Off the Wall: Davy Crockett’s Tall Tales
How a Congressman Became America’s First Political Humorist
How a Congressman Became America’s First Political Humorist
(Commonplace Fun Facts) - When you hear the name Davy Crockett, what comes to mind? Depending on your age, you might have met a television character with a raccoon hat and a catchy mid-century theme song. If you encountered him through a history class, you probably know that he died at the Alamo. Possibly while wrestling bears. And he invented a hunting knife… Or was that the other guy who was at the Alamo? Honestly, it was only one paragraph in a history book, so who can keep it all straight?
If that’s all you know, it’s understandable but lamentable. The writers of history books seem to conspire to strip out the most interesting parts of the topics that are covered. What often gets left out in the classroom presentations is this: Davy Crockett was funny. Intentionally funny. Strategically funny. Weaponized-punchline funny.
Long before social media managers and late-night monologues, there was a buckskin-clad Congressman from Tennessee who understood that humor was not decoration. Humor was leverage.
Davy Crockett wasn’t just king of the wild frontier. He was America’s first political humorist.
Davy Crockett was born on…
One of my heroes!!! Thanks!