America's first national celebrities. He carved out a name for himself from the Western frontier lands of East Tennessee to the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C. He did this not only by prowess with a rifle but through humility, integrity, humor, and a personal character of undeniable authenticity. That character was forged through hardship and self-determination as a youth in East Tennessee. David Crockett grew up poor, with a down-on-his-luck Revolutionary War vet father. At age 10, Davy was indentured to servitude to a man he'd never met. This book examines those formative years that shaped Crockett into the renowned figure he became in his own time and the legend we still know today.