Explorers, Pioneers, and Frontiersmen
Sam Houston
1793-1863
Sam Houston was born near Lexington, Virginia, the son of a Revolutionary War veteran. The family moved to Tennessee around 1806, following the death of his father. Houston was adopted by a Cherokee family; he learned their language and customs. During the War of 1812, Houston served with Andrew Jackson in the campaign against the Creeks in 1814. He was seriously wounded at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Following the war, Jackson helped Houston secure a position as the Indian Agent for the Cherokee. Houston studied law and was admitted to practice in 1818. Politics beckoned and he served in the House of Representatives as a Democrat from Tennessee in 1823. Four years later he was elected governor. In 1829, while Houston was running for reelection, his wife left him; this was a major scandal in that era. Rumors circulated about alcoholism—a charge that would recur throughout his career—and Houston resigned. He moved to the Arkansas Territory (present-day Oklahoma), ran a trading post and married a Cherokee woman. Rumors of alcohol abuse resurfaced. Around 1833, Houston relocated to the Texas area where he initially avoided participation in the budding independence movement. However, after conflict erupted, Houston headed the ragtag revolutionary army. He bore much criticism for lack of initiative from both his soldiers and the politicians, but in truth the Texan force was badly outnumbered by the Mexicans and well-advised to avoid a direct confrontation. The issue of alcoholism at this juncture once again plagued Houston. In April 1836, Houston’s force routed the Mexicans in the Battle of Jan Jacinto, the decisive engagement of the Texan Revolution. Houston’s fame was assured. Later that year he was elected the first president of the Lone Star Republic and again in 1841 when he secured statehood recognition from the United States. Following statehood, Houston served in the U.S. Senate from 1846 to 1860 where stories of hard liquor, fast women, and frequent fistfights followed him. During the Mexican War, Houston was a supporter of the “All Mexico” position, arguing that the United States should annex the entire country. Houston’s political views are difficult to categorize. He was a slave owner and stridently opposed abolitionist efforts. However, he was cautious about the extension of slavery into new territories and adamantly opposed secession. In 1859, Houston was elected governor of Texas, but in 1861 he opposed the state’s vote to secede and refused to swear allegiance to the Confederacy. He was promptly removed from office. As a larger-than-life figure of the first half of the 19th century, Sam Houston's stature was probably exceeded only by Andrew Jackson.
Off-site search results for "Sam Houston"... Sam Houston
Sam Houston Sam Houston arrived at Washington-on-the-Brazos on February 29, 1836, where he served as a delegate to the constitutional convention. On March 6, Travis' final request of help (dated March 3) reached the convention. HoustSam Houston Sam Houston arrived at Washington-on-the-Brazos on February 29, 1836, where he served as a delegate to the constitutional convention. On March 6, Travis' final request of help (dated March 3) reached the convention. HoustSam Houston arrived at Washington-on-the-Brazos on February 29, 1836, where he served as a delegate to the constitutional convention. On March 6, Travis' final request of help (dated March 3) reached the convention. Houston, who ...
http://www.thealamo.org/sam_houston.htm
Sam Houston Defends the Alamo
Do you know what it means?Sam Houston had already served in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor of Tennessee when he moved to Texas in 1832. At the time he arrived, Texas was part of Mexico and the site of rising tensiSam Houston had already served in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor of Tennessee when he moved to Texas in 1832. At the time he arrived, Texas was part of Mexico and the site of rising tensions and ...
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/tx/houston_1
PBS - THE WEST - Sam Houston
... R S-Z Sam Houston (1793-1863) A sometimes volatile and often contradictory man, Sam Houston played a crucial role in the founding of Texas. Houston was born into a military family in Virginia in 1793. His father, an army major who hadSam Houston (1793-1863) A sometimes volatile and often contradictory man, Sam Houston played a crucial role in the founding of Texas. Houston was born into a military family in Virginia in 1793. His father, an army major who hadSam Houston played a crucial role in the founding of Texas. Houston was born into a military family in Virginia in 1793. His father, an army major who had served ...
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/d_h/houston.htm
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