Sam Houston and Special Bond with Native Americans Order Instructions: Semester Writing Assignment
Develop the topic into a well-organized essay, following the guidelines below. Correct spelling and grammar will be considered during grading.
Part of your grade will depend upon including the required block quotes. If you do not include the 3 required block quotes to support your position, your paper will lose one letter grade. Be sure to answer all parts of the question, noting the relative weight among the three sections. Three pages is the minimum, but you may go a page or two beyond that, if needed.
Students will generally compose the essay inside their word processor and then COPY and PASTE (using CONTROL V) the text into the space provided below. The essay should be a minimum of three double-spaced pages long.
IMPORTANT! Be sure to SAVE your answer before SUBMITTING it. If you do not SAVE it, it will show up “blank,” with no text.
Late papers or papers not submitted in the proper area will lose one letter grade (10 points). Finally, do not use material from any source other than Sam Houston and the American Southwest. DO NOT copy material from another source and paste it into this essay response box, representing it as your own work. Doing this will get you a grade of 0, and it is not difficult for instructors to detect.
Relying only on material from the The Sam Houston Biography, thoroughly answer the following questions: Section 1 (25 points): Throughout his life, Sam Houston had a special bond with Native Americans, especially the Cherokees. Discuss this relationship, giving examples from the book about his interactions with them, as well as his personal concern for their welfare. Section 2 (50 points): A general theme throughout the biography is Sam Houston’s wisdom and moral courage. Discuss at least three examples where Houston took the wise or morally correct public stance, in spite of the fierce criticism he was certain to face. Section 3 (25 points): How did Sam Houston come to marry Margaret Lea, and what did she mean to his life? *****Include at least three direct, block quotes (total, not per section) from Sam Houston and the American Southwest to support your position.Be sure to put your citation for these quotations in parentheses and in all caps. For example, your citation might look like this: “‘The speech,’ he wrote Margaret, ‘was the most striking, able, and bold, that I ever made,’ but it was to no avail.” (CAMPBELL, P. 160)
Sam Houston and Special Bond with Native Americans Sample Answer
Introduction
In a small town East of Texas stands the stature of Sam Houston that is galvanized with steel and a blazing white concrete as tall as 70 feet. The stature portrays Houston looking straight, an expression of determinism. Dressed in a manner that befits the 19th century leader, he carries a cane on his right hand as a depiction of governism. This piece of art has attracted multitudes from different parts of the world since it serves as a road side attraction. However, few of the people who visit this monument know the history behind the famous outstanding leader-Sam Houston. Sam Houston was born in the year 1793 in Virginia and became a law practitioner, a senator and a congressman in Tennessee.
Houston moved to Texas in the year 1832 and joined a conflict that was brewing between the American settlers and the Mexican Government. He was elected as the Commander of the local troop and led the army into achieving defeat over the Mexican revolts, a factor that secured the independence of Texas (Curtis, 2013). Houston latter became the governor of Texas in 1859 but was impeached out of office in 1861. This paper therefore seeks to view and critique the life of Sam Houston in light of his achievements and failures.
Sam Houston and the Special Bond with Native Americans
Houston is described as one amongst the many appealing characters of the Western frontiers, a factor that creates a bond between him and the Native Americans. Houston as a frontier embraced the spirit of determination and self-sufficiency and abolished the prospects of racism as was seen in his belief that the Indians and the blacks were equally intelligent as the whites. In his political endeavors, Sam was described as a hard working leader who abhorred the virtues of courage, grand purpose, and boldness (Curtis, 2013).
The Americans especially the Cherokees embraced Houston because of his boldness to even face the unknown. It is essentially to mention that Houston was not schooled adequately since he felt that education was in one way or the other “weighing him down”. With the little education he had, he rebelled against the civilized manners of those times. He fled home and lived with the Cherokees where he was adopted and given the name Raven (Miller, 2002). During his stay with the Cherokees, it is mentioned that Houston always had a heart for cultures and interests of the American Indians.
Due to his brevity, Houston left the Cherokees and led an army that fought in the 1812 war. During the course of this war, Houston suffered an arrow in the groin and because of his fighting spirit; he forced his comrade to remove the arrow out of his groin. His characters saw him promoted to first lieutenant from which he earned the respect of patronage from the major general who later became the president -Andrew Jackson.
