Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


1 posted on 06/08/2011 6:26:39 PM PDT by Mozilla
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041 next last
To: Mozilla
I've written extensively on AJ. I've debated his lapdog biographer, Robert Remini, in various forums.

Jackson had some good points. He clearly loved America; he was decisive; and he didn't take crap.

But he was the first president to preside over a truly "big government." He wielded executive power far more ruthlessly than all previous presidents combined; he vetoed more bills than all previous presidents combined---a sharp departure from the English "whig" notion that the legislature was the house of the people, which ALL of the Founders accepted; and I think the myth that he opposed the BUS because it was a "government" bank is just that---hogwash.

I found a document in AJ's papers in Nashville that showed he had instructed Levi Woodbury, his TreasSec to develop his own "national bank," and it was not, as some apologists say, a "subtreasury," but a regular old national bank . . . except one run by his guys. He tried to ban all small notes (paper money under a certain denomination), which is anti-free market. He screwed the Cherokee, even after the USSC ruled in their favor. He implied he would hang John C. Calhoun for opposing the Tariff of Abominations (Calhoun was wrong, but hanging was a bit severe).

He's one of those guys who should have stayed a general.

38 posted on 06/08/2011 6:56:18 PM PDT by LS ("Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . . eventually." (Hendrix))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla
people like Glenn Beck

What the hell does that mean?

Glenn isn't fond of AJ because AJ got his rocks off deporting and ethnically cleansing Indians. What exactly has you confused about disliking mass murderers?

42 posted on 06/08/2011 7:00:02 PM PDT by SwankyC (Can man rule himself?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

I hate Andrew Jackson and I wish he were dead.


44 posted on 06/08/2011 7:01:56 PM PDT by Bean Counter (Your what hurts??)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

Never met him.


46 posted on 06/08/2011 7:03:49 PM PDT by Randy Larsen (Wise To The Lies!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla
I think his message after his veto of BUS II is one of the greatest political propaganda pieces in history. And, if you sit down and read it, there are some lines that could have been written by Rush Limbaugh.

"Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. Equality of talents, of education or of wealth cannot be produced by human institutions."

65 posted on 06/08/2011 7:44:46 PM PDT by nonliberal (Graduate: Curtis E. LeMay School of International Relations)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

As an American Indian, Jackson leaves me with a Trail of Tears.


66 posted on 06/08/2011 7:44:58 PM PDT by fish hawk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla
Jackson's Farewell Address (Valedictory) contains powerful words of importance to every American today. See especially his final paragraphs.

Reprinted below is the Valedictory from the nationalcenter.org web site.

Andrew Jackson's Farewell Address
by Andrew Jackson
1837
"This speech was given on the occasion of Andrew Jackson's retirement from the presidency, and from public life. Jackson spent the remainder of his life at his home, known as the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee. He died in 1845."

"The necessity of watching with jealous anxiety for the preservation of the Union was earnestly pressed upon his fellow citizens by the Father of his Country in his farewell address. He has there told us that "while experience shall not have demonstrated its impracticability, there will always be reason to distrust the patriotism of those who, in any quarter, may endeavor to weaken its bonds"; and he has cautioned us in the strongest terms against the formation of parties on geographical discriminations as one of the means which might disturb our Union, and to which designing men would be likely to resort.

"The lessons contained in this invaluable legacy of Washington to his countrymen should be cherished in the heart of every citizen to the latest generation; and perhaps at no period of time could they be more usefully remembered than at the present moment. For when we look upon the scenes that are passing around us, and dwell upon the pages of his parting address, his paternal counsels would seem to be not merely the offspring of wisdom and foresight, but the voice of prophecy foretelling events and warning us of the evil to come. Forty years have passed since that imperishable document was given to his countrymen. The federal Constitution was then regarded by him as an experiment, and he so speaks of it in his address; but an experiment upon the success of which the best hopes of his country depended, and we all know that he was prepared to lay down his life, if necessary, to secure to it a full and fair trial. The trial has been made. It has succeeded beyond the proudest hopes of those who framed it. Every quarter of this widely extended nation has felt its blessings and shared in the general prosperity produced by its adoption.

"But amid this general prosperity and splendid success, the dangers of which he warned us are becoming every day more evident, and the signs of evil are sufficiently apparent to awaken the deepest anxiety in the bosom of the patriot. We behold systematic efforts publicly made to sow the seeds of discord between different parts of the United States, and to place party divisions directly upon geographical distinctions; to excite the South against the North, and the North against the South, and to force into the controversy the most delicate and exciting topics upon which it is impossible that a large portion of the Union can ever speak without strong emotions. Appeals, too, are constantly made to sectional interests, in order to influence the election of the chief magistrate, as if it were desired that he should favor a particular quarter of the country instead of fulfilling the duties of his station with impartial justice to all; and the possible dissolution of the Union has at length become an ordinary and familiar subject of discussion.

