Nashville - Andrew Jackson

Arriving Nashville I stayed seemingly surrounded by the winding Cumberland River. 

Not far away, inviting a walk, was a restaurant with a name associated with Andrew Jackson. As I strolled up the walk to the entrance there appeared a long porch with chairs and a couch occupied by 8-10 folks chatting. I worried that the line extended outside... how long is the wait?  Passing through the door I entered a very large room with 30-40 more people comfortably seated along a wall covered with Jackson memorabilia. Others in rocking chairs. It didn't look good for dinner!

The Cock of the Walk

After the sad experience of crossing the Hopi and next, the Navaho, reservations, I began to wonder if I could find anything likeable about Andrew Jackson. Son-in-law Nelson assures me that Jackson was liked among his close relatives. I suppose that should count for something.

 

The Cock of the Walk sported three sizes of rocking chairs. The kid size, the adult size, and the obese adult size. All the rocking chairs were occupied and the place was crowded. I gave my name for a party of 1. People were streaming in and out of this place. I heard, "Jones party of 10", and "So and so Party of 12" and sooner than I expected, "Kent, party of one!" I was led into the Andrew Jackson room.

Perhaps they were all Andrew Jackson rooms? The walls were lined with primitive handmade signs praising Jackson. 

 

People at the next table were holding hands with heads deeply bowed in prayer. I ordered the fried chicken and chips and ate half taking the remainder back to the Sprinter for tomorrow's dinner. 

The second day in Nashville I drove to the city center. It was streaming with young people and church groups (it was a Sunday). I stare at the crowds but with COVID everywhere, I remain in the Sprinter. Later that afternoon, I visited The Hermitage, Jackson's home before and after his election as President.

I ended up finding three things about Andrew Jackson that should be considered "good", as in "a good man".

1). The War of 1812 had ended by the Treaty of Ghent, but the news had not reached American shores. The Battle of New Orleans pitted the United States Army detachment commanded by Brevett Major General Andrew Jackson against Great Britain. The British were roundly defeated according to Wikipedia. That was, in my view, a good thing as it disabused the Brits of ever regaining a foothold in the land populated by native peoples and our forebears.

2). The second good thing. At the age of 13 or 14 Jackson and his older brother enlisted in the earlier Revolutionary War against Britain. They were captured, jailed, likely on a ship, and both contracted Small Pox. His brother died in captivity but Jackson's mother negotiated a release of her younger son. 

 

Now, one of the likely consequences of contracting Small Pox is that it's victims are often impotent, as was the case with Andrew Jackson. So his gift to the world was that he never passed on his genes to any offspring. And that's a good thing.

3). In touring The Hermitage, his home near Nashville before and after his Presidency, one learns from the docent that President & Mrs. Jackson provided housing for orphaned children who were fed & clothed by the house slaves. Exercising his rights (he thought), they adopt an orphan and renamed him Andrew Jackson Jr. Perhaps later in life he attempted to be a better human being. The story of John Fulton purchased by Jackson when the boy was 12 years old—>

 

 

 

 

 

 

My view remains that Andrew Jackson was a terrible human being because of his treatment of native peoples, including death marches, virtually sport-shooting, and removing the first people from good land to bad, very bad, land.

   

   Click to the next blog post