Tag: Andrew Jackson

In this post, I wanted to share the experience of a visit to Andrew Jackson’ Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee.  The Hermitage, was the residence of US seventh president, Andrew Jackson the seventh president of the United States, from 1829 to 1837. Jackson redefined the meaning of being a true representative of “the people” but not without a controversial and often quite surprising presidential era. He helped to inspire a new era of belief and hope in the American dream.

Andrew Jackson was the first chief executive elected from west of the Allegheny Mountains, the first from other than Virginia or Massachusetts, and the first non-aristocrat.  Over and above his charisma, which gained him the nick-name “Old Hickory”, he is said to have “not only expanded the powers of the office of president but also virtually redefined them.”

Michael Beschloss, an American historian quoted a famous prayer of John Adams, the first “president to live” in the White House, that heaven “bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it” and that “none bur honest and wise men ever rule under its roof.” The author then argues that the five presidents who followed Adams seem to suggest that his prayer has been heard. “Thomas Jefferson, who demanded ‘a government rigorously frugal and simple’ and had the foresight to double the size of the new nation with the Louisiana Purchase; James Madison, who took the country through the War of 1812 and helped establish the United States as a world power; James Monroe, who fashioned an enduring foreign policy doctrine; John Quincy Adams, who set the need for a national system of roads and canals, thoughtful regulation of national resources, and government aid to education; Andrew Jackson, who expanded the powers of the office, waged war against the notion of a national bank, expunged the national debt, and became a people’s hero.”

Andrew Jackson preferred the title General after he left the white house in 1837. During the War of 1812, General Andrew Jackson led his troops through enemy territory to victory. General Jackson defended New Orleans against a full-scale attack by the British and forced them to withdraw. That war resulted in the procurement of millions of acres in the present-day southern United States, including Florida. It’s worthy mentioning that Jackson’s toughness and solid determination reminded his troops of a firmly rooted Hickory tree, and earned him the nickname “Old Hickory.”

The US state of Tennessee is the 36th largest and 16th most populous of the 50 United States of America. It boasts innumerable attractions and offers visitors unforgettable memories! They can soak in the beauty of nature while walking in the Great Smoky National Park, spend hours fishing in its rivers or wander among its abundant landmarks in American history.

Tennessee is where The Hermitage, residence of US seventh president, Andrew Jackson, is located. The ownership and control of the mansion and 25 acres of land was granted to the “Ladies’ Hermitage Association”. The Association opened it to the public. To-day’s visitors will find it restored to how it looked when Andrew Jackson returned to it after serving his second term. The tour in the Hermitage brings the visitor closer to Andrew Jackson the general, the president and the “common man” who had no formal military training prior the war of 1812.

During the residence tour, guests at the Hermitage are encouraged to ask questions and take full advantage of The Hermitage’s friendly and well trained staff. I recommend that tour to all visitors to Nashville, TN.

Nashville is also home to many famous African American writers such as Amiri Baraka, Toni Morrison and Alex Haley, music legends such as Bob Stagner, Charlie Bowman and Chuck Butler as well as ingenuous photographers such as Matthew Simmons, John Gentry and Liza Hippler. Besides being the capital of the state, it is also Country Music  Capital, USA if not of the world. Other music genres, seven in all, call Tennessee home! It has legendary country music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House which offers weekly country music stage concerts. It was founded on November 28, 1925 as the backdrop of a one-hour radio “barn dance” program and from then to  the present, it has been the longest running radio broadcast in US history. Among the innumerable museums that Tennessee boasts are: Stax Museum of American Soul Music (Memphis),Tina Turner Museum and Flagg Grove School (Brownsville) and Withers Collection Museum and Gallery (Memphis). Nashville has what seems to me to be the largest ever auditorium, Ryman Auditorium. As a live performance venue, its seating capacity is 2,362! From 1943 to 1974, it was the home of the Grand Ole opry stage and radio show.

For more information, please see the following links:

https://thehermitage.com/visit/visitor-faqs/

https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/jackson_hermitage.html

https://en.wikipedia.org