Avenging the people : Andrew Jackson, the rule of law, and the American nation

353 Pages·2017·8.02 MB·English

by  Opal

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Avenging the People
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Avenging the People
Andrew Jackson, the Rule of Law,
and the American Nation
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J. M. Opal
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Opal, J. M., author.
Title: Avenging the people : Andrew Jackson,
the rule of law, and the American nation / J.M. Opal.
Description: Oxford [UK] ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2017. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016044301 (print) | LCCN 2017000057 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780199751709 (hardback) | ISBN 9780190660253 (Updf) |
ISBN 9780190660260 (Epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Jackson, Andrew, 1767–1845. | Lawyers—United States—Biography. |
Presidents—United States—Biography. |
Rule of law—United States—History—19th century. | Law—United
States—History—19th century. | United States—Politics and
government—1829–1837. | Democratic Party (U.S.)—History—19th century. |
BISAC: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State. |
HISTORY / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775–1800).
Classification: LCC KF368.J33 O63 2017 (print) | LCC KF368.J33 (ebook) |
DDC 973.5/6092 [B] —dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016044301
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
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If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will
execute vengeance on mine enemies, and will reward them that hate
me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, (and my sword shall eat
flesh) for the blood of the slain, and of the captives, when I begin to
take vengeance of the enemy. Ye nations, praise his people; for he will
avenge the blood of his servants, and will execute vengeance upon his
adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.
Deuteronomy 32:41– 43.
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: In Our Blood 1
1. States of Nature 15
2. A Nation of Laws 46
3. Extreme Frontiers 76
4. I Love My Country and Government 105
5. The Hour of National Vengeance 137
6. The People’s Choice 172
Conclusion: Submit to Nothing 206
Abbreviations 227
Notes 233
Index 323
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would first like to thank the editors of The Papers of Andrew Jackson at the
University of Tennessee, most of whom I have never met. With extraor-
dinary precision, they have collected and explained a huge range of docu-
ments while also directing the researcher to the still more massive stores
of Jackson papers at the Library of Congress and other repositories. Their
work gave my investigations a method, a center, an evidentiary base. I have
had the pleasure of working with the director of the Papers, Daniel Feller,
who has been one of my project’s most helpful readers and engaged crit-
ics since the beginning. Dan even shared with me the latest volume of the
Papers, covering 1832, just before its release. In the late stages of writing
I also profited from the expertise of Thomas Coens. I owe an equal debt to
my editor at Oxford University Press, Susan Ferber, who believed in the
project from the outset and handled it (and me) perfectly for longer than I
care to remember. Among many other things, Susan put me in touch with
Nicole Eustace, who greatly helped with a drafty first draft.
I began this book while teaching at Colby College, where I benefited not
only from the financial support of the Harriet S. and George C. Wiswell Jr.
Chair but also from colleagues and friends Elizabeth Leonard, Margaret
McFadden, Gil Frank, Rob Weisbrot, David Lewis- Colman, Peter Ditmanson,
David Paul Josephson, Raffael Scheck, Jim Webb, Larissa Taylor, and John
Turner. Jason and Heidi Long were my friends and supporters throughout
my years in Maine. At Bowdoin College, Matt Klingle, Connie Chiang, and
Patrick Rael helped me get things off the ground. Jeffrey Selinger, Jayanthi
Selinger, and Nick Touloudis carefully read early offerings, gently suggested
big changes, and encouraged me to keep digging. Also in Maine, Ruquaia
Abdalhossein and her three children, Zainab, Mohammed, and Ahmed,
taught me about the more relevant forms of courage.
At McGill, I was lucky to have a grant from the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada. This allowed me to make many
trips to the Tennessee State Library and Archives, where I turned again and
again to Tom Kanon and his colleagues. Marsha Mullin, vice president of
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