On Tour at The Hermitage

 

On Labor Day, I visited The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s Nashville manor. As a Tennessee native, going to The Hermitage was always a goal of mine – even though for various reasons I had never been able to do so before. With a candid demeanor, I paid my $20 dollars and entered the intro museum.

For reasons expressed in my book, I am no big fan of Jackson. I do think he did some good – namely the bank veto and the elimination of the federal debt for the only time in American history. Both of these accomplishments were substantial reversals of existing policy that should be celebrated.

However, I think these things were overshadowed by Jackson’s other presidential decisions. In my eyes, he hindered federalism and expanded executive power in ways that had never done before – to the detriment of individual liberty and republicanism.

Even still, I can’t deny Jackson’s lasting influence on American government.

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