Houston: A Short Story

Sam Houston was born March 2, 1793,at Rockbridge County,Virginia,VA.Sam Houston had five brothers and three sisters.His brothers names were Robert Houston,Paxton Houston,James Houston,and James Paxton Houston,William Houston.Sam Houston’s sisters name were Mary Blair Houston,Elizabeth Ann Houston,and Isabella Houston.Sam’s mom’s name is Elizabeth Paxton and his dad’s name is Major Samuel Houston.Sam Houston’s father died when he was only 14 because his father was in the Revolutionary.Sam Houston’s height was 6’6’’.Sam Houston’s wedding dates was first Eliza Allen on January 22,1829,Then Sam’s second wife was Tiana Rogers Gentry,and his third was May 9,1840 with Margaret Lea Houston.

On the way back from the store , we are walking down the street and some police officers just pull up like, get on the fu**ing ground ! with their guns up to our head me and my best friend get on the ground, but he had a soda in his pocket from the store so he tried to take it out the officer said very rudely i will shoot you in your fu**ing back if you go in your pocket. I yell just stay still bro he was crying and etc and then he puts us in handcuffs . i ask why is we being cuffed and he wants say anything so me and my homeboy both are scared like what did we do. We are both in middle school 8th grade we have the city championship basketball game tomorrow , all I can think is this how fast life can turn around. Then the officer gets on his radio and said I have them and like three more officers pull up . they say are you all the ones who been breaking into everyone's house ? we say NO! Then he gets back on the radio and tells some other man what color our clothes was . and the man says no, that's not them , we just caught them . so he apologizes and takes the handcuffs off , and he says sorry bout the inconvenience they just told us it was two black males in their early teens going around braking in houses and we fit the description. So just because we were black they assumed it was us. They target all black people in my eyes, they knew we weren't the people, but just because we were black they were going to charge

Being a proud native Texan, you can trace my family back to the time when Sam Houston was President of the country of Texas. However, shortly after the US attacks on 9/11, choosing to not live in fear my father accepted a position in his company which entailed moving our family to New York City. We witnessed first hand the beauty of neighbors coming together and holding each other up while rallying to rebuild and move forward. Sadly, we also shared the personal heartache of one of my classmates who was fatherless due to the heinous acts of terrorists.

Sam Houston was a prominent political figure in the 19th century whose fame is attributed to his role of bringing Texas into the United States. Even though he was a life-long slave owner, Houston was opposed to the expansion of the institution of slavery into the west. Despite that his attitude seemed contradictory, Houston had good reasons for his resistance of the expansion of slavery.

Sam Houston was born in Rockbridge, Virginia in 1793 and died in Huntsville, Texas in 1863. He lead an adventurous life that involved the Creek Indian War and the War for Texas Independence. During his lifetime he was a Congressman and a Governor for the state of Tennessee. He lived among the Cherokee Indians and became a lifelong advocate for Native American rights. He was twice elected the President of Texas and later, after its annexation to the United States, he was elected twice as its Senator and its Governor. Although he demonstrated great leadership as a politician in Tennessee, his greatest influences were in Texas and the American Southwest. In this way, he helped to shape the future of two states and the destiny of the United States.

Houston has had a troubled past with pollution of many types, mainly of its oil and petrochemical industries, which leading contributors to the city’s economy. As a result, Houston introduced many programs since the 2000 federal order to reduce air pollution in the city, particularly the METRORAIL light rail project. Heat stroke can strike people who stay out of doors for long periods of time during the summer so hydration is essential for outdoor work and recreational activity. Most workers are relatively unaffected by the heat since they spend the hottest part of the day indoors in air conditioning. Air conditioning is considered an essential for the growth of Houston in 1950 when it became the most air-conditioned city in the world.

Beatriz Gaona Prof. Andrew Tolle ENGL 1301-41028 17 September 2017 Houstonians A poem written by South Carolina pastor, Jeremy Rutledge has given readers a lot to think about. The poem was composed after the great Hurricane Harvey tragedy in Houston. In his poem Rutledge mentions the word pray many times but the meaning of it goes way beyond that. When praying for something it is important to know the aspects and struggles of it, and that is exactly what Rutledge is doing in this poem, stating all the things that make Houston unique, diverse, and capable to rise from it all.

