Autobiography: A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee

Overview
Davy Crockett's A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee (1834) is a first-person account that blends memoir, frontier lore, and political testimony. Told in a plain, conversational voice, it traces Crockett's life from humble beginnings to national prominence, offering readers a portrait of a rugged frontiersman who became a U.S. congressman. The narrative helped shape the popular image of Crockett as an American folk hero and preserved many of the stories that later circulated in oral and printed lore.

Early Life and Frontier Years
Crockett recounts his upbringing on the Tennessee frontier, describing the hardships of pioneer life, the rhythms of seasonal labor, and the rough-hewn virtues of self-reliance. He presents family struggles, early schooling, and the formative experiences that taught him to hunt, trap, and read the landscape. These episodes emphasize practical skill, moral fortitude, and an intimate bond with the wilderness that underpins his identity.

Hunting, Skirmishes, and Military Service
Many chapters celebrate hunting exploits and encounters with wildlife, rendered with vivid, anecdotal detail that mixes precision and hyperbole. Crockett also records episodes of local conflict and his service in the Tennessee militia, portraying himself as both a capable woodsman and a citizen ready to meet threats to his community. The tone alternates between modest bragging and homespun wisdom, inviting readers to admire frontier competence while smiling at larger-than-life claims.

Political Career and Views
Crockett narrates his rise to public office through county and state politics and multiple terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He frames his political life as an extension of frontier values: an insistence on plain speaking, a distrust of monopoly and privilege, and a defense of ordinary settlers against powerful interests. He recounts clashes with party leaders and explains votes and positions in populist terms, portraying himself as a representative of common people rather than a career politician.

Voice, Style, and Self-Mythology
The narrative is striking for its conversational cadence, frank self-portrayal, and frequent use of anecdote and wry humor. Crockett combines plainspoken moralizing with theatrical storytelling, often exaggerating or stylizing events to underline a broader character sketch. That self-mythologizing is part of the book's design: it makes Crockett both a believable man of the soil and a symbol of frontier authenticity, a figure readers could admire and laugh with at the same time.

Departure, Texas, and Legacy
Toward the end, Crockett explains his decision to leave Tennessee for new prospects in Texas, framing the departure as consistent with a restless frontier impulse. The narrative closes before the events that ended his life, but its circulation contributed powerfully to the public's view of him as a quintessential American frontiersman and martyr. The memoir's blend of candid detail, political testimony, and self-fashioned legend secured Crockett's place in early 19th-century popular culture and ensured that his name would endure in American folklore.