One of the main reason why the Davy Cockett craze occured was because of the television and its great influence over consumers. The Crockett campaign was one that occured at an opportune era. Randy Robert reports that  the Davy Crockett series aired in the 1954-1955 years,when the television was starting to get popular as evinced by the fact the percent of households having television increased from 7 percent to 58 percent from 1950 to 1955. Margaret Kings also observes that the Davy Crockett had one of the largest audiences the era had to offer, the baby boom. Davy Crockett was a figure marketable to all children, boy or girl, from ages 2 to 12. Television David Karp once remarked that TV “is an advertising medium….They are not supposed to be any good. They are supposed to make money.” In this case, the television’s potential was proven. Everything Davy related went off the shelf from toy guns and knives to his trademark coonskin hat. In fact the demand of the coonskin hat greatly increased the cost of the skin from 25 cents per pound to almost 8 dollars in some regions. The TV was so powerful that even non-Davy related items were enjoying the benefits. Davy soap, Davy towels, Davy clothes, Davy blankets were all popular. Such was the power of the tube at that time.

But Davy Crockett didn’t become popular just because of his presence on the small screen. He had to have had a quality that could connect to the people at the time. The quality of the real Davy Crockett didn’t matter; only the way he was portrayed did. Davy was seen as a war hero comparable to one who fought in the Cold War. Roberts compares the setting of Crockett to America at the time. Both places appeared to be an area where liberty was under siege. In the movie it was Texas fighting Santa Anna. In real life, the fights of the Communist spread occured in many nations such as Korea and parts of Europe. The Alamo siege was even compared to that of other American defeats. The enemy were depicted as generic soldiers swarming over the walls to victory. In both cases, the heroes held their position even when they faced overwhelming odds in manpower.

The content of the portrayal of Davy Crockett helped his fame by connecting himself to the hearts of many Americans. But it was only through the power of television that the Crockett craze reached its highest potential. With its large audience and commercials, it can be said that television was a integral part of the craze.

I propose to my group that we spend the semester studying the 26th President Theodore Roosevelt. He was a unique character who not only excelled in the politcal arena but in many fields also. In addition to famously serving in city, state and national levels, he was renown for being a naturalist, soldier, explorer and author. He is also considered one of the most-well-read president by many historians. Also, he well known for robust personality and “cowboy” attitude.

Born with asthma, Theodore was home-schooled but took to exercise in order to strengthen his body. He took up boxing when he want to Harvard and would continue to for most of his life. When the Spanish-American War broke out, he became a key leader in the Department of the Navy. He resigned to fight in Cuba in the regiment known as the “Rough Riders”. He would later be awarded a Medal of Honor for his service.
When he was office, his primary goal to was to combat corruption from the police of New York City to the big business trusts of the US. He offered what he called the “Square Deal” which he assured every American would have a fair chance and opportunity. In foreign affairs, ” speak softly and carry a big stick” was his famous phrase. This allowed him to be aggresive against the European nations in their affairs in Latin America. But Roosevelt was also a peacemaker; he won a Nobel Prize (being the first American to do so) for mediating the peace talks between the Russians and the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War. Theodore was also a proponent of the conservatinalist movement and helped save many natural parks from destruction.

Theodore Roosevelt was everything at his time. He fought the Cubans abroad and corruption at home. He hunted game in exotic lands and explored the wilderess of America. His mind was as strong as his body. Such an interesting man would be an excellent subject for a study of Legendary Americans.

There is no story that demonstrate’s George Washington’s honesty than the story of him chopping down the cherry tree and later confessing to it. But the story itself is of shady origin with little but widespread legends to account for the fact. But the reason of its existence and creation today center around the need for a stainless American icon to gather under.
The story was first popularized by Weem in one of his biography of George Washington. It is important to realize that Weem was mostly interested in two things: spreading “good” and making money by appealing to the common people. Weem realized he could accomplish both by making a saint out of George Washington. In that way, the morals would be spread and the common people would clamor to read what they wanted to read about their hero, fiction or real. Weem shaped his Washington to his standards and cut out everything that didn’t apply such as his lack of children and the fact that he owns slaves. If Weem was witholding information to sculpt the ideal Washington, then fabricating information wouldn’t be that far of a step. But Weem wasn’t the only one creating a Washington. William Thayer also told the story of the cherry tree with his own flair. Instead of George simply confessing to the crime, Thayer inputs him protecting a slave boy in the process also. This edit is simply to emphasize George Washington’s compassion to slaves at the whim of the author. What happened here was no different than stating George Washington prayed at Valley Forge in order to put him in a pious light. Or that George Washington was born as an unprivileged child (he was an agricultural upper class child) in order to make him easily relatable to the common man. Given the variations of the story and the biased intent of the authors, the story lacks historical evidence to deem it undeniably true.

But if it lacks evidence as it does now, why then was it created and ,more importantly, why does it still exist today? George Washington was a very popular man of his time even without his fable childhood. He was the war general that delivered America to victory. He was the reluctant first ruler of the nation. There was not a more perfect match to attatch a fable underlining honesty. The people loved Washington and this story was created to re-affirm their affection and almost-worship-reverence. As to why it still exists today? The people’s love of Washington has integrated him itself into the very identity of America. If all of America were to see him as a national figure, we want to see the best of him. And what better side of him to potray than his honest confession to chopping down his father’s most prized tree? It is only until we look deeper into the story that we discover that this story is not as honest as the Washinton it potrays is.

The problem of US nationalism can be divided into two main categories: the lack of past to rely on and the internal divisions of the country. George Washington became a national icon that encompassed all of America. Instead of history or tradition, his identity and character was enough to be the base for the country’s identity. Furthermore, George Washington became a person all citizens could identify and use to promote for their own campaign.
George Washington’s image and action set the standard for many fields. For example, he defined his office by his humble disposition as the first President. Reluctant to accept, humble to use, and willing to relinquish his power, Washington further defined America as the country for the people by limiting his own time in power. Never portraying himself as a despotic king or tyrant, Washington displayed a sense of humility that would be admired (and expected in the traditional 2 year term) for many years to come. But it wasn’t just the government that George redefined. He became a moral leader through the spread of civil texts. His reverence was comparable to the fame and renown of a religious figure. The stories of his honesty (ex: the cherry tree) and pure character became the standard for children for generations. By setting a bar in government in his life and a moral standard after his passing, George Washington gave a legacy to his country and its people that would later be incorporated into US nationalism.

But the lack of history of precendence wasn’t the only problem facing US nationalism. Internally, there were splits that threatened to dissolve the nation. Among these were the Federalists and the Republicans. George Washington’s legacy managed to bind  these groups with his famous Farewell Address and non-partisan image. His Farewell Address warned the common people of the dangers of division and the consequences should it progress. By demonstrating that he wasn’t a part of any group, George Washington could be used and interpreted by both Federalist and Republicans to support their views. Another internal divison that pervaded the nation at the time was of its stance to slavery. Washington had owned more than 300 slaves but emancipated all of them on his deathbed. Abolitionist were quick to point out that their first President was promoting the ideals of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness even for slaves. However, pro-slave holders could also point out the familial connection between George Washington and his slaves and how both parties benefited. Despite their different views, both parties found common ground in looking toward Washington as their models.
As a nation found on radical principles that upset all ideas of divine right, America was a first with little precedent to rely on. George Washington became that base for which the government and citizen would come to emulate. He would also serve to be common root for which all Americans, Federalist or Republican, Abolitionist or slaveholder, would try to identify with. In the first decades of America it would be no exaggeration for George Washinton to be named Everyone’s Hero.