"Has the warning voice of Washington been forgotten? or have designs already been formed to sever the Union? Let it not be supposed that I impute to all of those who have taken an active part in these unwise and unprofitable discussions a want of patriotism or of public virtue. The honorable feeling of State pride and local attachments find a place in the bosoms of the most enlightened and pure. But while such men are conscious of their own integrity and honesty of purpose they ought never to forget that the citizens of other States are their political brethren; and that, however mistaken they may be in their views, the great body of them are equally honest and upright with themselves. Mutual suspicions and reproaches may in time create mutual hostility, and artful and designing men will always be found who are ready to foment these fatal divisions and to inflame the natural jealousies of different sections of the country. The history of the world is full of such examples, and especially the history of republics.

"What have you to gain by division and dissension? Delude not yourselves with the belief that a breach once made may be afterward repaired. If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow wider and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the halls of legislation will then be tried in fields of battle and be determined by the sword. Neither should you deceive yourselves with the hope that the first line of separation would be the permanent one, and that nothing but harmony and concord would be found in the new associations formed upon the dissolution of this Union. Local interests would still be found there, and unchastened ambition. And if the recollection of common dangers, in which the people of these United States stood side by side against the common foe; the memery of victories won by their united valor; the prosperity and happiness they have enjoyed under the present Constitution; the proud name they bear as citizens of this great Republic,--if these recollections and proofs of common interest are not strong enough to bind us together as one people, what tie will hold this Union dissevered?

"The first line of separation would not last for a single generation; new fragments would be torn off; new leaders would spring up; and this great and glorious Republic would soon be broken into a multitude of petty States armed for mutual aggressions, loaded with taxes to pay armies and leaders, seeking aid against each other from foreign powers, insulted and trampled upon by the nations of Europe, until, harassed with conflicts, and humbled and debased in spirit, they would be ready to submit to the absolute dominion of any military adventurer, and to surrender their liberty for the sake of repose. It is impossible to look on the consequences that would inevitably follow the destruction of this government, and not feel indignant when we hear cold calculations about the value of the Union and have so constantly before us a line of conduct so well calculated to weaken its ties.

"There is too much at stake to allow pride or passion to influence your decision. Never for a moment believe that the great body of the citizens of any State or States can deliberately intend to do wrong. They may, under the influence of temporary excitement or misguided opinions, commit mistakes; they may be misled for a time by the suggestions of self-interest; but in a community so enlightened and patriotic as the people of the United States, argument will soon make them sensible of their errors, and, when convinced, they will be ready to repair them. If they have no higher or better motives to govern them, they will at least perceive that their own interest requires them to be just to others as they hope to receive justice at their hands.

"But in order to maintain the Union unimpaired, it is absolutely necessary that the laws passed by the constituted authorities should be faithfully executed in every part of the country, and that every good citizen should at all times stand ready to put down, with the combined force of the nation, every attempt at unlawful resistance, under whatever pretext it may be made or whatever shape it may assume. Unconstitutional or oppressive laws may no doubt be passed by Congress, either from erroneous views or the want of due consideration; if they are within reach of judicial authority, the remedy is easy and peaceful, and if, from the character of the law, it is an abuse of power not within the control of the judiciary, then free discussion and calm appeals to reason and to the justice of the people will not fail to redress the wrong. But until the law shall be declared void by the courts or repealed by Congress, no individual or combination of individuals can be justified in forcibly resisting its execution. It is impossible that any government can continue to exist upon any other principles. It would cease to be a government, and be unworthy of the name, if it had not the power to enforce the execution for its own laws within its own sphere of action.

"It is true that cases may be imagined disclosing such a settled purpose of usurpation and oppression on the part of the government as would justify an appeal to arms. These, however, are extreme cases, which we have no reason to apprehend in a government where the power is in the hands of a patriotic people; and no citizen who loves his country would in any case whatever resort to forcible resistance unless he clearly saw that the time had come when a freeman should prefer death to submission; for if such a struggle is once begun, and the citizens of one section of the country be arrayed in arms against those of another in doubtful conflict, let the battle result as it may, there will be an end of the Union, and with it an end of the hopes of freedom. The victory of the injured would not secure to them the blessings of liberty; it would avenge their wrongs, but they would themselves share in the common ruin.

"But the Constitution can not be maintained, nor the Union preserved, in opposition to public feeling, by the mere exertion of the coercive powers confided to the general government. The foundations must be laid in the affections of the people; in the security it gives to life, liberty, character, and property, in every quarter of the country; and in the fraternal attachments which the citizens of the several States bear to one another, as members of one political family mutually contributing to promote the happiness of each other. Hence the citizens of every State should studiously avoid everything calculated to wound the sensibility or offend the just pride of the people of other States; and they should frown upon any proceedings within their own borders likely to disturb the tranquillity of their political brethren in other portions of the Union.

