As a regular supporter of the maintenance of the Hermitage Historic Site, I understand that the nation ultimately must come to reality about Andrew Jackson’s violence, murder, racial hatred, and support for enslavement of millions of persons of African descent (blacks).
President Jackson and his Democratic Party (not the Democratic Party of today) must be brought to historical acknowledgement, reckoning and of their sins against God and humanity and perhaps for their ‘grandpappies (1830s-present).
New and more truthful history lessons ought to be taught to our children if America is to continue to realize its true creed beyond European American (white) supremacy ideology and practices of the founding fathers and early presidents.
Jackson is viewed historically as a great political leader; true; but he was not a great human being according to the moral values and history of the 19th century.
Abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass said (paraphrase, 1876): ‘There are no bygones. The evil that men do while they live, continues long after they are dead and gone.’ [Truly, indubitably, 50 million descendants of 3.5 million enslaved persons continue to suffer debilitating effects of Slavery, today (Jan. 2021).]
B. L. Lovett, historian, Nashville
