Chief Tecumseh Leads War Against U.S. | The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen (S1, E3)

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(male narrator) Previously on "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.." Lewis and Clark achieve the impossible.. ...reaching the Pacific.. ...claiming new land for the US.. ...and infuriating Great Britain. By 1812.. [clamoring] ...the frontier is again a battleground.. [grunting] ...and America's survival.. ...is once more in peril. [grunting] [Zayde Wolf singing "Born Ready"] ♪ I've been the last one standin' ♪ ♪ When all the giants fell ♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa ♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa ♪ I won't shiver I won't shake ♪ I'm made of stone I don't break ♪ ♪ Staring at the pressure now ♪ I won't quit not backing down ♪ ♪ I was born ♪ Born ready ♪ I was born ♪ Born ready ♪ Open my eyes turn me loose ♪ And you'll see why ♪ I was born ♪ Born ready ♪ [men screaming] (male narrator) Across the northern frontier the US is fighting its second war in 30 years against Great Britain and its Native American allies and it's losing. [men screaming] [men screaming] [dramatic music] [screaming] [screaming] Aah! [music continues] Legendary war chief, Tecumseh has already captured a key American fort. In an unprecedented move the Shawnee leader has united warriors from two dozen different tribes. He now leads them in raids meant to drive American settlers from native lands. His goal, create a pan-Indian nation west of the Appalachians. It's a mission that fills America's leaders with fear. (Eisenbach) This Pan-Indian alliance was a nightmare for the American government. This could potentially seriously would impede, uh, the forward progress of the future United States. And so, he had to be eliminatd because this possibility was too much for the American government to accept. (male narrator) By 1813, Tecumseh's warriors dominate a large area in the Ohio Valley territory that Britain ceded to the US after the revolution. To secure the frontier the US government assigns a seasoned soldier to confront Tecumseh.. ...one of the few men who has defeated him in the past his long-time adversary William Henry Harrison. (Amy) The leadership of the United States believed that Tecumseh's alliance with Britain could be a factor, a major factor in the US possibly losing the war. I don't know if William Henry Harrison had a personal vendetta against Native Americans but his military career is defined by that. He was well known as ruthless. And when it comes to the War of 1812 he has this inherent vitriol. He wanted Tecumseh dead. (male narrator) As Harrison prepares to march north the fight for the frontier escalates in the south.. ...as Britain encourages a breakaway group of Creek Indians known as the Red Sticks to attack settlements inciting fear throughout the south. [screaming] [gunshot] They destroy an American outpost killing 500 men, women and children.. ...in what becomes known as the Fort Mims Massacre. (Brands) They decided to raise the banner of war against the whites to resist white encroachment. And if they would have taken the position that this was, uh, simply a defense of their homeland. But to American settlers, it represented a grave threat to the security of the American frontier. [dramatic music] (male narrator) With the army fighting Tecumseh on the northern front President Madison calls on the militia closest to the Mississippi Territory to defend the south. In Tennessee.. ...one commander has been waiting for the chance to join the fight. His name.. ...is Andrew Jackson. This was a person who started life very much at the bottom very much on his own and was determined to make something of himself. And so, one way for an ambitious young person to rise would be to go to war and to win glory in war. (male narrator) Jackson's the perfect man for the job. He's spent a lifetime building a reputation as a man who gets results. Ten years earlier.. ...he was a tough backcountry judge known for taking the law into his own hands. (Brands) There was one instance where there was a particularly vicious bully who was wanted for murder and no one wanted to arrest him. So he decides to take it on himself. [dramatic music] (Amy) Andrew Jackson was a loose cannon. He would take bullwhips to people. He pursued duels long after duels were out of fashion. He would come to blows with people. There are countless examples of when he just took matters into his own hands. One of the most famous stories of Jackson is how he gets into a bar fight gets shot in the arm, uh and just right before the doctor is about to amputate he grabs the doctor and says "You cut off my arm, I'm gonna kill you." There was nothing that was gonna keep him down including an infection from a bullet in his arm. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Now, Jackson has the greatest opportunity of his life. He leads more than 2500 volunteer militiamen south to destroy the Red Stick faction. But first, he has to find the. As Jackson searches for the Red Stick warriors in the north, William Henry Harrison and his 3000 troops are just a day's march from Tecumseh's camp near Lake Erie. The Shawnee war chief is planning his own revenge. Two years earlier Harrison destroyed Tecumseh's capital Prophetstown. Now, Tecumseh meets with his British allies to plan a carefully coordinated ambush. [speaking in foreign language] He says, "If your men can hold the line our men can take care of the rest." [dramatic music] (male narrator) The British will attack Harrison's army as they march and push them towards the woos where Tecumseh and his warrios will be waiting to crush them as they retreat. (Donald) Tecumseh knows that Harrison is leading this force. It's gonna be a gun fight. And one of them is not gonna survive that