“He died as he lived” is a fairly common sentiment among mourners. However, this axiom cannot apply all the time, and Davy Crockett’s death might be one such exception. There is still much debate over the circumstances of his death, with many historians treating it as the most essential part of his legend. The event, however, matters less than what came before. Crockett’s death, though the end of a saga, is largely a side note compared to the rest of his legendary career.
The critics of Crisp care about Crockett’s death because to them, Crockett represents the nation. The version that goes down swinging shows tenacity, bravery, and determination, while the version that is captured and executed implies cowardice and suggests that America can be overpowered by another nation. Crisp spent a long time analyzing the letters he received in response to his work and the motivations behind the racist language often used in them. (140). He concluded that people reacted so harshly because of the racial overtones history attributed to the Texan revolution (150). As he mentions in previous chapters, the Texan revolution had little to do with race (41). Instead, racism crept into the retelling as Tejanos and Mexican sympathizers were erased from the record (150). This, combined with the national adoration Crockett gained from Disney’s movie, made the idea of his submission and execution almost unbearable to the public. People, conditioned to racism, did not want to believe that lowly Mexicans could humiliate such a great American. They expressed this through writings and paintings until what they wanted to believe became popularly accepted. Ironically, by doing this, they ignored yet another sympathetic Mexican, General Castrillion, the man who supposedly offered Crockett safety (126). These critics fashion Crockett’s death as the defining moment of his life.
The manner of Crockett’s death is not, however, relevant to his position as a legend. The Disney perspective is certainly romantic, but I am not betrayed by the possibility that Crockett surrendered. One reason for this is that I was born after the time of Disney’s movie, and Crockett has since faded back into relative obscurity. The fears that he addressed in the 50s are now less relevant; Communism is not the looming threat it once was, television has been accepted into society, and the rest of the concerns of post-war America don’t seem to matter. Also, I recognize that he has been pumped up, warped, and inflated over the last several decades, so I tend to regard his portrayal as the quintessential American hero with a little skepticism. As such, his execution at the hands of the Mexicans does not hold much symbolic value. The main lesson the proponents of the ‘fighting death’ want to take away is that independence is worth more than life; however, this point is already made when Crockett chooses to remain with the doomed defenders.
The significant parts of his legend come from his life. The mere fact that he chose to fight at the Alamo displays enough courage and determination for me; the details are not important; he made his decision and accepted the consequences. However he died, his life was what is important.