According to the Census of 2013 the city of Houston, Texas carries a population of 2.196 million. Houston is located by the Gulf of Mexico in Southeast Texas and is part of the Harris County. Houston is best described as having a humid subtropical weather.

If you ask a Houstonian about the music scene around town, you would get a pretty bleak answer. Many people seem to believe it starts and ends with Beyoncé. It is especially considered “nonexistent” in comparison to another city in Texas, Austin. Austin has this huge reputation of having a phenomenal music scene and it is even billed as “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Yes, Austin has great local bands and many avid music fans but so does Houston. Even though it’s not extremely renowned, Houston has one of the most influential and diverse music scenes in the country.

This book titled Sam Houston and the American Southwest was written by Randolph B. Campbell from the University of North Texas in Denton. In any case, Sam Houston and the American Southwest is an intriguing book about a youngster who is persistent and insubordinate. Besides, the writer clarifies that the

Sam Houston Sam Houston was as legend reports a big man about six foot and six inches tall. He was an exciting historical figure and war hero who was involved with much of the early development of our country and Texas. He was a soldier, lawyer, politician, businessman, and family man, whose name will be synonymous with nation heroes who played a vital part in the shaping of a young and prosperous country. He admired and supported the Native Americans who took him in and adopted him into their culture to help bridge the gap between the government and a noble forgotten race. Sam Houston succeeded in many roles he donned as a man, but the one most remembered is the one of a true American hero.

On March 2, 1793 Sam Houston was born on the family plantation in Rockbridge County, Virginia. His father’s name was also Samuel Houston and his mother was Elizabeth Houston. He was of Scotch-Irish decent and the family was Presbyterian. He received a simple education at a school which he only attended for only about six months. When Houston was thirteen his father died. Because of the loss, in the spring of 1807 he and his mother along with his five brothers and three sisters to Maryville in Blount County in Eastern Tennessee were the family established a farm on a tributary of Baker’s Creek. Houston went to a nearby school for the time. In 1809 Houston ran away to the Cherokees in 1809 because he did not want to work on the family farm or the store the family ran. He went across the Tennessee River and lived with the Cherokees for three years with Chief Oolooteka who adopted him and gave him the Indian name Colonneh, which means “the Raven.” Houston viewed him as a father and the tribe as a surrogate family. Because of this he had great sympathy for Native Americans for the rest of his life.

After Houston ran away, he lived with the Hiwassee Cherokee tribe. This tribe consisted of three hundred men, women, and children. The leader of the tribe was Chief Ooleteka who Houston soon developed a close relationship with. In fact, “Ooleteka became more than a surrogate father to young Sam….he adopted

A
Journey
Through
Texas
 Alvar
Nunez
Cabeza
de
Vaca
 
 
 
 De
Vaca
and
his
three
countrymen
wandered
for
months
through
Texas
as
they
journeyed
toward
the
Spanish
settlement
in
 Mexico
City.

In
the
course
of
his
travels,
de
Vaca
healed
a
Native
American
by
performing
the
first
recorded
surgery
in
 Texas.

His
resulting
fame
attracted
so
many
followers
that
de
Vaca
noted
in
his
journal
that
“the
number
of
our
 companions
became
so
large
that
we
could
no
longer
control
them.”

As
they
continued
traveling
westward,
the
group
was
 well
received
by
the
natives
they
encountered.
 
 
 
 The
same
Indians
led
us
to
a
plain
beyond
the
chain
of
mountains,
where
people
came
to
meet
us
 from
a
long
distance.
By
those
we
were
treated
in
the
same
manner
as
before,
and
they
made
so
 many
presents
to
the
Indians
who
came
with
us
that,
unable
to
carry
all,
they
left
half
of
it.
We
told
 the
givers
to
take
it
back,
so
as
not
to
have
it
lost,
but
they
refused,
saying
it
was
not
their
custom
to
 take
back
what
they
had
once
offered,
and
so
it
was
left
to
waste.
We
told
these
people
our
route
 was
towards
sunset,
and
they
replied
that
in
that
direction
people
lived
very
far
away.
So
we
 ordered
them
to
send
there
and
inform
the
inhabitants
that
we
were
coming
and
how.
From
this
 they
begged
to
be
excused,
because
the
others
were
their
enemies,
and
they
did
not
want
us
to
go
to
 them.
Yet
they
did
not
venture
to
disobey
in
the
end,
and
sent
two
women,
one
of
their
own
and
the
 other
a
captive.
They
selected
women
because
these
can
trade
everywhere,
even
if
there
be
war.
 
