“I admire Andrew Jackson’s . . . admirable qualities.”, "Focus on those, and forgive the rest." -- Well said. I love this post. Everyone has good and bad qualities that come to the surface in various ways throughout their lives. Things are not black and white, especially when it comes to human character.
Well conceived, well written, well received, and why I have for many years enjoyed Prof. Brands’ writings.
One of those Texas history stories I remember is why Houston, Texas is the county seat of Harris County, not Houston County; and why Crockett, Texas is the county seat of Houston County, not Crockett County.
In 1833, Andrew Gossett moved from Tennessee to Texas with his family. He, his father, and two of his brothers all served in the Texas Revolution, each afterwards receiving from the new Republic a 320-acre bounty grant for their service.
Gossett later donated land for a county seat when the county was organized. He and his father had the privilege of naming the new county and county seat. They chose the name “Houston” for the county, in honor of their commander Sam Houston, and “Crockett” for the county seat, after David Crockett, a boyhood friend and neighbor of Elijah Gossett's in Tennessee. Crockett had camped on the Gossetts' land in January 1836 on his way to San Antonio, the Alamo, his destiny, and his subsequent canonization.
Some present day Crockett residents have said he would have been better off had he stayed in camp on Gossett land.
Great article putting the past in perspective. I didn't read your bio on Andrew Jackson. I read American Lion by Meacham. I too took some flack from a progressive person when the subject of Jackson came up. Yes he owned slaves and hated native Americans and was responsible for the Trail of Tears.
But part of his motivation wasn't simply bigotry- it was also patriotism. He once threatened to hang secessionists in South Carolina if they tried to leave the union during the disputes over tariffs. (My wife likes to opine that "nothing good comes out of the Carolinas" LOL). This same motivation to keep the nation together was an influence on his Indian policy given that they were literally a nation inside a nation ( the USA ) and had often been collaborating with foreign powers. When I tried to bring up this nuance, it was dismissively rejected. I get your feelings regarding the book seller.
A couple small quibbles
1.the Electoral College- the reason critics don't try to amend the Constitution to get rid of it is because it is a waste of time- totally futile. The GOP and the states they control will never abolish it given that its mechanism is the GOP's best shot at winning the presidency.
2. Second Amendment- opponents of gun control would strengthen it by deleting the introductory clause about militias. - Not really. They just ignore it. As long as they are getting their way via SCOTUS there's no need to amend the 2A.
Very good essay. Enjoyed it! As I always say, IT’S COMPLICATED!
The challenge is twofold.
First, some people are so bad that we can’t talk about them positively. I heard Hitler liked children, but it isn’t a quality we should celebrate in him.
Second, it’s problematic when bad people have their name affixed to modern institutions. Take the controversy over The National Audubon Society decision to keep the Audubon name despite James Audubon’s truly horrible beliefs and actions. The organization is torpedoing its recruitment efforts, especially with the diverse audiences every institution will need to thrive. So while we may appreciate Audubon’s many contributions looking back to the 19th century, his name should have no place on a 21st century institution.
“I admire Andrew Jackson’s . . . admirable qualities.”, "Focus on those, and forgive the rest." -- Well said. I love this post. Everyone has good and bad qualities that come to the surface in various ways throughout their lives. Things are not black and white, especially when it comes to human character.
I know I don't write about people and things I don't like. The ones I do give me enough work.
Well conceived, well written, well received, and why I have for many years enjoyed Prof. Brands’ writings.
One of those Texas history stories I remember is why Houston, Texas is the county seat of Harris County, not Houston County; and why Crockett, Texas is the county seat of Houston County, not Crockett County.
In 1833, Andrew Gossett moved from Tennessee to Texas with his family. He, his father, and two of his brothers all served in the Texas Revolution, each afterwards receiving from the new Republic a 320-acre bounty grant for their service.
Gossett later donated land for a county seat when the county was organized. He and his father had the privilege of naming the new county and county seat. They chose the name “Houston” for the county, in honor of their commander Sam Houston, and “Crockett” for the county seat, after David Crockett, a boyhood friend and neighbor of Elijah Gossett's in Tennessee. Crockett had camped on the Gossetts' land in January 1836 on his way to San Antonio, the Alamo, his destiny, and his subsequent canonization.
Some present day Crockett residents have said he would have been better off had he stayed in camp on Gossett land.
Great article putting the past in perspective. I didn't read your bio on Andrew Jackson. I read American Lion by Meacham. I too took some flack from a progressive person when the subject of Jackson came up. Yes he owned slaves and hated native Americans and was responsible for the Trail of Tears.
But part of his motivation wasn't simply bigotry- it was also patriotism. He once threatened to hang secessionists in South Carolina if they tried to leave the union during the disputes over tariffs. (My wife likes to opine that "nothing good comes out of the Carolinas" LOL). This same motivation to keep the nation together was an influence on his Indian policy given that they were literally a nation inside a nation ( the USA ) and had often been collaborating with foreign powers. When I tried to bring up this nuance, it was dismissively rejected. I get your feelings regarding the book seller.
A couple small quibbles
1.the Electoral College- the reason critics don't try to amend the Constitution to get rid of it is because it is a waste of time- totally futile. The GOP and the states they control will never abolish it given that its mechanism is the GOP's best shot at winning the presidency.
2. Second Amendment- opponents of gun control would strengthen it by deleting the introductory clause about militias. - Not really. They just ignore it. As long as they are getting their way via SCOTUS there's no need to amend the 2A.
Amazing article. Thanks for writing it!
Very good essay. Enjoyed it! As I always say, IT’S COMPLICATED!
The challenge is twofold.
First, some people are so bad that we can’t talk about them positively. I heard Hitler liked children, but it isn’t a quality we should celebrate in him.
Second, it’s problematic when bad people have their name affixed to modern institutions. Take the controversy over The National Audubon Society decision to keep the Audubon name despite James Audubon’s truly horrible beliefs and actions. The organization is torpedoing its recruitment efforts, especially with the diverse audiences every institution will need to thrive. So while we may appreciate Audubon’s many contributions looking back to the 19th century, his name should have no place on a 21st century institution.