Sam Houston
Sam Houston was as legend reports a big man about six foot and six inches tall. He was an exciting historical figure and war hero who was involved with much of the early development of our country and Texas. He was a soldier, lawyer, politician, businessman, and family man, whose name will be synonymous with nation heroes who played a vital part in the shaping of a young and prosperous country. He admired and supported the Native Americans who took him in and adopted him into their culture to help bridge the gap between the government and a noble forgotten race. Sam Houston succeeded in many roles he donned as a man, but the one most remembered is the one of a true American hero.
On March 2, 1793, Samuel Houston was born to Major Sam Houston and Elizabeth Paxton Houston. He was the fifth of nine children. Born at Timber Ridge, Rockbridge County, in the Shenandoah Valley. At the age of thirteen, his father, Major Sam Houston, died suddenly at Dennis Callighan's Tavern near present-day Callaghan, Virginia in Alleghany County, 40 miles west of Timber Ridge while on militia inspections. Mrs. Elizabeth Houston took her nine children to a farm on Baker Creek in Tennessee. Samuel was unhappy with farming and storekeeping, so he ran away from home to live with the Cherokees on Hiwasee Island in the Tennessee River near present-day Dayton, Tennessee. At the age of seventeen, Sam returned to his family for a short period of time and then returned back to the Cherokees where, he was adopted by Chief Oo-Loo-Te-Ka and given the Indian name, "The Raven." Two years later, Sam returned to Maryville, Tennessee, where he opened a successful private school.
On his twentieth birthday Sam Houston enlisted in the regular army as a private. Within the year, he was promoted to Third Lieutenant to the 39th Infantry Regiment where Houston was badly wounded twice at The Battle of Horseshoe Bend during the War of 1812. The battle took place on the Tallapoosa River near present-day Alexander City, Alabama. His courage in combat caught the attention of General Andrew Jackson who promoted him to Second Lieutenant. In 1816 Houston was named an Indian sub-agent in Tennessee and soon after was promoted to First Lieutenant. Houston led a delegation of Cherokees to Washington, D.C. to meet with Secretary of War John C. Calhoun and President James Monroe. While there...
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...iloh. The Houston family moved back to Huntsville and rented a Steamboat House.
On July 26, Sam Houston died of pneumonia in the Steamboat House at Huntsville. He was seventy years old at the time of his death. His grave is located in north Huntsville in the Oakwood Cemetery. Houston chose this location across the street from where the Steamboat House once stood.
Sam Houston was important to our nation's history because he was a true hero. He stood up for his beliefs, served his country, and took charge in actively shaping a nation by starting with its largest state, Texas. He was strong enough to fight for the rights of Native Americans and face the consequences. There were issues he did not agree with and he strove to change those issues, but he still remained loyal to the United States because he knew that it would grow with its freedom and remain a strong force. His speeches on freedom and virtue has helped shape the laws of our nation. He was a war hero, politician, and a true frontier legend.
Sources:
Sam's Houston's MainPage. http://www.norfacad.pvt.k12.va.us/project/houston/houston.htm
Sam Houston Memorial Museum, Huntsville, Texas. http://www.shsu.edu/~smm_www/
Ulysses Simpson Grant, the 18th President of the United States of America, was a significant influence on American history. Throughout his life, he always felt an exceptional commitment to the American military. This man helped the Union defeat the Confederates in the American Civil War and contributed to Americans during the Reconstruction time period, in hopes that America would be a fully industrialized nation. Grant displays many important military and political leadership roles in American society.
...of the crucial replies to Travis’s letter even after the lieutenant colonels’ death was the defeat a decade later of Santa Ana’s army led by Sam Houston which is currently is the backbone of the history of Texas Revolution.
When studying Texas History there are names such as Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, and William Barrett Travis that are often brought up into discussion. These men had rolls of vital importance to the cause of revolution; however, other names such as Juan Nepomuceno Seguin may be much more obscure to those unaware of the rolls that such men played. Juan Seguin is mostly remembered as the currier to whom William Barrett Travis commissioned with the delivery of a letter to General Sam Houston requesting reinforcements and whose words were so inspiring that it may have given the Texans the push they needed to claim victory over the Mexican President Santa Anna. After independence was achieved from Mexico, Texas formed its own government in which Seguin served as a member of the Texas Senate. Seguin eventually lost all credibility and was forced to flee to Mexico because of accusations of betrayal. Was Juan Seguin’s participation in the Texas revolution limited to his delivery of the Travis letter to Sam Houston? Other than his participation at the Alamo and at San Jacinto, how significant of a part did Juan Seguin play in the Texas revolution? What lead to Seguin’s fall from favor in the eyes of the Texas government and earned him the label of traitor?
Sam struck out with one grand assault on Texas officialdom by announcing himself a candidate for Governor in the 1857 election. But his votes on Kansas and other Southern measures could not be explained away to an angry constituency, and Texas handed Sam Houston the first trouncing of his political career. On November 10, 1857, Sam Houston was unceremoniously dismissed by the Texas Legislature and a more militant spokesman for the South elected as his successor. In the fall of 1859, the aging warrior again ran as an independent candidate for Governor, again with no party, no newspaper and no organization behind him, and making but one campaign speech. Houston delivered his inaugural address directly to the people from the steps of the Capitol, instead of before a joint session of the Legislature.
George Washington set a legacy that we are still following and are inspired by today. His legacy that has been handed down for generations and for many generations to come, is one that provides our country with leadership and is the foundation of our country’s strength. George Washington is also known as the father of our country. After the American Revolution George Washington actually wanted to retire to his home in Mount Vernon. He refused to accept payment for his service in the Army. However, his country needed a good humble man like himself, and he could not say no to helping the country get started. Washington helped with the making of the Constitution, and he was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. The Constitution is still the law of the land 226 years later. He was elected as our first president in 1789. George Washington had to face some major problems as the first president of the United States. One was he had to build the foundation of our government. Right now our current presidents have to deal with world issues and debt. George Washington had to build the government from the ground up. Also, you have to realize that this is a baby country. This country that he is leading just got its independence from Great Britain, where they had a monarchy g...
Written by Randolph B. Campbell and edited by Mark C. Carnes, Sam Houston and the American Southwest tells the story of the life of Sam Houston. Sam Houston, born in 1793 in Tennessee, was a soldier, lawyer, and also one of the founding fathers of the state of Texas. This biography of Sam Houston goes on to describe the life of Sam Houston in topics such as presidential elections he ran in, wars he has fought, friends and rivals of Houston, his personal life, marriages, wins, defeats, and changes he brought upon the United States of America. Sam Houston was liked by the majority of people, he looked up to Andrew Jackson who was his general when Sam Houston joined the army in his 20’s. This book goes into depth to portray to the reader of the type of person Sam Houston was including his strengths, weaknesses, and the fact that he was an alcoholic and despite all that, he was a very intelligent and noble man of U.S. history as we now know.
The siege, fall and ensuing massacre of nearly two hundred Alamo defenders at the hands of Mexican General, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna y Perez de Lebron’s army of over five thousand was a defining moment in both Texan, and American history. For 13 days against insurmountable odds, a small, but very determined Texan garrison force fended off an equally determined Mexican Army ordered to capture it. I’ll discuss the events and political climate leading up to the siege, key historic figures involved on both sides, the siege itself, along with events immediately following the battle. The iconic phrase, “Remember the Alamo!” would later go on to become a rallying cry at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Simon Bolivar not only gained independence for Venezuela but accomplished many noble achievements such as helping to liberate Ecuador, unite nations, and put in place a notable influence in the seal of American liberty in December 1824. His efforts to unify Latin America today are still very much prevalent. Throughout Latin America, he is still thought upon as an icon and a Latin American Independence Leader all over the world.
On September 17, 1858 Dred Scott died of tuberculosis. He only lived as a free man for one and a half years. He is buried in St. Louis in the Blow family plot in Calvary Cemetery. Harriet lived on and is believed to have died in 1870. Dred Scott like many other African Americans helped abolish slavery forever in the United States of America.
Samuel Maverick was not native to Texas, but got here as quick as he could. In short Maverick was Texas and what Texas still is today: Independent, proud and loyal. Influencing Texas for the better, Samuel Maverick was an important person in Texas history. He was a man of his word and someone who cared deeply about his state. Throughout his life, he demonstrated what it means to be a true Texan and how to fight for what you believe in. The word “maverick” means “someone who is an independent thinker.” The word relates back to Samuel Maverick, someone who thought originally and influenced many individuals in Texas history and in today’s society.
Random House, Inc. (n.d.). "Wampanoag's." . Retrieved March 3, 2011, from Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.: Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
Jesse Woodson James was born on September 5, 1847 in Western Missouri. Jesse’s father, a Baptist minister, Robert Salle James and his mother Zerelda Cole. Jesse had one whole brother Frank James and other half and step siblings. Jesse’s father died when he was a young boy and his mother remarried more than once. When Jesse was 17 he married a young girl, who was also his first cousin, named Zerelda Mimms. They had 2 children, Jesse Jr. and Mary. (O’Brien)
John Tyler changed history in many ways, besides the fact that he along with forty-three other men got to take the sacred oath and helped run the United States. Although, John Tyler is said to be the only President to be an enemy of the United States he did play a big role in history. (Lisa DeMauro 18) He was responsible for claiming the biggest state in the United States, Texas. (Ed. Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle). However, he is mainly known for being the first president sworn into office due to the death of President William Henry Harrison. This made him the first unelected president. (Ed. Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle). Due to that reason John Tyler is unlike any other President and that’s how John Tyler got to be the tenth President of the United State of America
resulted in respiratory failure, while hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was interred next to his wife in
George Washington is arguably the single most important figure in all of American history. As the first President of this nation, he set the stage for what the public head was supposed to act like and do as well as established many rules for a lot of the ideology that America has today. Historians believe that he is the major reason all of the American presidents prior to Franklin Delano Roosevelt only served for two terms and the reason they did a lot of what they did publically in the sight of America. Today, everyone in the world knows the name George Washington and knows what he’s done to create the world everyone lives in today. He kept America from becoming another monarch and brought it to eventually be a great power