 We
followed
the
women
to
a
place
where
it
had
been
agreed
we
should
wait
for
them.
After
five
 days
they
had
not
yet
returned,
and
the
Indians
explained
that
it
might
be
because
they
had
not
 found
anybody.
So
we
told
them
to
take
us
north,
and
they
repeated
that
there
were
no
people,
 except
very
far
away,
and
neither
food
nor
water.
Nevertheless
we
insisted,
saying
that
we
wanted
 to
go
there,
and
they
still
excused
themselves
as
best
they
could,
until
at
last
we
became
angry.
 
 One
night
I
went
away
to
sleep
out
in
the
field
apart
from
them;
but
they
soon
came
to
where
I
was,
 and
remained
awake
all
night
in
great
alarm,
talking
to
me,
saying
how
frightened
they
were.
They
 entreated
us
not
to
be
angry
any
longer,
because,
even
if
it
was
their
death,
they
would
take
us
 where
we
chose.
We
feigned
to
be
angry
still,
so
as
to
keep
them
in
suspense,
and
then
a
singular
 thing
happened.
 
 On
that
same
day
many
fell
sick,
and
on
the
next
day
eight
of
them
died!
All
over
the
country,
where
 it
was
known,
they
became
so
afraid
that
it
seemed
as
if
the
mere
sight
of
us
would
kill
them.
They
 besought
us
not
to
be
angry
nor
to
procure
the
death
of
any
more
of
their
number,
for
they
were
 convinced
that
we
killed
them
by
merely
thinking
of
it.
In
truth,
we
were
very
much
concerned
 about
it,
for,
seeing
the
great
mortality,
we
dreaded
that
all
of
them
might
die
or
forsake
us
in
their
 terror,
while
those
further
on,
upon
learning
of
it,
would
get
out
of
our
way
hereafter.
We
prayed
to
 God
our
Lord
to
assist
us,
and
the
sick
began
to
get
well.
Then
we
saw
something
that
astonished
us
 very
much,
and
it
was
that,
while
the
parents,
brothers
and
wives
of
the
dead
had
shown
deep
grief
 at
their
illness,
from
the
moment
they
died
the
survivors
made
no
demonstration
whatsoever,
and
 showed
not
the
slightest
feeling;
nor
did
they
dare
to
go
near
the
bodies
until
we
ordered
their
 burial.
 
 In
more
than
fifteen
days
that
we
remained
with
them
we
never
saw
them
talk
together,
neither
did
 we
see
a
child
that
laughed
or
cried.
One
child,
who
had
begun
to
cry,
was
carried
off
some
distance,
 and
with
some
very
sharp
mice‐teeth
they
scratched
it
from
the
shoulders
down
to
nearly
the
legs.
 Angered
by
this
act
of
cruelty,
I
took
them
to
task
for
it,
and
they
said
it
was
done
to
punish
the
child
 for
having
wept
in
my
presence.
Their
apprehensions
caused
the
others
that
came
to
see
us
to
give
 us
what
they
had,
since
they
knew
that
we
did
not
take
anything
for
ourselves,
but
left
it
all
to
the
 Indians.
 
 Those
were
the
most
docile
people
we
met
in
the
country,
of
the
best
complexion,
and
on
the
whole
 well
built.
 
 The
sick
being
on
the
way
of
recovery,
when
we
had
been
there
already
three
days,
the
women
 whom
we
had
sent
out
returned,
saying
that
they
had
met
very
few
people,
nearly
all
having
gone
 after
the
cows,
as
it
was
the
season.
So
we
ordered
those
who
had
been
sick
to
remain,
and
those
 who
were
well
to
accompany
us,
and
that,
two
days'
travel
from
there,
the
same
women
should
go
 with
us
and
get
people
to
come
to
meet
us
on
the
trail
for
our
reception.
 
