Andrew Jackson was one of the most consequential of American presidents, but also had a great impact on the republic before his presidency. The Battle of New Orleans, which he commanded, for instance, was a rare British defeat following the events of the War of 1812 and, though won after the peace was signed at a distance, allowed white Americans to attempt to salvage some dignity from the humiliation. Jackson’s campaign in the ‘Creek War’ associated with the larger 1812 conflict was also part of a move into West Florida which was very much a Jacksonian initiative and unimaginable without him. It strengthened forces in Georgia and the wider southeast in the confrontation with Tecumseh and Tenkswatawa’s confederacy which later produced a momentum for Indian removal and nullification in the region. This drive also allowed for President Monroe and John Quincy Adams to negotiate with Spain in 1820 for the West Florida territory, producing an agreement which created a boundary for...
This is a collection of personal and largely unedited observations covering the years from 2006 to now; I assert my copyright but am fine with links and footnotes. Some posts are obviously much more researched than others, and any errors are wholly mine except where I have innocently disseminated or linked to other bloggers or commentators.