day. (male narrator) On October 5, 1813 Tecumseh and his men take their positions for a battle that could help decide the outcome of the war and the future of the United States itself. [instrumental music] On the banks of the Thames River Tecumseh and 500 warriors from half a dozen tribes wait to attack US forces. [dramatic music] Tecumseh's British allies plan to strike William Henry Harrison's troops head on forcing them to retreat into the woods where native warriors will ambush them from behind. [speaking in foreign language] [indistinct yelling] [gunshots in distance] (male narrator) Suddenly, the British enter the woods.. ...but they're not attacking. [gunshot] They're retreating. [men screaming] The British last less than five minutes. And the Native American forces were outnumbered three to one. Tecumseh realizes that he has to make a stand because if he retreats they might not be able to build another army. [shouts in foreign language] [gun firing] [men screaming] (male narrator) William Henry Harrison has his bitter rival pinned down caught between the Thames River and the American troops. [dramatic music] [grunting] [gunshot] [grunts] [intense music] (Amy) Tecumseh's forces held and they held as long as they possibly could. But without the British, it was a slaughter. [men yelling] [gunshot] (male narrator) When Tecumseh is killed by Harrison's forces.. ...his Native American confederacy dies with him. [shallow breathing] I can only imagine what Tecumseh must have been feeling when he realized he'd been abandoned by the Brits. How it must have felt to put your trust in white man and then have that trust betrayed and it cause your downfall. The death of Tecumseh was an incalculable loss for Native America. In the wake of, of losing him and losing the forces who fought with him the pan-tribal confederacy failed. (Donald) Shawnee people are never as powerful and influential as they were under Tecumseh and so, it's a situation of having to come to the negotiating table of having to sign treaties with the United States Government. And they do. (male narrator) After years of fighting the Shawnee are finally defeated and Tecumseh's dream of regaining a native homeland in the Ohio Valley is lost. For the United States victory at the Battle of the Thames is a turning point in the war. They regain control in the north. But 600 miles to the south the frontier is still in chao. Andrew Jackson's leading a campaign to find the Red Stick warriors responsible for the Fort Mims Massacre. His militia searches the wilderness for weeks.. ...and finds nothing. (Inskeep) One of the wonders of this period for Americans is to realize how very different the American landscape was then. There were relatively few people it was mostly wilderness. And into this wilderness came an army of several thousand men that was very poorly supplied. They were having to live off the land. In the end, what they did was nearly starve. (male narrator) By October, 1813 Jackson's running out of time. If he can't find the Creek Tribe he risks losing his volunteers to desertion. But a new recruit has just joined his militia. His name is Davy Crockett. [dramatic music] (Buddy) Crockett became famous as a hunter on the frontier over the course of a long period of time of learning how to exist in the woods. He claimed to have shot, in a seven-month period a hundred and five black bears. [gunshot] When Crockett joined the militia he was perfect to chase rogue Creeks then got to observe how they moved through landscape. It was something that he, in fact, emulated. (male narrator) With just six months of formal schooling young Crockett's real educatin comes from the frontier itsel. (Buddy) Crockett came from a tradition of woodsmen and he would've learned from his father and his uncles how to hunt. He learned how to track he learned how to identify sin scat, broken twigs. [gunshot] (male narrator) Now, Crockett uses his frontier skills to track the Creek Tribe for General Jackson. [dramatic music] (Rinella) It's just a harrowing undertaking to do this. He wasn't carrying modern-day, cutting-edge technology. So you needed to be an expert tracker and woodsman. You look at all the sign around you and the tracks and the markings and the trees. You look at everything as being something that is gonna affect my next decision where the Indians might be. [dramatic music] (male narrator) In just two weeks, Crockett finds their village and the Americans prepare for revenge. (male narrator) In late 1813, on the northern frontier victories by the US diminish the threat posed by Britain's Native American allies. But to the south native raids are destroying settlements spreading panic throughout what is now Alabama. [crows crowing] General Andrew Jackson has been ordered to eliminate the Creek Indians responsible for killing over 500 settlers at Fort Mims. After weeks of searching, Davy Crockett has found them.. ...giving Jackson all the information he needs to attack. (Jackson) 'Split the men into two columns.' We'll arrive here before the sun rises. 