 The
next
morning
all
those
who
were
strong
enough
came
along,
and
at
the
end
of
three
journeys
 we
halted.
Alonso
del
Castillo
and
Estevanico,
the
negro,
left
with
the
women
as
guides,
and
the
 woman
who
was
a
captive
took
them
to
a
river
that
flows
between
mountains,
where
there
was
a
 village,
in
which
her
father
lived,
and
these
were
the
first
abodes
we
saw
that
were
like
unto
real
 houses.
Castillo
and
Estevanico
went
to
these
and,
after
holding
parley
with
the
Indians,
at
the
end
 of
three
days
Castillo
returned
to
where
he
had
left
us,
bringing
with
him
five
or
six
of
the
Indians.
 He
told
how
he
had
found
permanent
houses,
inhabited,
the
people
of
which
ate
beans
and
 squashes,
and
that
he
had
also
seen
maize.
 
 Of
all
things
upon
earth
this
caused
us
the
greatest
pleasure,
and
we
gave
endless
thanks
to
our
 Lord
for
this
news.
Castillo
said
that
the
negro
was
coming
to
meet
us
on
the
way,
near
by,
with
all
 the
people
of
the
houses.
For
that
reason
we
started,
and
after
going
a
league
and
a
half
met
the
 negro
and
the
people
that
came
to
receive
us,
who
gave
us
beans
and
many
squashes
to
eat,
gourds
 to
carry
water
in,
robes
of
cowhide,
and
other
things.
As
those
people
and
the
Indians
of
our
 company
were
enemies,
and
did
not
understand
each
other,
we
took
leave
of
the
latter,
leaving
 them
all
that
had
been
given
to
us,
while
we
went
on
with
the
former
and,
six
leagues
beyond,
when
 night
was
already
approaching,
reached
their
houses,
where
they
received
us
with
great
 ceremonies.
Here
we
remained
one
day,
and
left
on
the
next,
taking
them
with
us
to
other
 permanent
houses,
where
they
subsisted
on
the
same
food
also,
and
thence
on
we
found
a
new
 custom.
 
 The
people
who
heard
of
our
approach
did
not,
as
before,
come
out
to
meet
us
on
the
way,
but
we
 found
them
at
their
homes,
and
they
had
other
houses
ready
for
us.
They
were
all
seated
with
their
 faces
turned
to
the
wall,
the
heads
bowed
and
the
hair
pulled
over
the
eyes.
Their
belongings
had
 been
gathered
in
a
heap
in
the
middle
of
the
floor,
and
thence
on
they
began
to
give
us
many
robes
 of
skins.
There
was
nothing
they
would
not
give
us.
They
are
the
best
formed
people
we
have
seen,
 the
liveliest
and
most
capable;
who
best
understood
us
and
answered
our
questions.
We
called
 them
"of
the
cows,"
because
most
of
the
cows
die
near
therein
and
because
for
more
than
fifty
 leagues
up
that
stream
they
go
to
kill
many
of
them.
Those
people
go
completely
naked,
after
the
 manner
of
the
first
we
met.
The
women
are
covered
with
deer‐skins,
also
some
men,
especially
the
 old
ones,
who
are
of
no
use
any
more
in
war.
 
 The
country
is
well
settled.
We
asked
them
why
they
did
not
raise
maize,
and
they
replied
that
they
 were
afraid
of
losing
the
crops,
since
for
two
successive
years
it
had
not
rained,
and
the
seasons
 were
so
dry
that
the
moles
had
eaten
the
corn,
so
that
they
did
not
dare
to
plant
any
more
until
it
 should
have
rained
very
hard.
And
they
also
begged
us
to
ask
Heaven
for
rain,
which
we
promised
 to
do.
We
also
wanted
to
know
from
where
they
brought
their
maize,
and
they
said
it
came
from
 where
the
sun
sets,
and
that
it
was
found
all
over
that
country,
and
the
shortest
way
to
it
was
in
that
 direction.
We
asked
them
to
tell
us
how
to
go,
as
they
did
not
want
to
go
themselves,
to
tell
us
about
 the
way.
 
