On August 17, 1786, David Crockett was born near what is now Limestone, Tennessee. Davy (he preferred David) Crockett became emblematic of the early 19th-century Old West, nicknamed “King of the Wild Frontier.” Crockett initially found success in the military, opposing Native Americans in the Creek War in Alabama and Tennessee, and the British in Florida during the War of 1812. In the military, Crockett used his legendary hunting and tracking skills to support fellow soldiers. Crockett became an enormously popular figure, and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He opposed the Indian Removal Act, the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans from throughout the Southeast to what is now Oklahoma. His support for his onetime enemies cost Crockett his political career. After losing his seat in Congress, he allegedly told his constituents “You can all go to hell, and I’m going to Texas.” He did go to Texas, which was then the Mexican state of Tejas. Crockett supported the Texas Revolution, in which Texans fought for independence from Mexico. Crockett was killed at the Battle of the Alamo. Davy Crockett’s popularity soared again in the 1950s, when the “Davy Crockett” television miniseries was a hit for the Walt Disney Company, thanks in no small part to the catchy theme song.