'We'll cross the river at the low point here and here.' (Coffee) 'Yes, sir.' Not a single one of them makes it out. Prepare the men. (Coffee) 'Scouts!' (Brands) Jackson took the position that the Indians had started this round of war by massacring whites. And he also believed the lesson to be taught to them was you don't massacre whites without expecting a comparable reprisal. You kill or you be killed. That was the world he lived in and that was the life he chose. (male narrator) In the early morning hours nine hundred Tennessee militia including Davy Crockett, surround the village. [dramatic music] [music continues] [gunshots] [screaming] [indistinct yelling] [grunting] [screaming] [grunting] [screaming] [grunting] [breathing heavily] [breathing heavily] [screaming] [dramatic music] [screaming] [groaning] [gunshot] (male narrator) In only minutes, 186 Creek warriors are killed. And women and children are burned alive in their homes.. ...in what comes to be known as the Battle of Tallushatchee. [dramatic music] Jackson allowed his men to engage in the most bloody reprisal to teach the Indians a lesson so they wouldn't do this agai. And it was as a consequence of this that people came to recognize his ability to defend the country against its enemies. [instrumental music] [screaming] Tallushatchee is called the Battle of Tallushatchee but it was really more like the Massacre of Tallushatchee. They burned 46 people to death. (Buddy) It was bedlam. [instrumental music] As Crockett phrased it later, "We shot them like dogs." (Eisenbach) The ruthlessness of Jackson's war against the Creeks was something that really shook, uh, Davy Crockett and reshaped the way he's looking, uh at America's treatment of the Native Americans. He kind of realizes that th-there's a senselessness to this slaughter and it really changes him, uh, as a person. [instrumental music] (male narrator) After the battle Crockett is sickened by the massacre.. ...and chooses to leave the volunteer militia. [horse neighing] (Jackson) 'Morning.' 'Where are you men off to this morning?' (Crockett) 'We're goin' home.' No. You're going to turn around and go back to your tents. We're volunteer militia. I will not ask again. You're gonna shoot your own men? Do not test me. Fire on my command. (male narrator) After the massacre of over 200 Native American men women and children Davy Crockett chooses to leave the Tennessee militia.. Return to your camp! ...but is caught by his commander, Andrew Jackson. (Brands) Jackson tried to hold the army together. And maintaining and establishing military discipline was hard. Jackson would not brook this walking away by the troops. This is the last time I will give you the option. [guns cocking] [dramatic music] I will not ask again. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Crockett stands down.. ...and grudgingly stays in camp. (Buddy) Crockett had mixed emotions about what he was doing. Obviously, he was serving his country and, I think, looked at it really more as a job. It was something that he had to do. The whole idea of killing Indian families whole Indian families.. ...didn't sit well with him. Colonel. [Crockett sighs] You asked to see me, sir? You're a disgrace.. ...to yourself, to your family and to your country. What I did for you at that village.. ...I will never do that again. You're a coward. [dramatic music] When you look at this divide between Crockett and Jackson you can kind of see, uh, the divide that gets to the heart of the American frontier. On one hand, most Americans looked at the treatment of the Native Americans as just another step in the forward path of progress. Davy Crockett sees the inherent injustice of the ruthless massacring o-of the Creek Indians. (male narrator) When his service is over Crockett heads home to Tennessee. Jackson and Crockett certainly started in similar fashions. Both were born in log cabins both came from humble beginnings. But w-what Crockett saw in the Creek War with Jackson's treatment of Indians it started a rift that would really open up later in Crockett's life. (male narrator) Jackson doesn't stop at avenging Fort Mims. He launches a series of brutal attacks on the Red Sticks.. [dramatic music] ...killing hundreds and sending a powerful messag. They were targets of a scorched-earth campaign. There was no law of war that was really respected. (male narrator) By early 1814 Jackson has crushed the Red Stick faction.. ...and he forces the rest of the Creek Nation to negotiate a treaty even though they had nothing to do with the conflict. (Inskeep) Jackson said to them they must surrender millions of acres of their own land to the United States Governmet as a kind of compensation for the war. Jackson actually described it as a national security measure. He said that by taking over this land the United States would isolate the remaining rebels. But the reality was that he was taking millions of acres of real estate. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Jackson seizes major parts of Alabama and Georgia nearly 22 million acres of land. The United States has now quelled the Native American threat on the frontier. But as they begin to turn the tide of the War of 1812 the British devise a new plan. After forcing Napoleon into exile they commit additional troops to America invading the East Coast in Baltimore. [cannons firing] (Petraeus) During the War of 1812 the British almost brought the United States to its knees. Ultimately, the British sack Washington and, and burn the White House. [dramatic music] (male narrator) After capturing America's capital.. ...Britain turns to the most important port on the frontier.. ...New Orleans. The city controls access to the Mississippi River providing a highway to British forts in Canada. The British had a huge advantage over the United States in the War of 1812 because the British had the most powerful navy in the world. It meant that the British could move their troops from here, there along the coast and always beat the Americans to wherever they wanted to ge. If they captured New Orleans they could go up the Mississippi and connect with British forces coming down from Canada. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Knowing Britain will attack New Orleans.. ...the US turns to its new war hero Andrew Jackson. (Inskeep) Here emerged from Tennessee this general who organized an army managed to keep it together by force of will and crushed the Creek Nation. (male narrator) Jackson's determined to win. He has a powerful and personal hatred of Britain dating back to his childhood. In the fall of 1781 Jackson was held as a prisoner of war during the revolution. (male #1) 'On your feet.' [grunts] [dramatic music] (Brands) As a, a young teenager Andrew Jackson rode as a courier for the American forces against the British who eventually captured him and put him in a prisoner-of-war camp. (male narrator) He lost two brothers during the war. His mother also perished in the conflict. Jackson suspected the British of all evil things. He detested the British. If you wanted to get a rise out of Andrew Jackson all you had to do was mention Britain or the British. