson. 1278 01:23:45,880 --> 01:23:48,360 Before there were all the cliches of the west 1279 01:23:48,404 --> 01:23:49,844 there was Kit Carson. 1280 01:23:49,884 --> 01:23:52,544 Brutally honest, very violent 1281 01:23:52,582 --> 01:23:54,722 but lived true to a code. 1282 01:23:54,758 --> 01:23:59,678 His legacy in many ways is kind of the ultimate Westerner. 1283 01:23:59,720 --> 01:24:01,110 [male narrator] Together, they start a revolution 1284 01:24:01,156 --> 01:24:02,976 on the Pacific coast.. 1285 01:24:03,028 --> 01:24:05,728 Let's go! 1286 01:24:05,769 --> 01:24:06,859 [male narrator] ...battling new enemies.. 1287 01:24:06,901 --> 01:24:07,861 [gunshot] 1288 01:24:11,036 --> 01:24:13,256 ...to realize a long-held dream 1289 01:24:13,299 --> 01:24:16,219 a nation stretching from sea to sea. 1290 01:24:16,258 --> 01:24:17,518 [screaming] 1290 01:24:18,305 --> 01:25:18,747 Watch Full HD Movies & TV Shows with Subtitles for Free ---> osdb.link/tv