It is also considered that in one occasion, Houston led a team of Cherokees dressed as one of them to Washington in order to meet the President who then reprimanded him for his efforts. Houston also suffered out of the love he had for his people. This saw him elected as the governor of Tennessee in order to serve his people. However, when his experienced some controversies in his marriage, he stepped down out of office (Miller, 2002). Houston also risked his life for the revolution that brewed in Texas in which he led a team to fight against the Mexicans.
Occasions where Houston used Wisdom during Sam Houston and Special Bond with Native Americans
One of the occasions where Houston applied his wisdom to correct public stance, in spite of the fierce criticism he was certain to face is in the event where he believed that Indians and black people were equally intelligent people as compared to the white. This clearly explained the fact that as a leader, he never believed in racism. The author of this material mentions that during his stay with the Cherokees, Houston always had a heart for cultures and interests of the American Indians. Out of this, Houston gave his life to fight for the people irrespective of their races, cultures, and backgrounds (Scheer, 2014). This clearly displays the quality of a leader that developed a special bond with the Native Americans and even through his weaknesses, he stopped at no breathe in standing for the rights of his people.
At some point of time, Houston experienced a marital problem, an issue that tainted his image. Even at this state, the author mentions that Houston never blamed a single person for this but stepped down. After this, he then married Eliza who according to the author had an objective in the marriage. At the wake of their separation, Houston stepped out of Office and resigned as the governor of Tennessee. This typically shows a leader who is not out to fulfill his self interests. Many leaders today when faced with issues rush to the courts in order to retain their seats, a factor that clearly justifies the actions of Houston (Scheer, 2014). It is critical to understand that Houston was not a perfect leader, but in his weaknesses, he acknowledges the virtues of morality.
Houston led a delegation of Cherokees on one occasion to Washington, in Cherokee regalia in order to meet the President, who remanded him for his looks and appearance. Later, as the Senator of Texas, he wore a leopard-skinned vest with some scribing on it with the main objective of presenting his views to the house of the senate (Scheer, 2014). This clearly gives an indication of a leader, who would use all within his power to fight and meet the needs of his people,
Sam Houston’s Marital Life
Sam Houston met Margaret Lee in a business trip. Margaret was also in the same mission and when they meet a chemistry of love between them took order. Sam then convinced Mrs. Lee to pay him a visit in Texas in order to view the business investment opportunities that were available in Texas. This marked the beginning of their relationship. Margaret Lee was the wife of Sam Houston. However, their relationship was met by a number of issues that included Houston’s drinking problems and his past relationships. The author of this bibliography implies that;
Since Margaret feel in love with Houston, she had had a different thought on his proposal. She only got close to Houston since he was a leader and a good business person but as far as being the match for her daughter, he would not take that chance even as a hero, Margaret over time heard of Houston’s previous marriages and his drinking problems she felt this was far much more for her to take. Age also became a problem since they had a difference of twenty-six years.
(Scheer, 2014).
During their marriage life, Houston was in rear occasion home. According to Scheer,” Houston was only home during the first three and a half month and this was due to his wife sickness”. Margaret spent a fairly enough time with her sister in the sugar plantation. However, during the times that Houston was away from home, they would communicate through letters through which they assured each other of love. In According to the author, Houston asserted that “In the event that she hears rumors about him, they were baseless and untrue and that he was devoted fully to her and would remain committed to her for the rest of his life”. However, things did not work well between the two couples, a factor that led to a breakup (Scheer, 2014).
Sam Houston and Special Bond with Native Americans Conclusion
Houston remains a figure that will forever remain in the books of history because of efforts to ensure that the rights of his people were equitably served. Houston is described as one amongst the many appealing characters of the Western frontiers, a factor that creates a bond between him and the Native Americans. Houston as a frontier embraced the spirit of determination and self-sufficiency and abolished the prospects of racism as was seen in his belief that the Indians and the blacks were equally intelligent as the whites. In his political endeavors, Sam was described as a hard working leader who abhorred the virtues of courage, grand purpose, and boldness. Today, Houston remains a figure that has can be emulated by other leaders.
Sam Houston and Special Bond with Native Americans Works Cited
Curtis, G. (2013). Sam Houston. American History, 47(6), 26-32.
Miller, M. (2002). Sam Houston (Book). Library Journal, 127(3), 154.
Scheer, M. (2014). Mirabeau B. Lamar: Poet, President, and Namesake for a University. East Texas Historical Journal, 52(1), 51-63.