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Now, he has a shot at revenge if Jackson can lead his men through Louisiana's deadly swamp lands and get to New Orleans before the enemy. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Deep in the southern frontier Andrew Jackson is marching to the port of New Orleans to defend it against a coming British attack. But while the British have the advantage of traveling by sea.. ...Jackson must get there by land. And he faces a massive obstacle.. ...the Louisiana swamps. The Atchafalaya Basin is the biggest swamp in the country covering nearly 1000 square miles. And Jackson has to cross it with 1500 men, artillery and supplies. [dramatic music] This was an era before good roads. In fact, in that region of the country there were hardly any roads. To get several thousand troops to New Orleans with all their equipment was an extreme difficulty. Get that end, get that end. (Mykel) When you're talking about going through those swamps, you're talkin' about water that gets neck deep at times gators everywhere poisonous snakes everywhere, very aggressive. Mosquitoes have got to be just eating them alive. They got very thick clothing on, they've got to be sweating. You're talking about an absolute misery fest. (male narrator) Jackson works his men around the clock.. Park down here. We gotta go. ...improvising bridges to haul a two-ton cannon through the bog. (Jackson) 'Up, up!' [Jackson grunts] 'Hold, hold, hold, hold!' 'Bring the wood! Let's go, let's go! You're holding up!' It doesn't have to look pretty, just secure. - 'Let's go!' - One, two, pull! I want one man here, one man here, and one man there! Work the wood down! 'Keep them straight now!' (Coffee) 'One, two, pull!' (male narrator) Under Jackson's command they maintain a pace of 25 miles a day. (Brands) It was at this moment that Jackson's leadership became really most apparent. And up! Roll! Jackson's soldiers, whatever they thought about the British whatever they thought about the Indians whatever they thought about American policy they would follow Andrew Jackson to the gates of hell. (Jackson) 'Push, boys, push!' Put your backs into it! (male narrator) Finally... Come on, men! ...after two weeks of grueling work.. ...Jackson arrives in New Orleans.. ...knowing the British could land any minute. [grunting] [instrumental music] New Orleans was hugely important, uh, at that time and still is, uh, for that matter. In-in many respects, it's the, the gateway to the inland waterways that were so critical to that part of the United States. So retaining that port, this great trading port which has access to all of these waterways uh, was absolutely vital. (male narrator) Jackson races to build fortifications at key entry points around the city to force the British to attack him where he's strongest. But to do it, he needs all the manpower he can get. (Inskeep) He didn't have much of an army but he assembled one from the forces that were available ranging from Kentucky Frontiersmen to some of his own Tennessee loyalists to New Orleans militia to an African-American militia unit to river pirates who were engaged because they had cannon and could fire them and even local Indians all became part of Jackson's military force. And he welded them together in an effective way. (male narrator) In all, Jackson has about 4500 men. When the British finally apper they have 60 warships and 15,000 men. The Americans are outnumbered by more than three to one. Who's willing to suffer more for victory, men? (male narrator) General Jackson has 4500 men arrayed against a British force outnumbering him by more than three to one. His mission, hold New Orleans at all costs. (Francois) All trade west of the Appalachians flowed down the Ohio River and into the Mississippi and out through the port of New Orleans. It was the most critical choke point for the American continent. [dramatic music] Prepare to fire! Hold! (male narrator) Jackson plans a way to give his inferior force an advantage. He positions his men with the Mississippi to the right and dense swampland to the left.. ...forcing the British to charge uphill.. ...on a narrow strip of land without cover. Hold! Fire! [guns firing] Fire! Reload! (Inskeep) From behind cotton bales and other obstacles.. ...Jackson's men, in relative security could open fire on charging British troops. Fire! Fire at will, men! Fire at will! Had they met the British troops in an open battlefield things would've been completely different. [gunshots] But as it turned out, the British charged right where Jackson would've wanted them to and they did it very badly, and they were slaughtered. (male narrator) Over ten days of ferocious battle.. [indistinct yelling] Fire! [cannons firing] ...Jackson and his men push back every unrelenting wave of British assault. [gunshots] Finally, after devastating losses British forces withdraw. (Brands) The figures were unbelievable. Over 2000 British casualties. Less than a hundred on the American side. And it's at that moment that Andrew Jackson becomes the great military hero of the American people. Andrew Jackson was often thought of as the second coming of George Washington. George Washington wins independence for the United States Andrew Jackson defends independence for the United States. (male narrator) The victory at New Orleans propels Jackson to national