Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. Known as Old Hickory, he was the first president who championed the rights of the common man. Originally from the frontier, he was known for being rough in speech and mannerisms and his fierce temper. After making his name as a general fighting the Creek Indians in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and the British in the Battle of New Orleans, he entered politics, resulting in the creation of the modern Democratic Party. However, Jackson is best known today for the harsh stand he took on Indian Removal.
In this concise account, John Belohlavek recounts what made Jackson such a magnetic and controversial figure in his own time. Separating truth from legend, Andrew Jackson: Principle and Prejudice shows how deeply Andrew Jacksons actions and policies as president have affected the modern United States.
John M. Belohlavek is Professor of History at the University of South Florida.
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Andrew Jackson
Principle and Prejudice
JOHN M. BELOHLAVEK
http://www.routledge.com/cw/historicalamericans
First published 2016
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Belohlavek, John M., author.
Title: Andrew Jackson : principle and prejudice / John M. Belohlavek.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2016. | Series: Routledge historical Americans | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015041830 | ISBN 9780415844857 (hardback) | ISBN 9780415844864 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780203749517 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Jackson, Andrew, 17671845. | PresidentsUnited StatesBiography. | United StatesPolitics and government18291837.
Classification: LCC E382. B45 2016 | DDC 973.5/6092dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015041830
ISBN: 978-0-415-84485-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-84486-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-74951-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Minion and Scala Sans
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To the students over the decades in the Age of Jackson.
Contents
Part I
Andrew Jackson
Part II
Documents
Historians who study antebellum America develop their own views of Andrew Jackson. As a central figure in the unfolding of nationhood, he is that immovable object that must be considered. I want to thank the staff of Routledge Press, from Kim Guinta to Dan Finaldi, and editor Paul Finkelman for giving me the opportunity to develop my own particular Jackson. There are widely varying ways to present the controversial Old Hickory and I have attempted to achieve a balance in this brief volume. My task has been aided immeasurably by the thoughtful comments and well-considered criticisms of editor Finkelman, Paul Bergeron, Justus Doenecke, Nat Jobe, and Gary Mormino. Susan Turner and her assistant, Jake, added their own keen eyes to each chapter. The careful reading of friends and colleagues improved this work, but, of course, they bear none of the responsibility for any errors in content or interpretation.
Presidents who are highly regarded for their performance in office remain popular with the American people. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt highlight such a list. Within the past generation, each has been soundly criticized by scholars for their political or personal failings, but have retained their popularity. We witness, for example, the hundreds of thousands of visitors each year who view the monuments in their honor in Washington, DC, or crowd their homes in the summer heat. We take for granted their images on coinage and currency, their names on towns and schools.
Andrew Jackson shares in this celebrity status. The Hermitage, his plantation house outside Nashville, Tennessee, entertains almost 200,000 visitors annually. The capital of Mississippi bears his name, and the city of New Orleanss most prominent square features a dramatic statue of the victorious general astride his horse. His picture stares out from the $20 note. Yet Jackson is clearly controversial. Discussions were held in 2015 about removing Old Hickorys face from the currency and replacing him with a woman or ethnic/racial minority. Many local chapters of the Democrat party have changed the name of their annual celebratory dinner from Jefferson-Jackson to Kennedy-King.
