In celebration of our national heritage, we continue our Pride in America series by honoring a pivotal figure credited with making all men equal: Samuel Colt.
Samuel Colt’s legacy intersects two defining features of American identity: a tradition of arms rooted in the Second Amendment and an instinct to conquer the frontier. His creation of the modern revolver helped the United States acquire much of the Southwest during the Mexican-American War.
Colt was born in 1814 in Hartford, Connecticut, to a family of textile manufacturers. As a teenager, he studied navigation and began to voyage out at sea. Aboard the Corvo, a ship bound for London and Calcutta, he is said to have carved a model revolver inspired by the mechanisms of the ship’s wheel.
Upon returning to the States, Colt set about to create working versions of his wooden model, but his preliminary efforts largely failed. These first guns, while innovative, did not enjoy wide distribution, and poor sales forced him to close his business.
Years later, the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846 under President Polk breathed new life into his invention. Though his business had floundered financially, Colt’s guns carried a strong reputation, and so it was to Colt that General Zachary Taylor turned for arms, requesting an order of 1,000 revolvers. These weapons helped the American forces defeat Mexico and secure California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and large portions of Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming for the United States.
The financial boost from this contract allowed Colt to devote himself entirely to gun-making, and his business grew quite successful. His company became a leader in new technologies like interchangeable parts and efficient production lines, and gained renown for precision, quality, and dependability. By 1855, Colt boasted the largest armament manufacturing plant in the world.
A brilliant marketer, Colt promoted his guns through advertising campaigns that associated his guns with the mythos of the frontier, with daring feats of exploration in exotic lands. These efforts helped bestow legendary status on Colt-branded weapons within American lore.
Still in operation today, his company has now produced over 30 million firearms since its founding. Samuel Colt has thus played a lasting role in equipping American citizens with the means of self-defense enshrined in the Constitution.