fame.. ...and secures his legacy as an American hero. But what American and British forces at New Orleans don't know is that before the battle begn the War of 1812 was already over. Just over three weeks earlier half a world away, in Belgium representatives of the United States and Britain sign a treaty ending almost three years of war between the two nations. (Walter) There's already a peace treaty. It just takes that long for news to cross the Atlantic and get to New Orleans. But it really doesn't matter to the American nation. All they know and all they want to focus on is that they have beat the British Empire and having done that, nothing is impossible and we're now going to look westward across the American continent and expand. (male narrator) In the Treaty of Ghent Britain formally recognizes that the US now controls all the native lands that were once part of the Mississippi Territory. Alabama and Mississippi are now open for settlement. [dramatic music] After his victory at the Battle of New Orleans a grateful government assigns Andrew Jackson the job of surveying this new territory. [music continues] And he immediately senses opportunity to grow one of America's most profitable crops.. ...cotton. When Jackson went off on military expeditions he had his eye out for land that could also grow cotton. And one of the big attractions of the land in what would become Alabama, Mississippi was the fact that it was very well suited to growing cotton. (male narrator) Over the next two years Jackson uses his position to buy vast tracts of land at low cost then sell it at a profit to wealthy plantation owners. (Jackson) Gentlemen. [sighs] Everything we discussed.. ...is in this contract, if you'd like to look it over. (Inskeep) What's happening here is not just the expansion of the United States in a new territory. It was an opportunity for men in what is now the Deep South to carve out brand-new plantations.. Just sign here. ...plant cotton and make a fortune. And it was perfectly timed for men like Jackson to make a lot of money. (male narrator) The frontiersman born in poverty amasses a personal fortune of four-and-a-half million dollars. But his business dealings have a devastating consequence resurrecting an institution on the verge of collapse. [dramatic music] Slavery serves the larger interests of the planter class. What it creates is tremendous economic profit for planters, for farmers and American business interest in that region. (Brands) Jackson did not consider himself an evangelist for slavery. But, in fact, his actions did give slavery a new lease on life. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was unclear whether slavery was going to remain profitable. And it might not have had Jackson and those who fought with him not opened up vast new territories to cotton culture. To the future of America. - Hm. To the future. - Future. [glasses clinking] (male narrator) The land speculation Jackson ignites has another consequence. In just three years, the price of an acre skyrockets from $2 to 78. For Davy Crockett, this betrays the promise of the American frontier one he's determined to fight for. [instrumental music] In the years since his clash with Andrew Jackson Davy Crockett's tried to carve out a life for himself in the backwoods of Tennessee. But in the last decade he's watched his beloved frontier disappear before his eyes. Thousands of acres of wilderness that frontiersmen have depended on for years have now turned into cotton farms and the original settlers are being pushed aside. (Buddy) One of Crockett's main issues was squatter's rights. He felt that the squatters, the settlers ought to be able to purchase the land they were living on for reasonable prices. And this rubbed against the monied, landed aristocracy of the southern plantation farmers. (male narrator) Determined to protect the way of life he believes in the frontiersman who grew up without formal education decides to run for Congress. [dramatic music] (Crockett) Some man comes along, waves a piece of paper at you tells you, "You can't track here anymore." I.. Hell, no. These land speculators and plantation owners never set a foot in Tennessee in their life. It's our families and our dreams that are being destroyed here. If we don't speak up, th.. They're just gonna keep right on doin' it. 'Thank you very much.' [crowd applauding] Hi. Good to meet you. (male narrator) In the summer of 1827 Davy Crockett wins in a landslide with a campaign built on bringing the frontier fight to Washington. David Crockett looms huge in the notion of what the American frontier was. (Buddy) He became a symbol of possibility, of hope that the common man could actually rise to great heights. A man with six months' education ends up in the halls of Congress. It's a uniquely American stor. (male narrator) But while Crockett is entering the House of Representatives his former militia commander has become one of the richest and most powerful men in the frontier. And he has his sights set on the highest office in the country. (Brands) Jackson, as a young man, he didn't see himself as a career politician by any means. But he became this national hero as a result of his victory at the Battle of New Orleans. And people began telling him that he could be president of the United States. (male narrator) For the first 40 years of America's existence the president hailed from either Massachusetts or Virginia. But now as more and more peope pour into the frontier Jackson believes the country is ready for an unprecedented change. Andrew Jackson rose to power just at a moment when people were becoming conscious that the revolutionary generation was passing away and a new generation was risig and some of those leaders were going to come from a new region that had not really existed at the time of the American Revolution. (male