Manifest Destiny: The War That Forged the American West | The American Story | Ep 14

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
Ever wonder where Tropicana got its name?

**SPEAKER_2** (0:03)
The tropics.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:04)
And every time you enjoy a glass, you're not just drinking juice.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:08)
You're taking a trip, stepping into sunshine and embarking on a flavorful journey into the tropics where ripe fruit is crafted into wildly delicious juice.

**SPEAKER_4** (0:19)
And the best part?

**SPEAKER_3** (0:20)
No passport required.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:22)
Tropicana.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:23)
Give life some juice.

**Glenn Beck** (0:29)
It's April, 1832, springtime in Washington, DC. 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 DC. 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 Stanbury, demanding he either apologize for the slander, or have a duel. Stanbury 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, falling out in a booming voice.

**SPEAKER_6** (2:16)
Are you Mr. Stanbury?

**Glenn Beck** (2:18)
The startled congressman turns towards him. Yes, sir.

**SPEAKER_6** (2:22)
Then you are a damned rascal.

**Glenn Beck** (2:26)
Well, out comes the hickory cane that Houston whittled himself from a tree at Andrew Jackson's hermitage. Houston unloads on Stanbury, cracking him across the head, shoulders and the back. Well, Stanbury staggers and tries to run, but Houston leaps on him like a wildcat, slamming the big man to the ground. They wrestle in the dirt, but horrified witnesses freeze. Stanbury 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 Stanbury's legs.
The next morning, a bruised and bedridden Stanbury 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 is 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 US. 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.

**SPEAKER_4** (4:20)
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.

**Glenn Beck** (4:45)
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. But Houston wasn't meant to stay hidden. His towering frame and magnetic personality drew attention wherever he went. And soon he found himself under the wing of a man who recognized destiny when he saw it. General Andrew Jackson.