Mark R. Cheathem - Andrew Jackson, Southerner

ANDREW JACKSON,
SOUTHERNER

Southern Biography
Andrew Burstein, Series Editor

ANDREW

SOUTHERNER

MARK R. CHEATHEM

Louisiana State University Press

Baton Rouge

PUBLISHED BY LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Copyright 2013 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Printing

Designer: Hannah Allyce McClure
Typeface: Baskerville
Printer: McNaughton & Gunn, Inc.
Binder: Dekker Bookbinding

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Cheathem, Mark Renfred.
Andrew Jackson, southerner / Mark R. Cheathem.
pages cm. (Southern biography)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8071-5098-6 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8071-5099-3 (pdf) ISBN 978-0-8071-5100-6 (epub) ISBN 978-0-8071-5101-3 (mobi) 1. Jackson, Andrew, 17671845. 2. PresidentsUnited StatesBiography. 3. United StatesPolitics and government18291837. I. Title.
E382.C45 2014
973.56092dc23
[B]

2012049695

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

I
His Very Soul Was Grieved

II
A Person of Unblemished Moral Character

III
Gentlemanly Satisfaction

IV
As Members of Civilized Society

V
You Cannot Mistake Me, or My Meaning

VI
Ten Dollars Extra, for Every Hundred Lashes

VII
We Will Destroy Our Enemies

VIII
An End to All Indian Wars

IX
I Feel an Unusual Sympathy for Him

X
A Great Field Is Now Open

XI
Pure & Uncontaminated by Bargain & Sale

XII
The Old Hero Stands Heedless of the Pelting Storm

XIII
Et Tu Brute

XIV
To the Brink of Insurrection and Treason

XV
A Man Indebted Is a Slave

XVI
That My White and Red Children May Live in Peace

XVII
I Have Been Opposed Always to the Bank

XVIII
Firebrands of Anarchy and Bloodshed

XIX
There Would Be Great Risk

XX
Texas Must, & Will Be Ours

In a break with academic tradition I want first to thank my family for keeping me grounded in the real world. Balancing work and home can be difficult for me at times, so I am grateful that Amber, Laney, Allison, and David remind me that being a husband and a dad is more important than any scholarship that I produce. My sister, Lisa, and my aunt, Wanda, have been my consistent supporters. I hope that I have expressed sufficient gratitude to my parents, Danny and Brenda, for their hard work and sacrifices over the years.

Any scholar will tell you that having a support network outside of academia is important to living a well-rounded existence. For me and my family that could not be truer. Justin and Laura Sharp have provided laughs, friendship, and good food for longer than we probably want to remember. Andy and Christie Moore were our southern comfort during long New England winters. Weve walked through many joys and trials with our friends at Broadmoor, NTCF, and NJF. Thank you for letting us help you as you have helped us.

I appreciate the support of my friends and colleagues at Southern New Hampshire University and Cumberland University, specifically Paul Barresi, Annabel Beerel, Bob Begiebing, Rick Bell, Allison Cummings, Laurie Dishman, Eleanor Dunfey-Freiburger, Karen Erickson, Kathy Growney, Fred Heifner, Jackie Hickox, the late Terry Holcomb, Nicholas Hunt-Bull, Natalie Inman, Diane Les Becquets, Andrew Martino, Bill McKee, Pete Peterson, Diana Polley, Monty Pope, Curtis Smith, Katie Smith, Susan Youngs, and Debbie Wilcox. President Harvill Eaton has been an unwavering supporter of the study of history in general and my scholarship in particular, as has Ed Thackston, Chair of the Board of Trustees. The following librarians at Vise Library were a cheerful bunch who never complained (at least not to me) about my many book orders and interlibrary loan requests: Rick Brown, Eloise Hitchcock, Clare Nathan, Jenny Stout, Ashli Thomas, Claire Walker, and Amber Woodard. Trey Woodard was a dutiful work-study assistant, while Emme Taylor patiently tended to my many requests for photocopying, transcription, and numerous other responsibilities. I hope that my love of history is obvious to my students, who indulge my numerous Jackson references (And the connection to Andrew Jackson is ). Tellingly, none of them have gone on to study Jackson in graduate school.

A number of friends and scholars deserve thanks for sharing their thoughts on, and criticisms of, this project in its various forms, including conference presentations: Nicholas Cox, Daniel Dupre, Lorri Glover, Catherine Kelley, Cynthia Kierner, Andy Moore, Lydia Plath, Kathryn Tomasek, and Tim Williams. Others, including Don Cole, Emma Lapsansky-Werner, and Ann Toplovich, wrote letters of support for various grant applications, for which I am grateful. I especially want to thank the members of the League of Literary GentlemenTom Hilpert, Michael Kosser, and Rob Shearerfor their gentle prodding to write more accessible prose. They may not have succeeded in their efforts, but they gave it a good go. Three friends read the manuscript in its entirety: Marsha Mullin, an invaluable and underutilized resource for anyone who studies Jacksons life and one who knows far more about Jacksons life than she probably cares to admit; John Belohlavek, who is one of the kindest scholars I have ever met; and John Marszalek, my mentor and role model.

In addition to those already listed, many others have assisted me, sometimes unknowingly, with this project and the professional life of a historian. I tried to leave Dan Feller alone so that he could finish more volumes of the Jackson papers. He was a gracious mentor during my early career and remains a source of valuable advice. Connie Lester is still an important sounding board for career decisions. Jim Broussard and Gene Smith inducted me into the longest-running poker game in the profession; glad I could help fund your trips to Society for Historians of the Early American Republic meetings. During his visit to our campus as a conference keynote speaker, Mark Smith gave me valuable advice on publicizing history at a small liberal arts university. Kevin Levin, Sarah Pierce, and Heather Whitney inspired me to embrace social media for professional purposes. I am especially thankful to Darrell Dow for providing technical and creative assistance with my blog, jacksonianamerica.com.

Archivists and librarians at the following repositories were immensely helpful: the Filson Historical Society, the Library of Congress, and the Tennessee State Library and Archives. I especially appreciate the assistance of Jim Holmberg at the Filson and Jeff Flannery at the Library of Congress. This book was generously funded with research support from Southern New Hampshire University, Cumberland University, the White House Historical Association, and the Filson Historical Society, which graciously gave me permission to quote from its collections.

Finally, Rand Dotson, Andrew Burstein, and the staff at LSU Press have made the publishing process much easier than I ever imagined. Rand has been a steady supporter, which I very much appreciate. Andys optimistic critique of this project was helpful in focusing my arguments. My thanks to Elizabeth Gratch for her dutiful and thorough copyediting. Along those lines, to retain the sense of nineteenth-century written communication, I chose not to correct errors or use [sic] unless necessary for the readers clarity.