narrator) Jackson trades on his reputation as a war hero and like Crockett paints himself as a self-made frontiersman. You just look at the-the political competition uh, for Jackson in his day. Uh, his main competitor was John Quincy Adams. Son of the president, he went to Harvard he spoke five different languages. And here's Andrew Jackson, completely self-educated. (male narrator) Jackson's message resonates with Americans across the country. And on December 3, 1828 he's elected as the seventh president of the United States. Here's the man himself. [Jackson chuckles] Mr. President. (Brands) When Jackson became president in 1829 he was the first president who was called and who could be considered the people's president. Each and every one of you men are responsible for this victory. To you. To you, Mr. President. And that was the most lasting contribution of Jackson because the presidency from Jackson until today is preeminently the office of the people. (male narrator) After taking office, Jackson's first priority is to continue American expansion. And that means more land. Andrew Jackson inherited a country in transition. This was a period in which Americans were continuing to move west. The population was almost doubling every 20 years. And he entered office with one overriding priority above all and that was to obtain more land. (male narrator) Jackson introduces a plan called the Indian Removal Act to the horror of his old rival, Davy Crockett. (Jackson) Fellow citizens of the Senate and of the House of Representatives 'it gives me pleasure to announce to you..' ...that the benevolent policy in relation to the removal.. ...of the remaining Indians.. [screaming] ...beyond the white settlements by...fair exchange.. [screaming] ...is approaching a happy consummation. [dramatic music] Jackson believed that white Americans would never be secure from Indians as long as the two populations mingled. And so Jackson's policy was a policy of removal. People today might call it ethnic cleansing. And, indeed, it was. The general government kindly offers him a new home and proposes to pay the whole expense of his removal and settlement. [dramatic music] (male narrator) The Indian Removal Act will force 50,000 Native Americans from five tribes to leave their ancestral lands and settle 600 miles west, in modern-day Oklahoma. (Buddy) The Indian Removal Act was an act whose sole goal was to open up large swaths of ground to more settlement and to make these giant tracts of land available to those who could then purchase it, sell it. They wouldn't have to deal with the Indian problem anymore. [applause] (male narrator) The plan has widespread support but Crockett stands against i. And whoever wins.. ...will help decide the future of the American frontier. [dramatic music] (Jackson) 'This government' will purchase Indian lands and give them new expensive territory. (male narrator) President Andrew Jackson has introduced the Indian Removal Act to Congress. It would force Native Americans from their homelands to make way for white settlement and it's gaining widespread support. [applause] But one man is taking a stand against the president.. ...Congressman Davy Crockett. [indistinct chatter] Four of my counties border Chickasaw Country. I know, personally, many of their tribe. 'They are a proud people' who have stood as our allies in war and in peace. Removal was taking the property of Native Americans and putting it in the hands, not just of US citizens but, frankly, of Andrew Jackson supporters. And when Davy Crockett stood up on the floor of Congress and spoke against the Indian Removal Act Crockett put not only his reputation but his entire political career on the line. There is nothing that will make me vote to force them off their homelands. Not a political party nor any one man, no matter how powerful he may be. [applause] (Bill) What I like best about Davy Crockett was he was able to change his mind. When he was a young man he participated in an Indian massacre. But then he opposed President Jackson when Jackson wanted to push the Indian Removal Act because he knew it was wrong. (Buddy) Crockett didn't care that it was Andrew Jackson's baby. While it was going to help people who already had money he thought it was wrong. He believed that the Indians had as much right to live freely as anyone else. (male narrator) Debate about the Indian Removal Act rages for five months both in Congress and around the country. And on May 26, 1830 it's put to a vote in the House of Representatives and Crockett's efforts fall short. David Crockett is the only member of the Tennessee delegation to vote against the Indian Removal Act. And that was a shocking act of, uh, defiance of the, uh, Jackson machine. Davy Crockett stood his ground. He realized he made a mistake on that Indian massacre and he took the right position. (male #2) 'To you, Mr. President.' (male narrator) The measure passes by only four votes and is signed in to law by President Jackson two days later. (Jackson) 'It's only beginning, gentlemen.' (male narrator) The Indian Removal Act goes exactly according to Jackson's plan opening large parts of present-day Georgia Mississippi and Florida, to American expansion. But in the coming years the Indian Removal Act will be known by another name. ...The Trail of Tears. (Brands) The Trail of Tears was the migration route from Georgia to territory west of the Mississippi River. It was called the Trail of Tears because the deaths from exposure and disease were appalling. (Eisenbach) The Indian Removal Act is not only a major stain on Jackson's legacy, it's a major stain on American History. Here was the US Federal Government getting into, what many could call an ethnic cleansing. (male narrator) Over the next two decades members of the Cherokee, Creek Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations are forced to march thousands of miles often at gunpoint. Over 16,000 die on the journe. Well, my own tribe signed a treaty in 1831 and agreed to remove to the Indian territory. Most people only think of the Cherokee when they think of the Trail of Tears and something like 25% of their people died. My tribe went through a trail of tears as did dozens of others as they were also moved to the Indian territory. So the Trail of Tears was literally the extermination of Indian nations and Indian peoples and their replacement by Americans and American society. In mandating the human tragedy that we call the Trail of Tears Jackson, in one fell swoop, cements his legacy as a person willing to do whatever was necessary in order to serve the interest of white settlers. (male narrator) For President Jackson the legislative win isn't enough. The president is out for revenge on Davy Crockett. (Amy) Andrew Jackson made the political personal. It was not enough for his side his perspective to win. His opponents had to be thoroughly defeated. He was a genuinely dangerous man. (male narrator) Their fight will force Crockett to the southwestern frontier changing the course of American expansion. [dramatic music] President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act despite Congressman Davy Crockett's opposition. Now, Crockett is up for re-election and Jackson vows to crush his rival by choosing a loyal supporter. [knock on the door] ...William Fitzgerald, to run against him. Mr. Fitzgerald, come in. Well, you don't cross Andrew Jackson without there being consequences. I-it's characteristic of all successful politicians because they want that to be a warning sign to anybody else not to cross me in the future. So Jackson has to bury Crockett. You will have my full support. It would be an honor, sir. Mr. President. [dramatic music] (male narrator) To ruin Crockett's political career Jackson attacks his character launching a smear campaign in the press.. ...accusing him of being a drunk.. ...a womanizer.. ...and a gambler. (Sam) The Jackson machine in Tennessee had a tremendous amount of political influence. And when Jackson decides to go after Crockett's reputation it becomes front-page news throughout the United States. [sighs] (male narrator) The attacks infuriate Crockett. Davy Crockett was, in part built on his reputation as a man of honor. He would not stand idly by and watch as people destroy that. (male narrator) At a campaign stop in northwest Tennessee Crockett confronts Fitzgerald. Forget Davy Crockett. I will give you the real voice of Tennessee in Washington. When Crockett and Fitzgerald arrived for one of their co-stump speeches Crockett stood up and strode toward the stage and said, you know, "If you continue "with these casting aspersions I'm going to give you a country caning." Fitzgerald leveled a pistol at Crockett's chest and said "Take one more step and it'll be your last." [dramatic music] I suggest you leave. (Fitzgerald) So in addition to his moral flaws it would appear that Mr. Crockett is not quite as tough as he claims. (Buddy) The event with William Fitzgerald and the pistol was devastating to Crockett. He had run part of his campaign on his courage and here he was, publically slinking away in front of someone. It was kind of an assault to his manhood. (male narrator) After a brutal campaign in the fall of 1831 some 16,000 ballots are cast in the election for Tennessee's 9th District. In a stunning upset Crockett loses by just 800 votes. Disgraced in Washington Davy Crockett returns home to Tennessee with his career in ruins only to find his personal life is also falling apart. (Buddy) When Crockett lost his bid for Congress he sort of slug home with his tail between his legs. He was now broke, arriving to find out that his, his wife had also left him and he was living alone. It was a very low, low point in his life. (male narrator) In a stroke of blind luck Crockett's fortunes take a turn.. ...when a play based on his life opens in New York City. One of the things that revitalized Crockett in his career was the creation of this play called "The Lion Of The West." ...which was clearly, uh, a depiction of Crockett. At the beginning, Crockett was sort of offended by this. He felt like he was being made fun of but as it turned out the play actually made him an international celebrity. (male narrator) As Crockett's fame as a frontiersman grows the US population explodes. Over the next four years it balloons to 17 million. As the old frontier is dominated by cotton plantations and settlements.. ...pioneers looking for land stream further west across modern-day Mississippi Alabama and Arkansas into a new frontier full of opportunity a Mexican territory called Texas. One of the attractions of Texas to the Americans who went there when Texas was part of Mexico was precisely that it was foreign territory. (Brands) It was this place where you could go if things weren't going well for you wherever you were because it provided opportunity. Americans discovered because land was cheap they would get title to land and then the land would increase in value and they'd eventually sell it and become wealthy as a result of this. (male narrator) In 1835 Crockett leaves Tennessee behind.. ...hoping his name can help jump start a new life in Texas. But instead of opportunity.. ...Crockett's about to find himself in the middle of an all-out war. [dramatic music] (male narrator) After his reputation is shredded by Andrew Jackson Davy Crockett heads west.. ...looking for a fresh start in Texas a rugged frontier territory across the border in Mexico. For years, the Mexican government has encouraged foreign settlement to increase their population offering families 4000 acres at low prices. (Miller) Mexicans were encouraging Americans and others to move, uh, into Texas and offering land. But, of