THE HERMITAGE

THE HERMITAGE

The Hermitage, the antebellum home of the people’s president, Andrew Jackson, is close to Nashville, Tennessee. When visiting there, we kept in mind the values and mind set of his times. We sought not to be influenced by revisionist history where one judges events of the past according to the evolving moral standards of today’s world. We viewed the Hermitage and Jackson’s place in the context of the early 19^thcentury. This was especially relevant since Jackson was involved in important issues of his day that today are viewed very differently – slavery and Indian removal. 

In the 41 years that Andrew Jackson owned the property until his death in 1845, the original 425 acre frontier farm evolved into a diversified 1,000 acre cotton plantation. While Andrew and Rachel Jackson originally lived in a small log cabin, as his fortunes improved he commissioned an architect-designed classical mansion be built for his family and frequent guests. Based on labor of resident slaves and Jackson’s effective management, the plantation produced 35-40,000 pounds of cotton for the market annually. While Jackson kept slave families together, he simply accepted slavery as part of the natural order.

Jackson had a colorful military and political life, but  took greatest pride in his military accomplishments and always preferred being called “General” rather than “President." His most notable military victory was at the Battle of New Orleans that ironically came several weeks after peace was made at the Treaty of Paris ending the War of 1812 — no internet available then!

In 1824, Jackson made an unsuccessful bid for president in a field of four candidates.  The other three - John Quincy Adams, William Crawford and Henry Clay had all served in the prior administration. When no candidate won an Electoral College majority, the House of Representatives under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment voted and elected John Quincy Adams as America’s 6^thpresident.

However, in 1828, Jackson triumphed over John Quincy Adams, a son of a president and a member of the Boston’s unofficial aristocracy. (As an aside, only Abigail Adams and Barbara Bush each had the honor of being the wife and mother of American presidents.)

Jackson was the first president from the new Democrat party and the first president from the trans-Appalachian west, i.e. Tennessee. His election represented a populist, democratic wave against the eastern elites who had up to this time controlled the federal government. Jackson opened up lands in Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee for settlement by the land-hungry and growing

Exterior pillars of expanded classical mansion (no photos permitted inside)

Equestrian statue standing in front of the TN capitol

population, who were also primarily slave owners. He accomplished this by forcibly removing the Indians along the “Trail of Tears” and resettling them in the trans-Mississippi west.  As a sign of the times and co-mingling the issues of the day, the Cherokee tribes themselves were slave holders.

A strong supporter of the Union and a true nationalist, Jackson confronted Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina in the nullification crisis that sought to elevate states over the power of the central government – issues which linger till today. Jackson forcefully supported preservation of the Union above all.  His toast at the annual Jefferson birthday dinner was “The Federal Union, it must be preserved.”  Politically, the compromise Jackson forged allowed the new American republic to gain internal strength before facing the devastating effects of the Civil War.

Jackson was the last president to know all the presidents who preceded him. He viewed George Washington as his mentor. In his office, we saw a desk and swivel chair that had been given to him by Washington. The Hermitage, like Mt Vernon, is maintained by a non-profit foundation founded by a group of Tennessee women who wished to preserve the Jackson heritage. And a visit to the Hermitage introduces thousands upon thousands of tourists to that heritage!