Manifest Destiny: The War That Forged the American West | The American Story | Ep 14
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How did Sam Houston’s 1832 assault in Washington spark national attention?
It's April, 1832, springtime in Washington, D.C. Striding into the capital is a man who doesn't really blend in. He's tall, broad-shouldered, and he likes to wear Indian clothing. He's 39 years old. He's well-known thanks to the personal and political baggage attached to his name, which is Sam Houston. Houston is in D.C. He's fighting for something personal. The Cherokee and other Indian tribes getting squeezed by broken federal promises. He is lobbying hard and calling in all the favors he can. On the House floor, Representative William Stanbury of Ohio, a large, grudge-holding politician, drops a reckless bombshell. He accuses Houston of fraud, claiming the ex-governor conspired to pocket cash on a government contract meant to help feed Indian tribes.
He didn't produce any evidence, just a pure political attack. Houston reads about it in the newspaper, and he sees red. Temper and self-control, not exactly Houston's strong suit. He rushes to the Capitol, he finds Stanbury, but Congressman James Polk, an acquaintance and future president, holds Houston back. Houston fires off a note to Stanberry demanding he either apologize for the slander or have a duel. Stanberry ignores the note, but starts carrying two pistols and a dagger to work, just in case. A few nights later, Pennsylvania Avenue. It's glowing under the flickering gas lamps. Houston is walking back to his hotel with a couple of Senator buddies, likely a few drinks deep, when he spots a large figure crossing the street just ahead.
Houston rushes toward the man, calling out in a booming voice, Are you Mr. Stanberry? The startled congressman turns towards him. Yes, sir.
Then you are a damned rascal.
Well, out comes the hickory cane that Houston whittled himself from a tree at Andrew Jackson's hermitage. Houston unloads on Stanberry, cracking him across the head, shoulders, and the back. Well, Stanberry staggers and tries to run, but Houston leaps on him like a wild bat, slamming the big man to the ground. They wrestle in the dirt, but horrified witnesses freeze. Stanberry manages to pull a pistol out. He jams the barrel against Houston's chest and pulls the trigger. Misfire. Houston, shocked that he's still alive, rips away the pistol. He jumps to his feet and aims more cane blows between Stansbury's legs. The next morning, a bruised and bedridden Stansbury sends a formal complaint to Speaker of the House Andrew Stevenson.
A few days later, over Congressman James Polk's objection, the House votes 145 to 25 to order Houston's arrest by the Sergeant of Arms for assaulting a sitting member of Congress. The very next day, the gallery is jammed shoulder to shoulder with onlookers. In walks the prisoner, Sam Houston, full buckskin coat, that infamous cane still gripped in his hand like a trophy. He bows to Speaker Stevenson, who's a personal friend, and then, in his deep, resonant voice, requests 24 hours to prepare for his trial. The Speaker grants him 48. Sam Houston is about to be tried in the House of Representatives for assaulting a U.S. Congressman. One impulsive swing of a cane, one misfired pistol, and history ripples outward from Washington Street at night to Texas, to war, and to a continent transformed.
this is the american story the beginnings adapted from the book of the same title by david barton and tim barton episode 14 manifest destiny the war that forged the american west
When Sam Houston was 13, his father died. The family scraped by on a Tennessee farm and ran a general store. But at 16, Houston decided he didn't want any part of the family business, so he bolted across the Tennessee River and vanished into Cherokee territory for three years. Chief Uluteca adopted Houston, gave him a Cherokee name which meant the Raven. Houston learned the language, the customs, and proud independence of his new family. He dressed in Cherokee clothes, hunted like them, forged a bond so deep it would define his life. In those woods, he found belonging. At one point when his brothers came to see him, Houston told them that he preferred to live with the Cherokee.
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