course, the stipulation was that, uh they had to abide by the rules of Mexico. And for the most part, Americans generally lived relatively peacefully. One of the attractions of Texas to the Americans who went there when Texas was part of Mexico was precisely that it was foreign territory. They had bad memories, bad debts there were people who were after them in the United States and they went to Texas. (male narrator) By 1836, 45,000 Americans move here. Davy Crockett is one of them. Unsure what awaits him. [instrumental music] (Buddy) Crockett went to Texas, clearly, to start over. He'd lost his last bid for Congress and he was going to Texas to get land and to look at possible political opportunity. (male narrator) Jackson may have destroyed Crockett's career in Washington but in Texas, he's hailed as a frontier legend. [crowd cheering] As David Crockett arrived in the Texas outpost towns he began to notice that people were already lining the streets waiting for his arrival. People in Texas heard that he was coming and would have big feasts and parties for him. [instrumental music] And you spent time, uh, in the militia, as well? (male narrator) As Crockett begins to settle in he realizes Texas is on the verge of rebellion. After years of loose governane Mexican President, Santa Anna suddenly imposes new restrictions on settlers. Now, angry Texans are calling for revolution. Texas was on the verge of independence that the Texians, as they were called were going to try to become independent from Mexico. And there would be possibilities of land and political opportunity. (male narrator) In response, Santa Anna sends 500 troops to confiscate weapons and quell unrest. When Texans refuse to give in he makes plans to retaliate. (Sam) Santa Anna is training an army in San Luis Potosi to march against Texas. Santa Anna did not think that this was a local insurgency. He was absolutely convinced the United States was involved and so that's why the Mexican government was so determined to put down this revolt. (male narrator) Crockett arrives in Texas at the same time as news of Santa Anna's counter-attack. (Buddy) When Crockett had gone to Texas, it was really just meant to be an extended hunting expedition and land scout and he bumbles right into a war for independence. But a number of things happened, uh, along the way. One was the appearance of Halley's Comet. And when Halley's Comet appeared in the sky in 1836 some people thought that it meant that David Crockett was coming to Texas to fight for independence. [indistinct chatter] We could use somebody like you, Crockett. Oh, yeah? (male narrator) To remove the stain on his character Crockett finds himself drawn into war. Hell, I'll join you boys. [cheering] Hell or Texas, right? (all) Hell or Texas! Hell or Texas! (all) Hell or Texas! (male narrator) What began as a fresh start in Texas is now a call to arms. [dramatic music] As the situation in Texas escalates back in Washington President Jackson sees the unrest as a new opportunity to expan. Andrew Jackson knew that America was a young country and needed more territory. He saw in Texas enormous energy timber, agricultural resources a land mass that many Americans in the future could move to and he wanted them. (Brands) Jackson believed that Texas ought to be part of the United States. Jackson attempted to purchase Texas from Mexico after Mexico became independent of Spain. But Mexico didn't wanna sell Texas. And so Jackson tried to figure out "How can I deal with this?" (male narrator) To avoid war with Mexico Jackson wants Texas to declare independence on its own. But what he doesn't realize is that his plan will hinge on the actions of his long-time rival. [dramatic music] In February 1836 two hundred and sixty men move towards San Antonio.. [marching band music] ...as Mexican general, Santa Anna marches 4000 soldiers toward Texas. The two forces will soon clash at an old Spanish fort. Its name is The Alamo. And his stand here will make Crockett an American icon. Alright, close it up. (male narrator) Next time, on the conclusion of "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.." [indistinct chatter] ...Davy Crockett makes a valiant last stand. [screaming] A new president plots a covert war to gain California and Texas. (Walter) Polk isn't content to just look at Texas. He's going to look broader, beyond that. Polk wants the entire continent. (male narrator) Famed explorer, John Fremont.. We made it! ...opens the Oregon Trail. (Brands) He was known as the Great Pathfinder. Fremont was the one who made the expansion real. (male narrator) His partner is legendary frontiersman, Kit Carson. Before there were all the cliches of the west there was Kit Carson. Brutally honest, very violent but lived true to code. His legacy in many ways is kind of the ultimate Westerner. (male narrator) Together, they start a revolution on the Pacific coast.. Let's go! (male narrator) ...battling new enemies.. [gunshot] ...to realize a long-held drem a nation stretching from sea to sea. [screaming]

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Channel: HISTORY

Views: 757,317

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Keywords: history, history channel, history channel shows, history special, history documentary, watch history channel, watch history show, men who built america, frontier, frontiersman, american west, westward expansion, manifest destiny, season 1, The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen, The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen full episodes, American History, Live Free or Die, US History, Davy Crockett, Andrew Jackson, the men who built america show, watch the men who built america

Id: qByL2JEHle0

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Length: 84min 44sec (5084 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 08 2023