Santiago,J

﻿__Jim Bowie__  Jim Bowie was born in Kentucky on April 10, 1796 and he died on March 6, 1836. He was known for being a clever and polite gentleman. He lived in Louisiana with his parents, Reason and Elve Jones Bowie. As a teenager he worked at various places doing different things to earn his living. As an adult he reached the height of six feet and was considered a robust man. He and his brother traded in slaves. They bought the slaves from pirates that had captured them from slave shipments in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The Bowie Brothers quit the slave business once they considered that they had earned enough money. Jim was also famous for the Bowie Knife. He carved it out of wood and took it to a blacksmith who then made it with a sharpened edge on the curved top of the blade. When Jim was in Texas he got into a fight with three men that were hired to kill him. Jim was able to kill all three men with his new knife. When he went to Texas it was under Mexican laws. He met with business men and he pledged allegiance to Mexico. In Texas he was know as a wealthy man that only dealt with wealthy people. He was baptized in the Catholic Church as an adult. He became a Mexican citizen on October 5. He established his citizenship to build wool and cotton mills in Coahuila, Mexico. On April 25, 1831, he married the daughter of a Mexican Governor. He borrowed money from his in-laws to go on a trip with his wife. He and his wife, Ursula lived in San Antonio, Texas. Bowie joined the fight against Mexico on August 1, 1832. He and eighteen men ambushed Mexico and captured soldiers. Bowie lost thirty-three soldiers during the fight against Mexico. In September of 1833 his wife and two children died of cholera in Mexico. He did not know about their deaths because he had been ill with yellow fever. The Mexican army attacked early one morning and killed Bowie's men. Bowie died on March 6, 1836 during the Battle of the Alamo. Jim Bowie was a controversial figure. Many people admired him while many feared him. He became an icon in Texas history.