Nashville's Hermitage: How Andrew Jackson Built Power Through Slavery

Nashville, Tennessee. What's the first step in becoming the most powerful man in America? For our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, the first step in his journey to prominence began with the purchase of his first slave. I sat down with Erin Adams, director of education at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, a museum on the premises of the president's former home, to learn more.

TIMELINE
1788: Jackson was 21 years old in 1788 when he bought his first person, a black woman roughly his own age.
1812: In some ways, Andrew Jackson became for the War of 1812 what George Washington had been for the Revolutionary War, at least in popular imagination.
1815: Almost immediately after the success of the Battle of New Orleans, that's January of 1815, the conversation starts almost immediately.
1819: Four years later, in 1819, President James Monroe offered Jackson governorship of the newly acquired territory of Florida.
1824: The 1824 election is really a fascinating one.
1828: 1828 rolls around, and it is a showdown between Jackson and Adams.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Nashville is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 72 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 175 (Athens, Tennessee)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

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