 They
said
we
should
travel
up
the
river
towards
the
north,
on
which
trail
for
seventeen
days
we
 would
not
find
a
thing
to
eat
except
a
fruit
called
chacan,
which
they
grind
between
stones;
but
even
 then
it
cannot
be
eaten,
being
so
coarse
and
dry;
and
so
it
was,
for
they
showed
it
to
us
and
we
could
 not
eat
it.
But
they
also
said
that,
going
upstream,
we
would
always
travel
among
people
who
were
 their
enemies,
although
speaking
the
same
language,
and
who
could
give
us
no
food,
but
would
 receive
us
very
willingly,
and
give
us
many
cotton
blankets,
hides
and
other
things;
but
that
it
 seemed
to
them
that
we
ought
not
to
take
that
road.
 
 In
doubt
as
to
what
should
be
done,
and
which
was
the
best
and
most
advantageous
road
to
take,
 we
remained
with
them
for
two
days.
They
gave
us
beans,
squashes
and
calabashes.
Their
way
of
 cooking
them
is
so
new
and
strange
that
I
felt
like
describing
it
here,
in
order
to
show
how
different
 and
queer
are
the
devices
and
industries
of
human
beings.
They
have
no
pots.
In
order
to
cook
their
 food
they
fill
a
middle‐sized
gourd
with
water,
and
place
into
a
fire
such
stones
as
easily
become
 heated,
and
when
they
are
hot
to
scorch
they
take
them
out
with
wooden
tongs,
thrusting
them
into
 the
water
of
the
gourd,
until
it
boils.
As
soon
as
it
boils
they
put
into
it
what
they
want
to
cook,
 always
taking
out
the
stones
as
they
cool
off
and
throwing
in
hot
ones
to
keep
the
water
steadily
 boiling.
This
is
their
way
of
cooking.
 
 After
two
days
were
past
we
determined
to
go
in
search
of
maize,
and
not
to
follow
the
road
to
the
 cows,
since
the
latter
carried
us
to
the
north,
which
meant
a
very
great
circuit,
as
we
held
it
always
 certain
that
by
going
towards
sunset
we
should
reach
the
goal
of
our
wishes.
 
 So
we
went
on
our
way
and
traversed
the
whole
country
to
the
South
Sea,
and
our
resolution
was
 not
shaken
by
the
fear
of
great
starvation,
which
the
Indians
said
we
should
suffer
(and
indeed
 suffered)
during
the
first
seventeen
days
of
travel.
All
along
the
river,
and
in
the
course
of
these
 seventeen
days
we
received
plenty
of
cowhides,
and
did
not
eat
of
their
famous
fruit
(chacan)
but
 our
food
consisted
(for
each
day)
of
a
handful
of
deer‐tallow,
which
for
that
purpose
we
always
 sought
to
keep,
and
so
endured
these
seventeen
days,
at
the
end
of
which
we
crossed
the
river
and
 marched
for
seventeen
days
more.
At
sunset,
on
a
plain
between
very
high
mountains,
we
met
 people
who,
for
one‐third
of
the
year,
eat
but
powdered
straw,
and
as
we
went
by
just
at
that
time,
 had
to
eat
it
also,
until,
at
the
end
of
that
journey
we
found
some
permanent
houses,
with
plenty
of
 harvested
maize,
of
which
and
of
its
meal
they
gave
us
great
quantities,
also
squashes
and
beans,
 and
blankets
of
cotton,
with
all
of
which
we
loaded
those
who
had
conducted
us
thither,
so
that
they
 went
home
the
most
contented
people
upon
earth.
We
gave
God
our
Lord
many
thanks
for
having
 taken
us
where
there
was
plenty
to
eat.
 

Curious, I looked up at the building and suddenly my heart stopped. My muscles contracted and my nerves sent a violent quake through my body. I didn’t notice the dropped cigarette that was burning a hole in my pants. Finally, the pain bit me. I grabbed the cigarette, throwing it out the window while almost swerving off the road. After regaining control, I closed my eyes and reopened them to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating; I wasn‘t. Ten police cars sat in front of the school, all in a perfect line with their drivers standing close-by. I contemplated driving off but it was too late. We had already been spotted.