How can people judge the actions of their nation's hero in the past? There are two choices when deciding how we perceive a person, by the standards of the past or the present. One of the important figures of the American nation of the past, David Crockett, falls into this category. He lived a life of legend and myth. His story was revived and celebrated in the 1950s, but can he be considered an American hero today? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay David Crockett was born August 17, 1786, in Green County, East Tennessee. His parents were John and Rebecca Crockett. He grew up in a large family and is the fifth of nine children. “His father's extreme poverty left him unable to educate his children and, at a very young age, David was put to work.” At that time, David's father hired him and taught him how to shoot guns, do odd jobs, and herd livestock from a young age. After returning home, he attended school for only six months. David's various skills that he learned during his youth on the Tennessee frontier would later help him become a popular figure in his time. David Crockett's military career began in 1813 when he enlisted as a "scout in the militia under the command of Major John Gibson." He joined the cause to avenge the Creek Nation's attack on Fort Mims, Alabama. The War of 1812 was taking place at the same time as the Creek War. David Crockett's primary tasks during the Creek War were to forcibly remove the swamp Indians of Florida. General Andrew Jackson requested support from the Tennessee militia to help remove British forces from Spanish Florida. In 1814, the Treaty of Fort Jackson was signed, ending the Creek War with the Creeks ceding twenty-one million acres of territory to the U.S. government. Upon completion of his duties in the War of 1812 and the Creek War, Crockett was discharged as fourth sergeant of the army in 1815. These events in Crockett's military career would give him an everlasting impression on the issues Native Americans and Andrew Jackson. .Crockett continued his political and military career. In 1815 he was elected lieutenant in the Thirty-second Regiment of Franklin County Militia. He became a justice of the peace in 1817. In 1818 he was elected colonel of the Fifty-seventh Militia Regiment and also a town commissioner in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. In 1821, he resigned as Lawrenceburg commissioner to run for the House of Representatives. . He won the race and was elected to represent Lawrence and Hickman counties in Tennessee. At this time in his career he was very interested in the public lands politics of Wild West Tennessee. He introduced bills whose main goal was to help landowners occupying the West. His position in the western lands would be one of his main platforms throughout his life as a public servant. In 1825, he lost his first bid for Congress. In 1826, David Crockett returned to his private business. In 1827, David Crockett won election to the United States House of Representatives. He was re-elected in 1829. At that time, he openly disagreed with President Andrew Jackson and the Tennessee delegation on many issues. These topics were specifically land reform and the Indian Removal Bill. At this stage, David had acquired “notoriety with the authorship of several works: “Exploits in Texas”, “Tour Down,.