Old Hickory's War: Andrew Jackson and the Quest for Empire

by David Heidler, Jeanne Heidler

Overview

In the years following the War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans hero General Andrew Jackson became a power unto himself. He had earlier gained national acclaim and a military promotion upon successfully leading the West Tennessee militia in the Creek War of 1813—1814, Jackson furthered his fame in the First Seminole War in 1818, which led to his invasion of Spanish West Florida without presidential or congressional authorization and to the execution of two British subjects. In Old Hickory's War, David and Jeanne Heidler present an iconoclastic interpretation of the political, military, and ethnic complexities of Jackson's involvement in those two historic episodes. Their exciting narrative shows how the general's unpredictable behavior and determination to achieve his goals, combined with a timid administration headed by James Monroe, brought the United States to the brink of an international crisis in 1818 and sparked the longest congressional debate of the period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807128671
Publisher:	Louisiana State University Press
Publication date:	02/01/2003
Series:	Southern Literary Studies
Edition description:	Loisiana Paperback Edition
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David S. Heidler formerly taught at the University of Southern Colorado and is the author of Pulling the Temple Down: The Fire-Eaters and the Destruction of the Union. Jeanne T. Heidler is professor of history at the United States Air Force Academy. They are coauthors of The War of 1812 and Manifest Destiny and coeditors of Encyclopedia of the American Civil War. They live in Colorado Springs.

Editorial Reviews

The authors use the defeat of the Creek and Seminole Indians and the U.S. acquisition of Spanish Florida between 1814 and 1819 as a case study in the origins of Manifest Destiny. The central figure here is General Andrew Jackson, whose personal ambition and imperial vision raised local hostilities to the level of national issues. The Heidlers tell a complex, ugly story of battles and betrayals, cross-purposes and misunderstanding, and they merit praise for their clear narrative of this unfamiliar episode in U.S. history. Their comprehensive research shows that, even at this early stage, neither Indians nor Europeans belonged in America's future-neither for Andrew Jackson nor for the young, not-too-scrupulous republic he represented and in many ways epitomized. The Heidlers teach history; David wrote Pulling the Temple Down. Photos. (Apr.)

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