The Hermitage: Home of President Andrew Jackson is uniquely positioned to interpret many of the changes in America from the dawning of westward expansion to the eve of the Civil War.

Andrew Jackson, as both an agent and a product of change, was one of the most important, and most controversial, individuals during this period of turmoil and transition. As a political and military leader, as a businessman, and as a slave-owning cotton planter, he was at the center of important national issues. To many people in his day, Andrew Jackson was a symbol for American democracy, and he remains so in our own time. During the Jacksonian era, government moved from the republican system envisioned by the founding fathers to a democracy. Jackson also was a contentious president, touched by scandal, who took unpopular stands. His military and political careers are well known, but during his time democratic ideals were translated into religious life, reform movements, architecture, and the decorative arts.Daniel Feller, editor of the Papers of Andrew Jackson at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and visiting scholar for each workshop, points out that, at the time, Americans exuded a great deal of optimism about the future.

Our goal is to present multiple perspectives that allow teachers to draw their own conclusions about Jackson’s role in shaping the politics and political ideals of American society. No single historical perspective can adequately or definitively interpret Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage, or an entire period of history. Participants will be encouraged to weigh historical and archaeological evidence, react to multiple interpretations, and draw their own conclusions to deepen and enrich their knowledge of history.

Visit www.thehermitage.com to learn more about The Hermitage.