See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Andrea Castañón Story.
Life Lesson #24 – Stand For Something.
Young Samuel Houston was born in the state of Virginia in the year 1793. It had been his father’s dream to move their family to Tennessee, but while Sam was still a boy, his father died. Just before he died, he told his wife to take their nine children and go West. Samuel, along with the rest of his family, remembered his father’s dream and worked hard to clear their new wilderness land, build a house and barn, and plant crops. In the winter, when there wasn’t quite as much work to do, Samuel loved reading. He also became friends with the Cherokee Indians who lived across the river from his home. When he was fifteen years old, he actually went to live with his Indian friends.
Sam was only 19 years old when he joined the army of General Andrew Jackson and became a good soldier who helped make peace between the Indians and the United States government. Later, he studied to become a lawyer and even became the governor of Tennessee. Finally, his adventures took him all the way to Texas where the people were struggling to become free from Mexico, and Sam helped the people of Texas to form their own country. He was then elected to be its first president, but he wanted Texas to be a state in the United States of America, which finally happened in 1846. Later, he became the governor of Texas.
Today, we see many things named after this great man, including a city, a university, and many streets and highways. And it was because, even as a child, he worked hard, made good choices, and started seeing himself growing up to be somebody very special! That little Samuel from Virginia grew up to be Sam Houston, the HERO!
– Jim Lord