"You have no longer any cause to fear danger from abroad; your strength and power are well known throughout the civilized world, as well as the high and gallant bearing of your sons. It is from within, among yourselves, from cupidity, from corruption, from disappointed ambition, and inordinate thirst for power, that factions will be formed and liberty endangered. It is against such designs, whatever disguise the actors may assume, that you have especially to guard yourselves. You have the highest of human trusts committed to your care. Providence has showered on this favored land blessings without number, and has chosen you, as the guardians of freedom, to preserve it for the benefit of the human race. May he who holds in his hands the destinies of nations make you worthy of the favors he has bestowed, and enable you, with pure hearts, and pure hands, and sleepless vigilance, to guard and defend to the end of time the great charge he has committed to your keeping.

"My own race is nearly run; advanced age and failing health warn me that before long I must pass beyond the reach of human events and cease to feel the vicissitudes of human affairs. I thank God that my life has been spent in a land of liberty, and that he has given me a heart to love my country with the affection of a son. And filled with gratitude for your constant and unwavering kindness, I bid you a last and affectionate farewell."

70 posted on 06/08/2011 7:54:52 PM PDT by loveliberty2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

I don’t know much, but he’s talked about as being one of the toughest people in history. I remember reading about a battle he won that was one of the most lobsided victories in history. Unfortunately the battle took place after the war had ended, messengers couldn’t reach the participants in time to let them know there was no point in fighting.


73 posted on 06/08/2011 7:58:54 PM PDT by Mount Athos (A Giant luxury mega-mansion for Gore, a Government Green EcoShack made of poo for you)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla
"The Jacksonian Tradition

His reason was like lightning and his action like a thunderbolt" Amos Kendall,.

Prominent Jacksonians: Sarah Palin, Ronald Reagan, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Fred Thompson, Oliver North, Pat Buchanan, Zell Miller

77 posted on 06/08/2011 8:03:52 PM PDT by Donald Rumsfeld Fan ("Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts." Richard Feynman father of Quantum Physics)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

Jackson was a real man and a patriot. To much of a man for today’s America.


78 posted on 06/08/2011 8:06:28 PM PDT by normy (Don't take it personally, just take it seriously.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

George Washington was our greatest president.


80 posted on 06/08/2011 8:09:32 PM PDT by patriot08 (TEXAS GAL- born and bred and proud of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

Like him? Couldn’t say; never met the man.

Some THINGS he said or did, I like; others, not so much.


83 posted on 06/08/2011 8:15:27 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Made in America, by proud American citizens, in 1946.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

Andrew Jackson?
Is he still dead?


91 posted on 06/08/2011 8:33:24 PM PDT by meadsjn (Sarah 2012, or sooner)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

Andrew Jackson should be on Mt. Rushmore.


93 posted on 06/08/2011 8:58:06 PM PDT by ngat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

The good news for people such as you who like him is that he can run for president again, because the constitutional qualifications obviously mean nothing any more.

The bad news is that he’s dead. But that won’t stop a lot of dead voters from voting for him.


97 posted on 06/08/2011 11:36:50 PM PDT by Kevmo (Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn't make any sense at all. ~Ronald Reagan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

Sad thread full of weak brainwashed conservatives who see America mostly thru the prism of race

The libs won


98 posted on 06/09/2011 12:08:52 AM PDT by wardaddy (ok...so far I am Palin/Rubio 2012....i can explain easy..just ask)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

I have never met him. He may have been a nice guy.


101 posted on 06/09/2011 5:02:23 AM PDT by dforest
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla; FReepers

History Bump! - US, Presidents, Constitution, Dem Party, Banks, Cherokee / Trail of Tears, etc.


106 posted on 06/09/2011 9:24:19 AM PDT by Golden Gate
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla

Fanciest head of hair of all the presidents. It’s like his hair is a separate entity unto itself.


114 posted on 06/09/2011 4:31:58 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Mozilla
Jackson screwed up the financial system and shafted the Indians -- not a good start. On the positive side, he paid off the debt and stood up to disunionists, but there was something in those reproaches of "King Andrew" as domineering and heavy-handed. He wasn't our worst president, but neither was he somebody to boast about.

Arthur Schlesinger Jr. wrote a long, worshipful, award-winning book about Jackson which barely mention the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears. For that reason alone (though it's more Arthur's fault than Andrew's), I'd be inclined to judge Jackson harshly.

134 posted on 06/18/2011 12:25:18 PM PDT by x
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041 next last

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson